This 4/20, we’re celebrating the best intersections of weed and pop culture. After reading through this list of the best weed albums, be sure to also check out 25 Stoner Movies That’ll Leave you (Half) Baked and Country Music’s Complicated Relationship with Weed in 10 Songs.
Like ketchup and french fries, like peanut butter and jelly, weed and music are always a welcome combination. The pairing fits almost any occasion, from quiet moments of soul-searching to uproarious house parties, private epiphanies to the largest social movements of the last hundred years. Whenever great albums are being spun, marijuana finds a place, and wherever a skunky smell hangs over coughs and giggles, music has a way of making things that much better.
In celebration of this unbeatable combination we put together the 50 greatest stoner albums from the worlds of pop, hip-hop, electronic, rock, and heavy metal. We present this list not to have the final say, but in the long tradition of, “Yo dude, did you ever think about…?” that has sparked such great conversations in smoke-outs from the beginning of time.
Whether you grind it, roll it, vape it, swallow it, spark up a J, light a bowl, or are just looking for a little contact high to get you through the day, here are 50 classic LPs that will boost you into outer space.
— Wren Graves
Features Editor
Editor’s Note: To help elevate your listening experience to the albums on this list, check out the 4/20 sale on the Consequence Shop, where all CBD, Delta-8, and THC-O products and accessories are buy one, get one 25% off through April 30th, 2023. You can also pre-order the new GWAR Bud of Gods line, New Dank Ages, featuring all sorts of CBD treats and merch.
50. Tame Impala – Lonerism
Lonerism is the pinnacle of Tame Impala’s fine-tuned psych rock fantasia. While their debut album, Innerspeaker, contains plenty of spacey sounds, Lonerism doubles down with an expansive collection of songs oriented around Kevin Parker’s love of pop music. The layered harmonies and throbbing drums on “Mind Mischief” strike the balance between sedative and energizing, the euphoric rise and fall of “Apocalypse Dreams” is as dreamy as it is epic, and standout hits “Elephant” and “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” are undeniable anthems suitable for many smoke sessions. — Paolo Ragusa
49. Warren G – Regulate… G Funk Era
Snoop Dogg was the undeniable breakout star of Dr. Dre’s 1992 album The Chronic, but the Chronic collaborator with the best no-skips solo album is Warren G. Regulate… G Funk Era is a sun-soaked odyssey, one of the defining artifacts of the west cost ’90s sound that was made almost entirely without the good Dr.’s orders. Even sans Dre, Warren G ripped off a stone-cold hit with Nate Dogg, “Regulate,” and the 12 guest-heavy tracks feel like sharing a smoke with an ever-changing circle of friends. — W. Graves
48. Ween – Quebec
Lose yourself to the 15 tracks of this 2003 album from psychedelic rockers Ween. The band’s eighth studio album makes it pretty clear what kind of atmosphere it’s hoping to create; the second track is titled “Zoloft.” There’s a colorful nature to the record overall, and tracks like “Happy Colored Marbles” evoke almost a childlike sound with its cheerful vocals and xylophone backing. The project is the perfect length for some cannabis-inspired activities — spend an hour with Ween and Quebec is guaranteed to take you on some kind of journey. — Mary Siroky
