Kendrick Lamar’s Relationship With Cannabis: Analyzing His Lyrics

Kendrick Lamar is having quite the year. Fresh off five new Grammy wins for the diss track heard ’round the world, Lamar remains one of the most influential hip-hop artists — arguably of all time. And his reign isn’t over yet: this Sunday, Lamar will even add the prestigious title of the headliner at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show to his resume (although it won’t be his first time on the Super Bowl stage since he joined Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige in 2022).

Despite his presence, well, everywhere, K Dot generally stays away from cannabis. But if you listen closely to his complete discography, you’re bound to hear him rap about weed in one way or another at least once. After all, while Lamar used to smoke cannabis, he doesn’t anymore.

Whether it was in GQ’s profile on Lamar or his interview with HardKnockTV, Lamar isn’t shy about his decision to remain cannabis celibate — or the reasons behind it, as, unlike other artists on his label, cannabis clouds his clarity, rather than inducing more potent creativity. 

Nevertheless, whether he personally partakes in cannabis or not, he’s still written powerful lyrics about the drug that even the most heady hip-hop heads can’t resist. But beyond “roll they ass up like a fresh pack of za,” what does Kendrick say about weed? 

Let’s dig in. 

Analyzing Kendrick Lamar’s Most Popular Cannabis Lyrics

“The Recipe” (Spoiler Alert: This Recipe Contains Weed)

“The Recipe” is a fan-favorite jam perfect for a sunny day drive or California beach day. But, in classic Kendrick style, the lyrics pack a punch. This song is a bonus track on Lamar’s deluxe album titled “good kid, m.A.A.d city.”

The track, featuring cannabis granddaddy Dr. Dre, explores success and fame — and the pressures that come with them. The song touches on themes like ambition, the allure of wealth, and the complexities of life in a city shaped by gang culture and poverty. In the song, the “recipe” symbolizes the formula for success, which, for Kendrick, involves a mix of staying true to oneself, hard work, and understanding the realities of his surroundings. 

Not that you would know that from the smooth melodic hook, which chants “women, weed, and weather” in a continuous loop, serving as a red herring recipe all its own. 

In fact, the song starts with, “Smokin’ weed with you, ’cause you’ve taught me to.” The “you” here might refer to West Coast culture and a common indulgence to take the edge off. But while it’s tied to California’s laid-back lifestyle, the song hints at the tension between enjoying these vices and staying grounded, suggesting that while weed is part of the lifestyle, it also carries complexities and consequences, made evident by the song’s full chorus:

You might catch me in Atlanta looking like a boss
New Orleans and then Miami, party in New York
Texas I be screwed up, Chi town, I be really pimping
But nothing like my hometown I’m forever living
Women, weed, and weather
(They come for) women, weed and weather
For the women, weed and weather
(From all around the world for the) women, weed and weather
Got that women, weed and weather
Don’t it sound clever, come and play
What more can I say? Welcome to LA

“Growing Apart (To Get Closer)”: A Song to Smoke To

In classic Kendrick style, this song is deeper than first meets the eye — or ear, if we’re being precise. This track, featuring Jhene Aiko, is from his 2011 project Section.80. The song explores the emotional distance that comes with personal growth, as Lamar reflects on how ambition and self-discovery can strain personal relationships. Featuring Jhene Aiko’s haunting hook, the song captures the loneliness of success and the paradox of drifting apart to get closer to the version of yourself that you’re growing into. 

And given that Kendrick frequently uses cannabis as a symbol or coping, contemplation, and escape, listeners shouldn’t be surprised to hear him reference it in this song, too.

Where are we going? Why are we slowing down?
Where are you going? We should be growing now
Smoke to it

“Poe Mans Dreams (His Vice)”: Not The Cannabis Anthem You Think It Is

 While smoke good, eat good, live good may seem like the ultimate cannabis lover’s mantra, “Poe Mans Dreams (His Vice)” is actually an emotionally heavy track. The song was released on Lamar’s Section.80 and features artist GLC.

In this song’s lyrics, Kendrick opens up about the harshness of growing up in poverty, touching on the internal conflict between his dreams of success and the vices and circumstances that threaten to weigh him down, including crime, self-destructive behavior, and — you guessed it — weed.  The repeated phrase “Smoke good, eat good, live good” acts as a mantra of self-care and escaping harsh realities, suggesting that enjoying simple pleasures (like good food and weed) can offer solace in difficult times.

Ultimately, the song is both a celebration of resilience and an acknowledgment of the pressures of life, with Lamar recognizing that the road to success isn’t always linear.

But anyway, this for my pops
On his lunch break eating in that parking lot
On “Wanna Be Heard” probably thought he worked my nerves
But really he was stressing me getting what I deserved
Somebody said my name on the radio
He ain’t know I was ready for the world that minute
So the next time he roll up and drop grams in it
He’ll probably be out of work, laid back, while he-
Smoke good, eat good, live good
Smoke good, eat good, live good
Smoke good, eat good, live good
Smoke good, eat good, live good
Smoke good, eat good, live good 

“Kush & Corinthians (His Pain)”: ‘Cause Ya Never Know 

The song “Kush & Corinthians (His Pain)” is another contemplative track from Lamar’s Section 8.0 project. In this track, Kendrick Lamar talks about his struggle between the temptations of earthly vices and moral actions. He also talks about telling his mother about the career he wanted, and now has. 

Like many of the other tracks on this project, Lamar seems to be grappling with larger-than-life concepts. On this one in particular, Lamar reflects on themes like death, spirituality, and seeking a higher purpose. Between questioning what happens after death and the meaning of life in general, by the time Lamar gets to the titular lyric “Smokin my kush, reading Corinthians,” Lamar seems to be balancing two of humanity’s favorite means of comfort. Just as “kush,” provides solace and escape for some, Biblical verses provide the same comfort to others.

Momma I just wanna sing – momma said
According to get everything, you gotta risk everything
So I’m smoking my kush reading Corinthians
Smoking my kush reading Corinthians

“FEAR”: I Roll That Motherf Up

Lamar’s DAMN. is known for its heavy-hitting one-liners. On “FEAR.” in particular, Kendrick explores significant moments from ages seven, seventeen, twenty-seven, and at the time of recording this album. Like his earlier cannabis references, Kendrick’s mention of rolling up isn’t a pure celebration of weed’s potential to relax fear away.

Instead, it’s a vivid metaphor for our tendency to cope with fear, stress, and anxiety with instant gratification. Kendrick describes the act of rolling up as a way to “smoke fear away,” which suggests that the act of using cannabis serves as a form of temporary relief from the overwhelming emotional and mental struggles he’s facing.

But, his true meaning rests on one word: “if.” I guess facing fear 

If I could smoke fear away, I roll that motherf- up
And then I’d take two puffs   

What Lamar’s Cannabis-Loving Fans Have To Say About Kendrick Lamar’s Relationship With Weed

Now, based on our analysis, it’s quite clear that Lamar doesn’t have the most sunshine and rainbows view of cannabis. And for hardcore Kendrick Lamar fans, dissecting his lyrics and being in tune with what he’s said lyrically, in interviews, at concerts, etc. is practically a pastime. While not everything you read on the internet is true, of course, it’s interesting to see the theories surrounding weed and Lamar from fans.

Some even have their own theories about why this artist might have been off-put by weed from the beginning based on his lyrics. In several forums, users have been doing their own analyses. 

“The first time Kendrick smoked, he got laced (which means his blunt was laced with cocaine, pcp, or any other drug a lot more harmful than weed). He was planning on going to see Sherane that day, and got set up and jumped by her cousins and stomped out by the police. He probably links all of this trauma with the blunt and avoids it now. The whole story is explored in “good kid” and “m.A.A.d city” where he tells the whole story, it’s a masterpiece—check it out if you haven’t already. He also has a song on Overly Dedicated called H.O.C and all throughout the hook he’s saying, ‘I don’t even smoke, I don’t even smoke.’ So, Kendrick doesn’t smoke as far as I know and drinks rarely,” says a Lamar fan on a Quora forum discussing Lamar’s relationship with weed.

While Lamar likely has a number of reasons for not smoking weed anymore, many other fans also believe it’s this song’s lyrics that might explain his aversion. In the song “m.A.A.d city,” Kendrick Lamar comes out and says it directly. Confirming the Quora user’s theory, he raps about why he “rarely smokes now:”

Cocaine laced in marijuana
And they wonder why I rarely smoke now
Imagine if your first blunt had you foaming at the mouth
I was straight tweaking the next weekend we broke even

Fan-Favorite Kendrick Lamar Songs to Smoke Weed To

Nevertheless, us cannabis lovers are going to keep smoking weed and listening to Kendrick. While the following songs may or may not explicitly talk about weed (or what exactly it is he’s smoking), cannabis users on Reddit say these are their favorite Kendrick Lamar songs to smoke weed to.

• LUST.
• Collard Greens (By ScHoolboy Q ft. Kendrick Lamar)
  
• Blow My High (Members Only)
• Money Trees
• PRIDE.
• A.D.H.D
• Good Kid
• DUCKWORTH.
• H.O.C
• Don’t Kill My Vibe

And while not everything Kendrick Lamar says about weed is positive, we can appreciate his cultural commentary and nuanced perspective. Happy listening!