Puff, Puff, PASS! 10 Rappers Who Have Quit Smoking Weed
It's no secret that rappers like weed. From Method Man and Redman to Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg, there have been dozens of rappers who have proclaimed their love for the greenery over the years. They've included marijuana references in their songs. They've appeared in music videos surrounded by smoke. And they've even come out and publicly endorsed the benefits of smoking. As a result, you'd think weed was actually legal if you've listened to these rappers enough.
However, not all rappers smoke weed. In fact, there have even been quite a few rappers who have come out and told the world that they've quit smoking after expressing their love for it. The most recent example is Sean Paul, who just revealed that he's been smoke free for the last two years. Of course, he also admitted that still mixes weed with his tea every morning. But, hey: That's better than coughing up a lung to get high, right?!
We're proud of SP for making the move to quit smoking. And, we hope he keeps his commitment. But we also want to point out that he's definitely not the first artist to do this. So, in light of the news, we decided to put together a list of 10 rappers who have quit smoking weed. If these guys can do it, anyone can. Just check out which artists have had their weed-smoking habits go up in smoke.—Chris Yuscavage
The Artist: Kid Cudi
When He Quit Smoking: 2011
Why He Did It: Although he made his announcement on April Fool's Day last year, this most certainly was not a joke. Instead, Cudi announced he was quitting because he was "happy being a new me." On his Tumblr, he wrote: "Giva f--- who thinks of me different, you didnt care about me in the first place if you can be proud and happy for me for growing and starting a new chapter. Im not your puppet or your tap dancing drug addict here to be your miserable muse, i always made music for me to help myself find understanding. I have finally learned from the words in my songs. I love who loves me and who really cares about me."
The Artist: Method Man
When He Quit Smoking: 2011
Why He Did It: Although Meth didn't say he was quitting forever, when we spoke to him late last year he did say that he was going to begin phasing Mary Jane out of his life. "I don't want that every time you hear Method Man's name you associate it with getting high," he said, "because there's so much more to me that that. I'm not actually distancing myself from my marijuana culture people, but it's not in the forefront anymore. I got kids to raise, man. Plus, it was never really that bad. It comes to a point where no matter where you go, they're always thinking you're high. And I'm not always high. I mean, right now, I'm sober as a priest."
The Artist: Yelawolf
When He Quit Smoking: "A few years ago"
Why He Did It: During an interview with the Baltimore Sun in October 2011, Yela revealed that he used to suffer from anxiety when he used drugs when he was younger. And, after quitting for several years, he tried smoking weed again a few years ago but got hit with another bout of anxiety. So he gave it up and doesn't smoke anymore. "The only thing I can do is just drink," he said. "That's the last thing I got."
The Artist: GZA
When He Quit Smoking: 2007
Why He Did It: During an interview with New York, GZA talked about growing up and said that weed has limited the amount of stuff he's been able to do in his career. "I'm done with that," he said. "I could have done so much more in the past...I'm just really, really laid-back-slash-lazy. Last minute with everything. And now, I can't blame the weed."
The Artist: RZA
When He Quit Smoking: 2012
Why He Did It: Like GZA, RZA woke up one day and realized that he wasn't a kid anymore. "Making music and weed went together for me," he told Chelsea Handler. "Many years, I've been in the studio making hits, and weed was always there. But I've transferred myself."
The Artist: Mark Wahlberg
When He Quit Smoking: 2011
Why He Did It: First of all, are we stretching the term "rapper" and "artist" here? Yes. Deal with it. Marky Mark used to be a rapper and he also used to smoke weed until his kids convinced him to give it up. "I stopped smoking weed for my kids," he said at the Indie Impact Awards in early '11. And he did so because his daughter once confused the weed smell on his clothes for a skunk. "Sometimes Daddy smells like that," he remember her saying. Good reason.
The Artist: Snoop Dogg
When He Quit Smoking: 2002 (er, at least temporarily)
Why He Did It: Although we're pretty sure Snoop's picked the habit up again—he got arrested for pot possession in January—there was a time when he quit. "I'm not trying to be a dead legend," he said. "I'm trying to be a living legend. I care about myself and I love me and I wanna be here. I don't care what you say or what you feel. If you have something negative to say about me not smoking weed, f--- you in your mouth."
The Artist: J. Cole
When He Quit Smoking: 2011
Why He Did It: After talking about putting the pot down in several songs, HipHop-N-More asked Cole about it. He revealed that he was never really a "big smoker" and said that he really only talks about weed to stay connected to some of his fans. "I just had a phase toward the end of college," he said. "That was my phase, but it was never for me."
The Artist: Cee-Lo
When He Quit Smoking: Sometime in the 1990s
Why He Did It: At the height of the success of Goodie Mob, the rapper/singer suffered from a bad anxiety attack one day while smoking weed and decided to give it up for good. "I never got comfortable with it again," he said in November 2010 before talking about a song called "Marijuana" with Slim Thug a few years ago. "When that song came out, I was like, 'I've got a song with Slim Thug...?' I don't even understand what I'm saying."
The Artist: Lil Wayne
When He Quit Smoking: 2010
Why He Did It: You can't smoke behind bars! And even though he's out now, Weezy's still on probation. So he's not allowed to partake in pot anymore. But we're not so sure this drug-free thing is for good. "I drank syrup and smoked a lotta weed," he told GQ last year. "I wish I could be back on it. That's how it f------ feels. How does it feel to be sober? I'll be like, 'It feels f----- up.' What do you want me to say? 'It feels great'? No."
