Afroman

Released: October 15, 2014

Songwriter: Afroman

Producer: Weedmaps

Ironically, I care about everything!

I had problems with glaucoma, but then I got high
Smelled the cannabis aroma, and I got high
Glaucoma getting better and I know why
Because I got high, because I got high, because I got high

I used to smoke cigarettes, but then I got high
Getting tired and call it quits, but them I got high
I'm playing basketball and jogging and I know why
Because I got high, because I got high, because I got high

I used to drink beer and wine, but then I got high
I woke up feeling fine, because I got high
My hangover's over and I know why
Because I got high, because I got high, because I got high

Anxiety attacks, but then I got high
I used to take Xanax, but then I got high
No more prescription pills and I know why
Because I got high, because I got high, because I got high

The state made revenue, because I got high
They built a school or two, because I got high
Now the state can fund drug treatment and I know why
Because I got high, because I got high, because I got high

No more criminal traps if it's legalised
I don't have to buy from gang bangers shooting craps, if it's legalised
I can advocate with Weedmaps and I know why
It's legalised, it's legalised, it's legalised

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

One Hit Wonder EP

From the album

One Hit Wonder EP (2014)

Afroman popular songs

Because I Got High (Positive Remix)Afroman

Afroman

One Hit Wonder EP