Afroman

Released: March 4, 2000

Songwriter: Afroman

Producer: Chad Mac

Yes! Yes! Thank you for inviting me here for my final speech
Ladies and gentlemen, homosexuals, lesbians, and transvestites
Allow me to introduce myself as the Hungry Hustler, Afroman
I am the American Dream. Even though the government tried to experiment with me
By placing me in the projects, I'm still the American Dream
Surrounded by drugs
Jeopardized my life by living around thugs
But I'm still the American Dream
Kicked outta Palmdale High School
Because I was considered a distraction to the educational process
I've traveled through the complete metamorphosis of the justice system
And I'm still the American Dream
Entered Juvenile Hall as a tadpole;
Hopped outta prison as a bull frog
But I'm still the American Dream
The most rejected, disrespected
When I went for a job I was never selected
But I am still the American Dream
And right about now
I find it quite serendipitous to see that all of you some-timin'
Wishy-washy, two-faced, back-stabbin'
Coniving hypocrites have accumulated here in my midst to persecute my character
With such flagrant slanderousity
But I counter-attack by calling it constructive criticism
And all of your negativity has been recycled into motivation
And I am still the American Dream
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found; was blind, but now I see
There's a lot of people out there who can identify with me
Young lady right here, you may be a single teenaged mother
But you are still the American Dream
The lady next to you, yes. Your breasts may not be as big as men think they should be
But you are still the American Dream
Young man, you may not be a baller, shot caller
With 20 inch blades on the impala, but you are still the American Dream
Young man right here, you may have spent all your money on a hood rat bitch
And didn't get no pussy last night, but you are still the American Dream
Yes sir, I am just like Ham. I'm for the black man
The mexican, and even poor white
All human beings that have no rights. So put down your past, pick up your future
Follow me as we journey through the Red Sea
Cause I have been to the mountain top
I've seen the Promised Land
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the Underground Category
My mind has been delivered
My spirit has been reinstated from the Corporate World's modern-day slavery
I've been emancipated. Free at last! Free at last! Fuck a drug test
I'm fittin' to roll some grass. Love, peace, and Afro grease, Fro-ever! Buccooocc!

A-E-I-O-U, and sometimes W. 'Cuz I'm high, cuz I'm high, cuz I'm high

Joseph ‘Afroman’ Foreman began writing songs and handing them out to his friends on cassette while in the eighth grade. At 25 years old, he released his first album, 1999’s Sell Your Dope. Soon after, he moved from LA to Mississippi with the mission to ‘get away from competition and sell to actual people’, releasing his sophomore album Because I Got High in 2000 on T-Bones Records. Its title track, written hastily after a friend showed up and interrupted him on an ambitious day and insisted they instead get high, was the last song he had recorded for the album. Soon after, Afroman left the music business.

At the same time, the file-sharing software Napster – heavily used at the time to share and distribute music for free – was at its peak of popularity, and the album’s title track became popular with its users. Universal Records caught wind and signed Afroman to a six album deal and released it as a single on July 6, 2001.

“Because I Got High” immediately became one of the most-requested songs across the nation, growing even larger after syndicated morning radio show host Howard Stern began airing it regularly, helping to make it ‘the most requested song on the radio in the country’. Further boosting its popularity was its inclusion in the film (and soundtrack to) Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back and MTV’s eventual agreement to air a modified, less-controversial music video for the song. It peaked at #13 in the US, and topped the charts in ten countries overseas. Its album The Good Times reached #10 in the US.

more tracks from the album

Because I Got High

From the albums

Because I Got High (2000)
The Good Times (2001)

Afroman popular songs

The American DreamAfroman

Afroman

Because I Got High