If you remember high school (or college for some), then you probably have a vague recollection of Afroman's "Colt 45" playing as you sipped Bud Light in your friend's parent's living room. If you didn't grow up on Afroman, you probably have a pretty solid career right now, maybe even some kids who wear golf shirts and play tennis.
This embedded video shows Sesame Street’s Bert and Ernie singing along to Afroman’ hit song, "Because I Got High". An early example of a viral video, the tongue-in-cheek music video introduced a whole new audience to the early 2000's stoner classic. This very video might be partially to blame for the millennials love for both Afroman and the ganja-bud.
Afroman has a bumping, west coast sound that he often infuses with vulgar, but clever lines about weed and women. His no holds barred style makes him a favorite amongst the more sloppy of partiers, though some straight-laced fans find his almost goofy style of rap endearing. That being said, Afroman is no joke as an artist. The man puts time and dedication into his music, and even if he is singing a politically insensitive song about banging the daughters of KKK members, you better bet the music is gonna have some soul behind it.
I called Afroman for an interview to pick his brain, really get up under the fro. Whether you hate Afroman for punching that woman on stage, or if you love him for adding validation to your weed habits, you have to admire the man for his dedication to both his music and his fans.
See the full Q&A, and get more info on the show, below.
Here we go. A lot of people know you for songs like "Colt 45" and "Because I Got High," but not a lot of people know that you’re so musically inclined. Last time I saw you play, you were spreading on a double headed guitar, what else do you play?
I play the drums, and I play the keyboard and piano. I can play what I want to play though, I can’t play, like, sheet music, you know?
How did you learn?
My mom played the organ for my church and I was with her a lot, so to try to keep me from trouble she got me a guitar, and I would try to play on the guitar while she would play the organ. As a young boy though, like four, five, six seven.
How old are you right now?
I’m 42, but I’m gonna start telling people that I’m 83. I look bad for 42, but I look pretty damn good for 83, you know?
So, what’s your approach to writing music, what do you do?
You know, there are different approaches to writing different things. Like sometimes if I get inspiration from an instrumental, I meditate, and I sit and write down what the instrumental is trying to tell me, you know?
Then when I write with some other rappers, I get with them and we fellowship and I get with them and I figure out what we’re all talking about. Then I can just take it from there, you know?
So you’re very accessible as an artist, I’ve seen you do multiple free meet and greets with fans before shows, taking pictures with people and signing Colt 45 bottles. What makes you so accessible to your fans?
It's a love for hip-hop as a whole. Hip-hop is a community. Rappers, we’re not nothing if we have no one to rap to. So a rap fan just liking rap makes them almost like a family member. Like, if I see a dude jamming a song I like, I won’t even know him, I’ll stick my head in the car and just nod like, “what up?” We connect, we family members now. So what’s a rapper without fans? What’s a hooker without dicks?
Everyone complains about their fans I notice when they need to be embracing them ‘cause customers are your bread and butter, you know what I’m saying? So these are the people who stand up for me in the world and say, “No, I like Afroman.” They tell that Drake fan, they tell that ‘Lil Wayne fan, “no, I like Afroman.” And they stand up for me, and I think that deserves a picture and a handshake. I mean, even Hilary Clinton has time to turn around and take selfies with people, so who am I? You know what I mean?
I know you're a big supporter of medical and recreation marijuana, how does that play a part in your music and performing?
You know, I used to sing the frat, gangster, dodo version of "Because I Got High," ‘cause it was funny, it was about me, and people really liked it. But in 2014, when I re-wrote that song, I did it different. I wrote it about the good things marijuana does. I was really just having fun when I first wrote the song, I didn’t realize that I was punching in the stomach the progress that the plant was making. People who smoked weed got it, and people who didn’t could still vibe. I got money from both sides, but to celebrate the good aspects of the plant, I do a positive remix.
Do you mind if I ask about the girl jumping on stage about a year ago?
Yeah, yeah…You know I had a bunch of stuff going on. One of my pet peeves if people jumping on the stage while I’m trying to work, you know? I like to play and I like to be funny, but I’m a serious musician, you know? I would never interrupt anyone trying to perform, like, I didn’t like when Kanye West took the mic from that country girl. I just don’t like rude people like that.
Another thing I forgot, is that malt liquor and marijuana, they help me deal with stuff like that. Like, if I had a 40 and a blunt I probably would have been fine, so long as she didn’t grab the mic too much and stuff. I probably wouldn’t have had a problem.
You know, I had a lot of stuff going on that day. Like, there was this dude sitting in the front row, and he was hooping and hollering and saying all kinds of stuff. And there was no guard, there was nothing, you could just walk around the little railing and come on stage. And I’m all about people talking trash, but I don’t mind you talking from the crowd. If you start throwing beer, I’ll just back up a bit.
You know, some people are fans, and a fan just stands in the crowd and claps their hands or something. But a real fan tries to make everything go right, they don’t do things that’ll make me fuck up if I call myself a fan of theirs.
So I was already upset about some other stuff, and I was having to play another man’s guitar, I usually play a double headed guitar. I didn’t get a chance to eat, it was and early show, I was just discombobulated that day. And you know, I told the girls to fuck off. I wasn’t up there to talk, I was up their to sing. I wasn’t there to let the crowd watch me talk to someone and it really fucked me up.
When I’m rapping and I’m singing, that’s cool. But when I’m playing the guitar, that’s a spiritual thing. I’m not the type of dude who can play the guitar and fuck with the crowd, you know? I’m not Slash. I can’t do a stage dive and still hit my solo right, I can’t do that. She was really pissing me off and I flipped the fuck out. And I didn’t know it was her, I didn’t know who it was. I snapped. I didn’t even know what i was doing. And that was one of the few times I just flipped out. I could have worked my way out of it, I probably needed about two or three more minutes and I could have gotten my momentum going, I would have been in a real good mood, I would have been in control. But I lost it, I slapped her, you know what I’m saying?
Well, to change the topic a bit. I’ve seen you twice now, and both times you had a lot of local artists opening for you. Is that something you do a lot?
Yeah, you know, I let a lot of local artists from the town go up, and that helps everybody find out about the show. And part of their reward is just performing in front of a, hopefully big crowd, you know, if you have a headliner or what not. But they’re usually good, cheaper than the radio, and they put their heart into it because they want to do it, they really want to do it.
In the future I’ve been considering coming to town with my own shows, my own acts. But I like bringing the local guys up honestly.
Well, I think that’s about it. Thank you for the time!
Right on man.
This article appears in Mar 23-30, 2017.