The 5 Most Iconic Stoner Songs — And the Samples Behind Them 🥦

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The story of 4/20 traces back to the early 1970s in San Rafael, California, where a group of high school friends known as “the Waldos” would meet at 4:20pm after school to search for a rumored abandoned cannabis crop. They never found it, but “4:20” became their code for smoking, and the phrase slowly spread through the underground. The real catalyst came when the term made its way into the orbit of Grateful Dead and their fanbase, the Deadheads, helping carry “420” nationwide. By the early ‘90s, the phrase had gone mainstream after a flyer promoting a 4/20 meetup circulated at a Dead show and was later published by High Times, cementing April 20 as the unofficial holiday for cannabis culture. Today, 4/20 has evolved far beyond a code word into a full cultural moment.

Across the country, fans gather at festivals, concerts, and smoke sessions, while legal cannabis markets now span over 20 states, reflecting how far the movement has come. In music, the holiday found some of its biggest champions in artists like Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa, who didn’t just embrace weed, they built entire brands around it. Producers like Dr. Dre helped shape the sound of that culture, layering funk, soul, and hazy textures that became synonymous with smoke sessions.

So for this 4/20, we’re taking it a step further. We’re diving into the samples behind some of the biggest weed anthems of all time, breaking down the original records that gave these songs their unmistakable feel.

→ Sampled Club Nouveau - WHY YOU TREAT ME SO BAD (1986) and → Kool and the Gang - JUNGLE BOOGIE (1973)

Produced by Tone Capone, "I Got 5 On It" flips “Why You Treat Me So Bad” as the main piano loop, with additional elements from Jungle Boogie and Top Billin' subtly layered into the drums and groove.

→ Sampled: Tom Scott & The LA Express - SNEAKIN’ IN THE BACK (1974) and → YG f/ Ty Dolla $ign - TOOT IT AND BOOT IT (2010)

Built around Stargate and The Smeezingtons’ signature minimalism, the production uses muted guitar loops, crisp drum programming, and spacious mixing to keep the record open while letting the hook carry.

→ Sampled: David McCallum - THE EDGE (1967)

Produced by Dr. Dre, the track flips David McCallum’s “The Edge” into a laid-back, funk-driven groove with thick basslines, crisp drums, and G-funk synth layers, setting the stage for the iconic “smoke weed everyday” line that became a 4/20 anthem.

→ Sampled: Dusty Springfield - SONG OF A PREACHER MAN (1968) and → Lee Dorsey - GET OUT OF MY LIFE, WOMAN (1965)

Produced by DJ Muggs, the track flips Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man” into a slowed, hypnotic loop, layering gritty drums and filtered textures to create a hazy, smoke-filled groove that perfectly fits its 4/20 energy.

→ Sampled: Freda Payne - I GET HIGH (ON YOUR MEMORY) (1977)

Produced by Swizz Beatz and Saint Denson, the track flips Freda Payne’s “I Get High (On Your Memory)” into a gritty, loop-driven groove, using that soulful vocal sample to anchor one of the most iconic weed anthems of the 2000s.

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