More than a third of popular U.S. hip hop and rap music videos referenced marijuana in 2024, according to a new government-supported study. Artists like Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre have helped drive that trend by promoting a “chilled” lifestyle, the researchers said.
According to the analysis—which was funded by the Ministry of Justice and Health in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein—37 percent of U.S. hip hop and rap videos in from the 2024 YouTube top 100 charts featured cannabis references, while an additional 4 percent talk about both marijuana and nicotine.
That adds up to 41 percent of top videos in the genre embracing marijuana, contributing to the cultural normalization of the plant through art.
While 41 percent of hip hop and rap music videos talked about cannabis, the study from researchers at the German Institute for Therapy and Health Research found that only 2 percent songs in other genres originating U.S. mention marijuana.
“Cannabis has been firmly anchored in the US hip-hop scene since the 1990s and has been particularly influenced by artists from the American west coast,” the study, published in the journal Substance Use & Misuse, says. “Rappers such as Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and The
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