Because I Got High
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| "Because I Got High" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Afroman | ||||
| from the album Because I Got High | ||||
| Released | October 15, 2001 | |||
| Format | CD | |||
| Recorded | 2000 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop, comedy | |||
| Length | 5:10 | |||
| Label | Columbia, T-Bones Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Afroman | |||
| Producer | Afroman & Headfridge | |||
| Afroman singles chronology | ||||
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"Because I Got High" is a Grammy nominated song by Afroman, from his album of the same name, about how cannabis use is degrading his quality of life. The song rose from obscurity to popularity after it was circulated around the Internet and was featured on a radio show.
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[edit] Overview
The song explains how the author has failed his college class, missed court dates, had his paycheck garnished due to missed child support payments, gambled away his car payment, is left masturbating after not having sex with his girlfriend, is paraplegic as the result of a police chase and is now homeless "because he got high". The music video for it was directed by Kevin Smith and featured Jay and Silent Bob smoking with Afroman, as well as a glimpse of the Quick Stop where Clerks was filmed.
[edit] Reception
Afroman released his album Because I Got High in 2000; he distributed it mainly through concerts. The title track was soon posted on file-sharing service Napster and made it to The Howard Stern Show.[1] This song was the theme song of the film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back[2] and was later featured in the films Disturbia and The Perfect Score.
In December 2001, a Connecticut teenager Matthew Fournier was ordered to listen to the song and write a report about it as punishment for possession of marijuana.[3] After the success of this single, Afroman was signed to Universal Records.[1]
On the album Mobilize by punk band Anti-Flag, after several minutes of silence on the album's end track, a friend of the band called Spaz can be heard singing parts of the song with Anti-Flag.
[edit] Parody
In 2006, talk show host Randi Rhodes introduced a parody of the song on her show in which a singer imitating the voice of George W. Bush sings about things that happened in George Bush's life as well as during his presidency with the words "because I got high" following.
[edit] 2009 version
Afroman rerecorded the song with new lyrics for his new album Frobama Head of State.
[edit] Charts
| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 13 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 40 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Singles | 19 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Romanian Singles Chart[4] | 35 |
| UK Singles Chart | 1 |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Nimmervoll, Ed (2008). "Afroman > Biography". allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:kzfexqrkldae~T1. Retrieved 2009-03-27.
- ^ D'Angelo, Joe (2001-08-27). "Afroman Living 'High' Life Thanks To Hit Single". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1448393/20010824/afroman.jhtml. Retrieved 2009-03-27.
- ^ D'Angelo, Joe (2001-12-21). "Teen Sentenced To Listen To Afroman 'Because He Got High'". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1451605/20011221/afroman.jhtml. Retrieved 2009-03-27.
- ^ Romanian Top 100
| Preceded by "Can't Get You out of My Head" by Kylie Minogue |
Australian ARIA Singles Chart number-one single October 14, 2001 - October 28, 2001 |
Succeeded by "Smooth Criminal" by Alien Ant Farm |
| UK Singles Chart number-one single October 21, 2001 - November 10, 2001 |
Succeeded by "Queen of My Heart" by Westlife |
