Top 10: French rap and cannabis

Rap and smoking weed—it’s a long-standing love affair that goes way back. Since the early days of rap in France, many rappers have repeated ad nauseam that they were particularly fond of cannabis. First, through a track dedicated to the theme for the first generation (NTM’s “Pass pass le oinj,” IAM’s “Le Shit Squad,” etc.), and then through references that become increasingly frequent throughout the lyrics.

While the trend has shifted toward cocaine lately (not to advocate for use, but for the sale of it—which is often romanticized, by the way, but anyway, that’s not the point), references to the THC and all its derivatives They remain a mainstay of French rap, and that doesn't seem likely to change anytime soon.

Addiction: Alkpote

Generally speaking, Alkpote isn’t really in the habit of writing themed songs, which makes sense given his writing style, which relies above all on a string of outrageous—and often funny—phrases. But while people tend to focus on the crude and explicit nature of his rhymes, the second most recurring element is undoubtedly the very high THC intake from the rapper from Evry—and it's always been that way.

Since he’s a fanatic when it comes to multi-syllable rhymes, he’s undoubtedly the one who has cited the most weed variety throughout his songs, if only because it’s an inexhaustible source of inspiration for his rhymes. Another distinctive trait is that he openly admits, both on the mic and in interviews, to being an «addict,» without any hang-ups. He’s stated that he wrote his best lyrics when he was high, though he made it clear that he isn’t particularly proud of that.

The Habit: Sinik

Now retired As for rap (he’s since become the owner of a tattoo parlor), Sinik, too, tended to regularly mention his love of big joints in quite a few tracks, whether they were ego-driven, descriptive, or otherwise.

Often in a lighthearted or casual way («a little glue on the right and peel off at three»), but also in a much more serious and somber way, in focusing on the negative aspects («I grew up feeling out of step; drugs aren’t sweet at all when they pin you to the tile floor»).

The highlight was the storytelling segment *My Worst Enemy*, in which he portrays cannabis as a false brother who lures people in before betraying them.

Consistency: Rim’k

Like many others on this list, Rim’K has frequently alluded to his regular cannabis use in numerous lyrics—even in songs that weren’t necessarily primarily about that topic—and has been doing so since his early days in music. But he has also dedicated entire tracks to the subject since the late ’90s.

In addition to the parodic story “Réservoir Drogues,” in which he and his partner AP teamed up with Mr. Skunk and Mr. Popo to kill Mr. Coke and his cronies, there are, among others, “L’apérispliff,” “Big Fumée,” “Demain j’arrête pas,” *Cellophané*, and many more. It’s become a staple of every one of his projects, and the least we can say is that the guy is consistently inspired. Not to mention the music videos that make every smoker’s mouth water, whether they’re shot in Holland or not.

Recently, he even developed the "Weed Life" concept, complete with its own line of T-shirts.

Traffic: Lim

How could we forget the interlude on his band Movez Lang’s album and its classic line, «It smells like weed—you could say it smells like LIM»? With him, we clearly shift toward open and unapologetic drug dealing, which is proclaimed loud and clear in an impressive number of tracks.

Here, it’s the sheer volume that catches your attention: for nearly ten years, it was very difficult to find a single verse by the rapper from Boulogne that didn’t include at least a small reference to selling weed. Contrary to the advice «never get high on your own supply,» the MC has always emphasized smoking excessively himself—everywhere, all the time. It wasn’t just an act on his part; he genuinely had a joint in his mouth during absolutely every interview until very recently.

The Escape: Nessbeal

In Nessbeal’s music, smoking is often established as a backdrop that permeates entire tracks without necessarily being hammered home every four bars. This contributes both to the rapper’s ethereal state—as if he were speaking to us from a completely out-of-this-world realm—and to the deeply sad undertones of all his songs.

In the second half of his career, he experimented with more upbeat and positive songs, but without straying from his favorite hobby, which led, in particular, to his cover of Kid Cudi's song titled Amnesia, devoted entirely to getting high through heavy smoking.

The Daily: Red October

The rappers from the group Octobre Rouge have explored the theme from almost every angle. The shortage (P-p-pénu), dealing, customers (Le Ien), the plantation (Hydro), and of course the trip to Amsterdam, a must-see. The music video for the song caused quite a stir at the time because of its realistic nature.

It’s worth noting that in the audio version of «Week-End à Meuda,» there was an outro where the rappers listed absolutely every drug in the world, before concluding, “And with all that, they still make such a big deal over a joint?”.

The Festive One: Experty

They’re probably the least well-known on the list, but be careful not to overlook them. Sobre and Béocéa are two rappers from Calvados—a fact that might make some people smile, but it brings us to a key point.

Unlike commuters in the Paris region, they have access to high-quality weed at a low price—and it’s very easy to get, since one of their friends had his own little home garden. In all their projects, they’ve highlighted their recreational cannabis use without ever taking themselves too seriously. Influenced at the time by San Francisco’s hyphy movement, they’ve released several upbeat anthems about getting high.

The Antidepressant: NLP

PNL's music is incredibly trippy, and many smokers appreciate their cloud-rap style. But that's just the music. In their lyrics, cannabis is both a cure for poverty (There’s also a reference to cocaine in *Je vis je visser*, but it’s the sale of hash and weed that takes center stage 99 % of the time), but also an addiction that no longer brings any particular pleasure—it’s just a pastime for lack of anything better, barely distracting from boredom and depression.

In practical terms, Ademo and N.O.S. have at least one joint in hand during every appearance in nearly all of their music videos, but there’s almost never anything joyful or lighthearted about the way they portray it. It’s just a reality like any other. It’s also interesting to note that the references are slightly more subtle on their latest album, except when the lyrics clearly refer to their lives before they became famous.

Self-medication: Jul

For Jul, smoking is an activity that can range from a way to set a cheerful mood or a natural reflex to a deliberate remedy for the blues. And since the rapper’s style is often very emotional and sad, this theme comes up quite often as a way to escape his problems, anxieties, and so on. Meanwhile, in his more upbeat songs, the rapper never really explores the positive aspects it brings him; he simply uses it for a rhyme.

It’s actually intentional, as he explained in an interview: «I’ll tell you the truth—I made the song »Amnésia’ for everyone who smokes weed. But I don’t like it… I don’t want to encourage it or show that to people. You know, in my life, if I see a fan on the street and I’m smoking, I hide it. It’s like if I saw my mom—I respect that. This track is actually for people who already smoke. I respect people on that point. It helps me—sometimes, you know, you’re going through a rough patch, a really dark time. You smoke a joint or two, and you feel good, you’re able to escape… The song speaks for itself.”

The Flambe: Kaaris

Kaaris, on the other hand, is all about the egotrip, which is often ironic or tinged with humor. He smokes regularly but uses the References to joints and cannabis usually in figures of speech, most of the time. That’s how we learn that he likes to hit on girls «under the influence,» put weed in his hookah, compare lighting his joint to lighting the Olympic flame, have bitches roll his joints for him, and so on.

The highlight, of course, is this unlikely sequence: «I’m eating your pussy like a Viennese pastry, and at the same time I’m smoking my O.G. Kush, », and at the same time I catch a big fly with a pair of chopsticks.".