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Kendrick Lamar's highly anticipated third album, 'To Pimp a Butterfly,' leaked over a week before its scheduled release date. Prince Williams/Getty
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There are surprise releases and there are accidental releases. The appearance of Kendrick Lamar's highly anticipated new album, To Pimp a Butterfly, on iTunes and Spotify Sunday night — more than a week before its scheduled March 23rd release date — apparently falls in the latter category. "Somebody's gots 2 pay 4 this mistake," Anthony Tiffith, the head of Lamar’s record label, Top Dawg Entertainment, tweeted in response. (The tweet has since been deleted.)
Kendrick Lamar 'To Pimp a Butterfly' Album Review »
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Fans, however, are enjoying the early release — a 16song set that Lamar describes as "honest, fearful and unapologetic" in the cover story of the new issue of Rolling Stone.
Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp a Butterfly': A Trackby-Track Guide Here's more than you need to know about the rapper's "honest, fearful and unapologetic" new album BY ROLLING STONE March 16, 2015
SIDEBAR
1. "Wesley's Theory" In his interview with Rolling Stone, Lamar reveals how influential Seventies funk was on To Pimp a Butterfly's sound. The album's first song plays that out, opening with a sample from Boris Gardiner's cheery manifesto of black pride "Every Nigger Is a Star" off the soundtrack of the 1974 Calvin Lockhart-directed blaxploitation film of the same name. With the song and film, Lockhart and Gardiner aimed to turn the meaning of "nigger" around, destroying its negative connotations. The track also includes an appearance by Rock & Roll Hall of Famer George Clinton, whose group Parliament Lamar mentioned by name as an inspiration in his RS interview. Clinton had been suggested as a collaborator by Flying Lotus, who produced "Wesley's Theory" and additionally brought in bassist Thundercat, best known for his work alongside Lotus. But the track's biggest cameo comes in the form of a voice message from Dr. Dre, in which he offers wisdom to Lamar on the fact that it's easy to get success but more difficult to maintain it, a topic addressed in Lamar's verses. 2. "For Free? (Interlude)" Crossover jazz pianist Robert Glasper — whose Black Radio, an album featuring verses from Yasiin Bey, Erykah Badu and To Pimp a Butterfly collaborator Bilal, earned a 2013 R&B Grammy nomination — lays down hyperactive keys on this "interlude," while Terrace Martin, himself the son of a jazz drummer, handles production, just as he did for Kurupt's Streetlights, Kendrick's "m.A.A.d. city" and one track on Glasper's own Black Radio 2. For his part, Lamar spits dense, nearly-spoken bars that come across like fast-rap version of the Last Poets. "This dick ain't free," he insists, surrounding the refrain with lines like "I need 40 acres and a mule/Not a 40-ounce and a pitbull." 3. "King Kunta" A funky stomper with a Shaft-evoking call-and-response, “King Kunta" takes a darker turn once producer Mark "Sounwave" Spears cues an unsettling sample of “Get Nekkid” by Mausberg, the Compton-bred DJ Quik protege who was fatally shot at age 21. Lamar sounds desperate, even while referencing pop hits by Michael Jackson (“Life ain't shit but a fat vagina/Screaming 'Annie, are you OK,'”) and Parliament (“We want the funk!” — though it's filtered through the 1994 track by West coast rapper Ahmad, who gets a writing credit). "It's just [Lamar] expressing how he's feeling at the moment," Sounwave says. "And right now, he's mad." Remember, Lamar named this song after the titular character of Roots. Hear Kendrick Lamar's Funky New Album Track 'King Kunta' »
4. "Institutionalized" Produced by Rahki and Tommy Black, "Institutionalized" tells a thwarted Compton coming-of-age story, switching between characters to depict the struggles of one who's "dazed and confused/Talented but still under the neighborhood ruse." When Lamar closes his first verse, he introduces neo-soul impressionist Bilal, who sings the chorus — "shit don't change until you get up and wash your ass" — from the perspective of the rapper's grandma. Snoop then introduces the final verse as chatter from two people at a club. Sonnymoon's Anna Wise (who sang on Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city) and Sa-Ra's Taz Arnold also contribute vocals, the latter offering a "zoom zoom" adlib like the scatting from Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock." 5. "These Walls" Like "Institutionalized," "These Walls" features singers Bilal and Anna Wise and bassist Thundercat. As the title implies with its reference to the adage “If these walls could talk," the song teases the dark underbelly of sudden fame and offers a peek at the rapper's life when he hit his lowest points. The track's emotional tone is made clear as quickly as the first line of the first verse, where Lamar makes a reference to Frank Ocean's "Swim Good," a supremely melancholy 2011 song about heartbreak and suicide.
SIDEBAR
6. "u" The optimistic, self-affirming, Grammy-winning "i" finds its much darker counterpart here. "That was one of the hardest songs I had to write," Kendrick told Rolling Stone. "There's some very dark moments in there. All my insecurities and selfishness and letdowns. That shit is depressing as a motherfucker. But it helps, though." The song's second, more striking half — wherein Kendrick freaks out into a hotel bathroom mirror — comes produced by the little-known Sacramento producer Whoarei, whose fans on Soundcloud love his crate-digging sensibilities. Those jibe well with the tenor sax stylings of Kamasi Washington, a 34-year-old, Los-Angeles-based musician who’s played with everyone from Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock to Flying Lotus and Snoop Dogg. "u" is also yet another track on To Pimp a Butterfly that re-introduces the singer Bilal to younger millennials who missed his ostensible “neo-soul” heyday of the early 2000s. He’s joined here on backup vocal duties by Jessica Vielmas and SZA. The latter’s an alt-R&B favorite also signed to Top Dawg Entertainment. Her 2014 EP Z, full of the kind of ethereal, electronic leanings currently beloved by the blogosphere, landed at number nine on the Billboard R&B charts. 7. "Alright" This track opens with lines from The Color Purple. For his sole production credit, Pharrell, who made the track with Sounwave, sings the hook. 8. "For Sale? – Interlude" A look at temptation in the shadow of fame, Lamar is joined by his usual background vocalists — Bilal, Taz Arnold, SZA — alongside Preston Harris, an emerging R&B star whose debut EP dropped in February. 9. "Momma" Knxwledge, a prolific Los Angeles-based beatmaker who has already released three Bandcamp tapes this year, produced this peek into the existential crises that ensue once hard work pays off. In 2013 Leaving Records put out a two-cassette comp of Knxwledge's crate-digging-gone-collage work. Unsurprisingly given his era-spanning aesthetic, the underground hip-hop bastion Stones Throw has signed him to its roster. Bilal provides some woozy counterpoint vocals to the song's more languorous first half, as does "First daughter of soul" Lalah Hathaway (she's the daughter of Donnie). Hathaway's 2008 track "On Your Own" also winds through that section; its lyrics, which are aimed toward a person experiencing a breakup, are chopped up in a way that evokes a comforting dreamscape. "Momma" also borrows from Sly & The Family Stone's "Wishful Thinkin'," a spaced-out track from the band's much-plundered 1974 album Small Talk. Lamar describes a sometimes-harrowing journey into his own mind, which gradually shifts from a gratitude-filled look at how far he's come to a heart-racing search for "the feeling I can barely describe, where you reside?/Is it in a woman, is it in money, or mankind?" — a dilemma faced by Lamar in the wake of good kid, m.A.A.d. city's raging success. Kendrick Lamar Returns to Compton Roots in Short Film »
10. "Hood Politics" This song is built primarily on a sample from indie-rocker Sufjan Stevens' 2010 album, Age of Adz. That record was inspired by the work of outsider artist Royal Robertson; and like him, it appears Kendrick is most at home operating outside the boundaries of the status quo. A State of the Union Address, with Sufjan Stevens as Speaker of the House and Kendrick as second-term, IDGAF Obama, "Hood Politics" ticks off a laundry list of the potential pitfalls (the draw of the block, the peril of the bid, the complacency that comes with fame) that threatened to derail his campaign, takes appropriate breaks for photo ops — "I've been A-1 since day one" — then arrives at a rather sobering conclusion soon after his swearing-in ceremony: Shit is fucked up, from Compton to Congress. Lamar lashes out at the hypocrisy of both the critic and the consumer ("Critics want to mention that they miss when hip-hop was rappin'/Motherfucker, if you did, then Killer Mike would be platinum") and the self-
SIDEBAR
serving "Demo-Crips and Re-Blood-icans" that look to block progress at every step of the way. 11. "How Much A Dollar Cost" In "How Much a Dollar Cost," Lamar details a meeting with God in the form of a homeless man asking for money at a gas station. James Fauntleroy — best known for his work as a songwriter, having co-written Justin Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience, as well as singles for Jordin Sparks, Chris Cornell, Ciara and Frank Ocean — sings the hook. Fauntleroy's first high-profile appearance as a guest vocalist came when he sang a reworking of Destiny's Child's "Say My Name" for Drake's "Girls Love Beyoncé." The track also features a cameo by Ronald Isley of the Isley Brothers, who provides its reflective outro. The song bears a striking resemblance to Radiohead's "Pyramid Song," off 2001's Amnesiac, which also moves hypnotically as it details a dark, spiritual metaphor. 12. "Complexion (A Zulu Love)" In “Complexion (A Zulu Love),” Lamar briefly imagines himself as a cotton-picking slave, facing his master, nodding lyrically to the William Lynch speech. For all of the references to the past, though, Lamar then quickly decides that he doesn't have to let history dictate America's future. To scratches and backing vocals by Pete Rock, Lamar loops in Rapsody, signee to 9th Wonder's Jamla Records and Lamar's one-time rap sparring partner. She speaks of a world where a racial hierarchy no longer exists and Idris Elba is, in fact, named the next James Bond — a rumor that the actor himself shot down, though a nice idea nonetheless. 13. "The Blacker the Berry" Lamar's most aggressive, confrontational and incisive track yet, "The Blacker the Berry" officially dropped on February 10th, but the rapper began writing the song's lyrics about three years ago when he saw the news of Trayvon Martin's murder. "It just put a whole new anger inside me," he says in his interview with Rolling Stone. Lamar was assisted in getting out that rage on "The Blacker the Berry" by producer and Drake collaborator Boi-1da, as well as Lalah Hathaway, who sings the track's intro, and dancehall artist Assassin, who has also appeared on Kanye West's "I'm in It," and delivers the song's uninhibited hook. 14. "You Ain't Gotta Lie (Momma Said)" Lamar opens "You Ain't Gotta Lie" with tough love from his mom: "Circus acts only attract those that entertain.../We live in the Laugh Factory every time they mention your name." But rather than confess his sins to her, Drake-style, the 27-year-old listens to what she's saying. By the end of the track, he's the one saying it to his peers. 15. "i" The album version of the Grammy-winning "i" (released a single last September) stretches the Isley-sampling tune to over five minutes and features a new intro starring an unidentified announcer preparing a crowd for "nobody, nobody, nobody but the number one rapper in the world." Three minutes later a fight in that crowd forces Kendrick to halt the song. "Not on my time," he says. "Since Tutu how many niggas we done lost?... Exactly. So we ain't got time to waste time." He then ends the song with an a capella verse, slowly silencing those who continue talking. Kendrick Lamar Dances Through the Streets in 'i' Video »
16. "Mortal Man" On the final track of To Pimp a Butterfly, the winding, 12-minute "Mortal Man," Lamar lays out and ponders all that he has unpacked over the course of his album. Historical and modern-day perspectives on blackness are examined with as much abandon as he deals with his relationship to fame. He repeats the lines that cut deepest throughout the LP, citing his abuse of power and internal conflict with how to handle his influence.
SIDEBAR
Topics: Kendrick Lamar
A 2014 trip to South Africa inspired Lamar to pen "Mortal Man," a song that finds the rapper name-checking Moses, Mandela and Martin Luther King, Jr. Throughout To Pimp a Butterfly. The track is simple and samples Fela Kuti's "I No Get Eye for Back" from 1975's Alagbon Close. As Lamar contemplates his own success, he weaves in samples from a 1994 Tupac interview with Swedish journalist Mats Nileskär on the show P3 Soul. The samples are woven with questions from Lamar to the late and iconic West Coast MC, creating an imagined dialogue between the pair. It's an inspiring, humbling moment as Lamar looks to a hero for guidance as he finds himself becoming more of an influencer and spokesperson of a generation, similar to 'Pac.
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ClobberDobson
4 hours ago
•
Who is Kendrick Lamar? Man, this is crap! • Reply • Share ›
Rob
•
8 hours ago
Can't stop listening to this record. I'll be surprised if anything comes out this year that I love as much as "To Pimp A Butterfly." (And as far as the Kanye conversations, we could have a whole separate thread about where "Yeezus" succeeds and fails.) • Reply • Share ›
Chris Theberge
17 hours ago
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That's not a Fela sample on Mortal man -- looks like you copied someone else's erroneous review ... did RS even listen to the record ? lol • Reply • Share ›
CHARLIE MAYER
18 hours ago
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THIS ALBUM IS GREAT !!!!!!! NEXT YEAR GRAMMY / ALBUM OF THE YEAR GOES TO KENDRICK FOR SURE / OR WE SHOULD STILL WATING FOR RADIOHEAD AND KANYE . 1
• Reply • Share ›
Connor Glowacki
•
21 hours ago
I have to agree with you here Rolling Stone. 'To Pimp A Butterfly' is an amazing album that is definitely on par with 'GKMC'. It expands upon the local issues of race from 'GKMC' towards a worldwide audience. "To Pimp A Butterfly' doesn't have an exact storyline like 'GKMC', but it was interesting to feel the different emotional states that Kendrick and his characters inhabited as this album progressed. The wordplay and lyrics were top notch and there just felt to be a certain level of emotion with every track. Plus, I admire Kendrick for taking risks and incorporating jazz, funk and spoken word into his instrumentals and staying away from 'trendy beats'. That takes guts and it shows me that he is willing to step out of his comfort zone. I also enjoyed your track-by-track review. I hope you consider doing other reviews in this format too, we get a lot more information this way about the tracks.
Here is my track-by-track review of 'To Pimp A Butterfly' if you wanna check it out: http://ckgfromthesidelines.blo... • Reply • Share ›
Ryan Neil
•
21 hours ago
Martin Junior... I just read a few of your comments. If you think Kanye is king of the rap game, then doesn't HIS opinion matter to you? "KENDRICK IS AN INSPIRATION. THANK YOU FOR THE VIBRATIONS AND THE SPIRIT. YOUR MEANING, MESSAGE, AND EXECUTION ARE GIFTS TO THE WORLD." It's not Johnson riding to say this album is fantastic. And I LOVE D'angelo by the way, I agree he is heavily underrated. I'm not trying to bring hate, open to discussion 1
• Reply • Share ›
Guest > Ryan Neil
21 hours ago
•
If you read what I said you would know I already covered this portion of the debate! He's doing it because it would be politically incorrect to do otherwise! Get a new debate Ryan Reynolds! Your talk back Career is finished! Your not even a Johnson, your the balls of the Johnson! • Reply • Share ›
Ryan Neil > Guest
•
21 hours ago
dude you gotta calm down. I respect good music. I just feel like you're hate is irrational. You may not personally enjoy the direction he's taken, and I'd respect that. But you've gotta respect what he's doing with this album. This is a celebration of everything African-American not just rap. Why is enjoying music Johnson riding? 1
• Reply • Share ›
Guest > Ryan Neil
•
21 hours ago
Unplug from the system. If you want to celebrate everything African do yourself a favor and bump Dead-Prez! • Reply • Share ›
Deuce
•
a day ago
Martin Junior...GET A LIFE!!!!! • Reply • Share ›
Guest > Deuce
•
21 hours ago
To have a life would mean I would have to let a turd goblin like you get the last word! • Reply • Share ›
HelicopterHeroHD > Guest
•
13 hours ago
I think that's what they meant, your life should not solely be the RS comments section. • Reply • Share ›
jeff
•
a day ago
I love that easily the best track (production wise) "Arlight" gets a two sentence review. It also presents a "get on with it" mentality and stay strong vibe to the ridiculous protesting in Ferguson. The whole album is great, but Rolling Stone is so lazy. Alright. Produced by Pharrell. He sings the hook. WOW. Bravo rolling stone. You told me production credits. • Reply • Share ›
Guest > jeff
•
a day ago
My location is Ferguson and I can tell you no one is bumping this album there! • Reply • Share ›
MakingUpWordsNow > Guest
•
13 hours ago
Agreed. Its rubbishimo. • Reply • Share ›
vini77
•
a day ago
Ignore the trolls, this album is a masterpiece. • Reply • Share ›
ThisSucks > vini77
•
13 hours ago
Hyped into the ground, worst title I ever heard followed up by some of the worst music of the decade - by quite some margin. Don't be ridiculous and get drawn into HYPE alone. 1
• Reply • Share ›
Steven Keaton > vini77
•
a day ago
Hyperbole: exaggerated statement or claim
• Reply • Share ›
HypeClassifier > Steven Keaton
•
13 hours ago
No hyperbole just HYPE HYPE HYPE. 1
• Reply • Share ›
Guest > vini77
a day ago
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I smell a Johnson! • Reply • Share ›
NarcsAreUs > Guest
•
13 hours ago
Or a narc! • Reply • Share ›
Nickd Randle
a day ago
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that Tupace interview, and poem of pimping a butterfly though......NICE ALBUM! • Reply • Share ›
Guest > Nickd Randle
•
a day ago
Not better than Brenda ' got a baby! Again rehashed garage! Another Johnson rider! 1
• Reply • Share ›
Sarah Morrison
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a day ago
FREE DOWNLOAD HERE http://musicdownloadzblog.blog... • Reply • Share ›
Squirtwards
•
2 days ago
What a mediocre album... 4
• Reply • Share ›
Carlos Mythos Vazquez > Squirtwards
•
a day ago
You're right, it's missing hard-hitting beats that serve as a distraction from the usual atrocities they call lyrics nowadays. It doesn't necessarily have a street anthem by its modern definition. All we see here is complex insight into the struggles of black America and the changes they can make to help themselves. We get a peek into Kendrick Lamar's mind delivered by poetic lyrics the likes of which are exceedingly rare in hip-hop today. Not to mention, this album is an auditory masterpiece just by its instrumentals, which really gives the public a chance to see that you can create art with samples and mixing. • Reply • Share ›
Guest > Carlos Mythos Vazquez
•
a day ago
Your a Johnson rider. I've made clear statements about the issues with hip-hop and the Capitalism mind set that goes into it. I have not backtrack on anything I've said. I have an opinion and that's all it is, but to say I have a personality disorder because you don't understand the basic fundamentals of hip-hop as a business or economic structure in the Capitalism market is blasphemous! You guys love Lamar, but that's all your saying. At least when I come with a thought it's backed up by education not taste! Read a book and clean out your ears! 1
• Reply • Share ›
Nicole > Guest
•
a day ago
"Not better than Brenda ' got a baby! Again rehashed garage! Another Johnson rider!" I got to say, never met a true troll like you before, but I noticed that you've been commenting on every post that's supporting Kendrick Lamar and his new album. Have your opinion, that's fine, but going around calling people "Johnson Riders" doesn't make it sound like you're debating with any educational basis at all. If you don't like it don't buy it. I'm sure no one cares... Your irrelevant opinion won't stop those who want to listen to and support this album. • Reply • Share ›
Guest > Nicole
•
a day ago
Your a Johnson rider. "Said with a German accent!" • Reply • Share ›
Danny
•
2 days ago
lol comment section a sesspool of extremes nd no one listening to eachothers side just expanding on their own. why they even have these still? :( • Reply • Share ›
Nicole
•
2 days ago
I think the word needed to describe this album is "challenging". It challenges us to think critically about society in general, challenges us
to interpret/analyze lyrics rather than have opinions fed to us on a platter, and challenges the music industry in general. He's doing many things that current artists are failing to do: He's using his mainstream fame to touch on critical issues and is making his audience step back and listen to music inspired by previous legends that don't have to be played in the clubs 24/7. This is true "brain food" music. Kendrick has continuously proved himself to be a lyrical and musical genius and I will continue to support him. Can't wait to get a hard copy. 1
• Reply • Share ›
Guest > Nicole
a day ago
•
It's about as challenging as a traveling gypsy's panties! • Reply • Share ›
Nicole > Guest
a day ago
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Odd • Reply • Share ›
MrMotherLoving
•
2 days ago
Did he really made a song about a conversation with him and 2Pac.... This dude needs a reality check ASAP. And his "album" is average. After 3 years of caving that's what he delivers ?? Deleting in progres.... #justmyopinion 2
• Reply • Share ›
Guest > MrMotherLoving
a day ago
•
Exactly! • Reply • Share ›
Ken > Guest
•
a day ago
You a lost person with extreme simplistic thinking. 1
• Reply • Share ›
Guest > Ken
•
a day ago
Your a Johnson rider that wants to stay inside the matrix. • Reply • Share ›
sad
•
2 days ago
Kendrick is smart. He's playing into all the racial division the Obama administration has caused and elevating a mediocre rap album (he is a mediocre lyricist) into a hyped up event. Hope you white liberals enjoy giving a rich guy your money when his entire album is meant to dehumanize you as people (but it's okay because it's impossible to be discriminatory against white people)! 1
• Reply • Share ›
G. Avant > sad
•
2 days ago
A white person wasn't mentioned one time in this album. What black pride makes you uncomfortable? There wasn't one single derogatory thing said about white people in the whole album. lol ridiculous 3
• Reply • Share ›
Guest > G. Avant
•
a day ago
That's not the issue. The issue is that the album is whack and he's capitalize on a situation that shouldn't be about profit. If he really wanted to make a statement he should give all the proceeds from the album to Michael browns family and the rest to Kanye West for creative copyright. 1
• Reply • Share ›
grace > G. Avant
•
a day ago
LOL what an idiot,this is what happens when black people speak on our issues because we dared to speak up white people get butthurt. These white tears are getting tiring 1
• Reply • Share ›
gibby-dat > grace
•
a day ago
White tears? You sound like a bigot. But it's okay to be bigoted against white people, even though they are the ones who founded the country you live in, invented every luxury you have and work 40 hours a week so you can collect your welfare check. Also, white tears involve facts and thoughtful opinions, while black tears involve looting and engaging in other criminal behavior, so which is worse? • Reply • Share ›
Guest
•
2 days ago
Kendrick has got lyrics, but no delivery! This is just me be being a fan of hip-hop here. When you break out with an album like GOOD KID, MAD CITY and follow it up with this it totally throws away what you already wanted to achieve! He called out every EMCEE under
the sun for lyrical content, but is afraid to go a step further with a real beef? He is also capitalizing on #BlackLivesMatter movement while also trying to set himself up as the second coming of 2pac which is just pathetic! The album for that movement already came out and it was by D'Angelo and the album was called Black Messiah, but because it doesn't have DRE'S named attached to it no-one will give it a glance! All this music is-is HYPE! Dr. Dre's name has become a product of Capitalism and if you place anything on it people will listen and convince themselves that is has merit when it is farthest from the truth. Critics and other EMCEE'S will say it's important because it will now be politically incorrect to do so! Real hip-hop like Brother-Ali never gets play because its the real truth! Real hip-hop never gets its due! Dead-Prez ring a bell? Back to the point the production is sloppy and the only good tracks on it are #3 and I! Otherwise it is throwaway garbage, I'm just glad I didn't buy it! I can rest assured that Kanye West is still the GOD of Hip-Hop! 3
• Reply • Share ›
Winfrey > Guest
•
13 hours ago
Too many capital letter. • Reply • Share ›
Cayle > Guest
•
a day ago
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Sorry. It's just everything you said was so DAMN FUNNY. • Reply • Share ›
Tavis > Guest
•
2 days ago
stop arguing on rolling stone for God's sakes. Take it somewhere else please, this isn't youtube. • Reply • Share ›
mrmotherloving > Tavis
2 days ago
•
Tavis he's just telling his opinion, just like rollingstone did, why are you hating ? 1
• Reply • Share ›
Madeline Tougood > Guest
•
2 days ago
you are all over the place with that convoluted rant, you said......"Real hip-hop never gets its due!" then followed that up with saying" Kanye West is still the GOD of Hip-Hop!" Last time i checked REAL hip hop didnt hang out at fashion week, live in Paris, record songs with Bjork, cry on stage over his momma and wear yellow leather pants and pink satin mesh shirts. 5
• Reply • Share ›
Guest > Madeline Tougood
•
2 days ago
Kanye came up in the game on his own! He put in work to be able to do what he does! It wasn't just handed to him! JayZ didn't let him get in the game until he proved himself behind the boards first! Kendrick only happens to be known because of DRE! That's it, nothing more and sadly I don't even like Drake, but again that is also someone who put in the work, he's not a product that is ushered onto the people just because! Kanye West & Jay-Z are the only thing keeping mainstream hip-hop relevant. My statements are backed up by facts kid not taste or preference! • Reply • Share ›
Bryce Blalex Douglas > Guest
•
a day ago
So the tapes C4, Overly Dedicated, and Section.80 don't count? All tapes he made before he signed with Dre. All tapes any Kendrick fan will know are the reason he's on the map to begin with. Just like Drake put out 3 mixtapes before he was eventually signed. Section.80 was the album people knew Kendrick would do something masterful for the industry and that's exactly what he did with this album. This may be the best tape so far this whole year, only comparable to Lupe's Testuo & Youth. Definitely better than Drake's and Big Sean's albums and I actual enjoyed those albums. • Reply • Share ›
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Perhaps the bloodiest rags-to-riches story in cinema history, the saga of Scarface has twice been shown on the silver screen, first with Paul Muni in the role of the criminally savvy immigrant shooting his way to the American Dream, then 50 years later with Al Pacino portraying Tony Montana in the classic Brian De Palma-directed, Oliver Stone-penned version. Now, Universal has announced plans to bring the Scarface story to modern times with a new film penned by Straight Outta Compton screenwriter Jonathan Herman, The Hollywood Reporter writes.
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Director Pablo Larraín, fresh off winning the Berlin International Film Festival's Jury Grand Prix for his film The Club, will helm the remake, which will transplant the story to the present-day criminal underworld of Los Angeles (the 1932 and 1983 versions took place in Chicago and Miami, respectively). The project had long been in Readers' Poll: The 25 Greatest Movies of the 1980s »
Modern-Day 'Scarface' Remake Set in Los Angeles Gets Green Light Say hello to this little rags-to-riches retelling by the 'Straight Outta Compton' screenwriter BY DANIEL KREPS March 18, 2015
SIDEBAR
the works at Universal – Training Day and End of Watch writer David Ayer reportedly submitted a script at one point – but Herman's participation jumpstarted the remake. The movie has inspired a parade of similar anti-heroes in movies and television, including The Sopranos' Tony Soprano and Boardwalk Empire's Nucky Thompson. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan often compared Walter White to the gangster made famous by Pacino. "I like to picture viewers losing sympathy for Walt. With every episode, yet another viewer or two is saying, 'You know, I'm not with this guy anymore. I'm watching him, but I'm not sympathizing,'" Gilligan said. "This is a guy moving along a continuum toward ultimately becoming Scarface."
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ADD A COMMENT 35 Comments
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Nemesis
39 minutes ago
•
SMH Scarface it's an instant classic why remake it. It's a cardinal sin. • Reply • Share ›
StylzG
4 hours ago
•
Also,there is nothing in this article that indicates the actors will be black, and even if they do end up being black....so? • Reply • Share ›
StylzG
4 hours ago
•
Need i remind everybody that the last Scarface itself was actually a remake? IJS, you can't judge something that's not even done yet, reserve your criticism for an actual final product....only makes sense -_• Reply • Share ›
ClobberDobson
•
4 hours ago
Is this going to be a black person/rapper movie with a lot of hip hop? • Reply • Share ›
777
•
5 hours ago
no. just no. • Reply • Share ›
Speros Palmer
•
6 hours ago
Here is your next Tony Montana. Yours truly lol. first attempt at acting. My budy filmed it. What do you think? http://youtu.be/N5bjy01atgU • Reply • Share ›
Matthew
6 hours ago
•
I didn't think this movie could get any worse. Boy, was I wrong. • Reply • Share ›
mcgiddin
•
7 hours ago
*LAME* How about writing your own movie and leave the classics alone. 2
• Reply • Share ›
Frank Cuglietta
7 hours ago
•
the goodfellows and scarface are in a league of their own please dont destroy them 2
• Reply • Share ›
Mr.good News
•
7 hours ago
Black gangster wannabees want to own this movie so bad it's embarrassing. I don't even recall seeing a black guy in either version of this movie? Any self respecting black guy should ignore it based on that alone. 1
• Reply • Share ›
Albert Hubetsov
•
11 hours ago
If Hollywood is no more ideas, please contact me. • Reply • Share ›
ExPatAndProudOfIt
18 hours ago
•
Another stupid idea from braindead Hollywood. Come up with something original please • Reply • Share ›
Shane99
•
18 hours ago
It's going to suck. They should really rethink this. 1
• Reply • Share ›
Casey Smith
20 hours ago
•
Let me guess, Kevin Hart will be the lead actor and the soundtrack will have Lil Wayne and Kanye West. 2
• Reply • Share ›
Best in the world!!!
20 hours ago
•
Please don't do it! Scarface is a stand alone classic. Doesn't need a remake of any kind. I can still watch it today and know that it's a great movie. Come up with some original ideas, and create your own epic movie that people will talk about and reference for years to come. Just leave this alone. • Reply • Share ›
Lala > Best in the world!!!
•
14 hours ago
Except that the "original" that you're thinking of--the one with Pacino--was already a remake. 1
• Reply • Share ›
V.C. Privitera
•
21 hours ago
The reason Brian DePalma's Scarface worked/works so well, is because the story reflected upon all the Cocaine Cowboys meyham in Miami in the Early 1980s. I'm not saying this new flick is gonna stink, but I think they should NOT name it Scarface, and do something more original: Al Pacino + Tony Montana = Scarface 1
• Reply • Share ›
still rockin
•
a day ago
I smell someone looking to try a make some money. Name one remake that was superior to the original, and I'm not talking about advancements in filming and film tech. I'm talking about portraying a better story line. • Reply • Share ›
Patrick > still rockin
•
14 hours ago
The 1980s Scarface is a remake of the 1930s Scarface... What are you talking about • Reply • Share ›
Richard Andrew
•
a day ago
scareface its self is a 3rd remake .... all you peopel come down momo's • Reply • Share ›
Shane99 > Richard Andrew
•
18 hours ago
"all you peopel come down momo's." Exactly! Couldn't have said it better. • Reply • Share ›
Jody Higinbotham
•
a day ago
You just know it's going to suck! It's going to be all gangsta rappers, or Mexican cartel. Go remake something else for the third time. I won't pay to see it.
1
• Reply • Share ›
Rigoberto Gato
a day ago
•
What's next, a Godfather remake. 2 Neil
• Reply • Share ›
•
a day ago
So sick of all these remakes. Leave the classics alone for goodness sake. Stupid just like the Point Break remake they are doing. Let the new generation be exposed to the originals. Imagine if they tried to remake Casablanca or Citizen Kane... 1
• Reply • Share ›
effayesso
a day ago
•
Oh great. Here we go. Another glorified telling, that will no doubt be re-enacted by a throng of simpletons. 1
• Reply • Share ›
SoCalMatt661
•
a day ago
As long as it is done right and not filled with a bunch of rappers who want to be actors. It could work as long as it is not turned into a rap video and is more grit and blood than glamour and shine. • Reply • Share ›
Elvis Lives
•
a day ago
So they are remaking a remake? The original was 1932 with Paul Muni directed by Howard Hawks. It's still an edgy movie for the time period. Fast forward almost 50 years for DePalma's remake with an updated story and look. Campy, over the top, very enjoyable. Now we're doing it again? Whatever. • Reply • Share ›
drp1003
a day ago
•
Will it be PG-13 like the ROBOCOP remake? Kiss. Of. Death. 2
• Reply • Share ›
Thomas Ballard
•
a day ago
Oh great. Because it wasn't enough that Hollywood are making terrible and unneccasary remakes of films that I liked, now they're going to make a terrible and unneccasary remake of my all time favourite film. • Reply • Share ›
Big Pete Bondurant
•
a day ago
FINALLY... SCARFACE • Reply • Share ›
Dr. Goro > Big Pete Bondurant
•
a day ago
*runs out of theater* 1
• Reply • Share ›
Big Pete Bondurant > Dr. Goro
•
21 hours ago
"THIS IS AWESOME!!!" • Reply • Share ›
HolyNOLA
a day ago
•
"Scarface: Los Angeles" would basically be the story of Eazy-E, and there's already a movie about that. I can already guess the soundtrack. Yeah, it's time for new ideas. • Reply • Share ›
Tom Lee
•
a day ago
He better have a tank because everyone has a "lil' friend" these days. 3
• Reply • Share ›
ChevyHeston
•
a day ago
"We can't think of any new ideas, so let's remake something that doesn't need remaking." 4
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The setup for 'Empire' come from Shakespeare, but the sensibility is Eighties hits like 'Dynasty' and 'Dallas.' Chuck Hodes
I
f there's one moment that sums up why Empire is the TV blockbuster of 2015, here it is: Aspiring rapper Hakeem is making his new video, rolling on the bed with models and champagne. But he's having a little trouble on the set. His R&B-star girlfriend Tiana just busted him in the bubble bath with Naomi Campbell (these things happen). Now he's crushed to find out Tiana has her own side piece: a blond lesbian supermodel named India. His label boss, Lucious Lyon, who's also his dad, offers some fatherly consolation. "Let's look at it from a mathematical perspective," Lucious says. "Your girlfriend has a girlfriend. Add that up: two girlfriends. It's a mathematician's dream! It's trigonometry!"
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No, dude, this is not trigonometry, or even real math — but it adds up to the perfect equation for a hip-hop soap smash. Fox's Empire is the year's ratings juggernaut, debuting big but then just getting bigger every week, which isn't supposed to happen anymore. It's easy to see why Empire is so huge: It's a gloriously preposterous fullInside the 'Empire' Hit Factory »
Why Fox's 'Empire' Is Unstoppable The first great hip-hop soap opera is the blockbuster of 2015 — and if it doesn't make any sense, that's just part of the fun BY ROB SHEFFIELD February 26, 2015
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court cheese blast, combining a hip-hop sensibility á la Hustle & Flow with an old-school sense of prime-time soap corn. This family-and-money saga goes for maximum flash, without slowing down to make a damn bit of sense. Subtlety? This is the kind of story where you can tell the artist is working in a ghetto-ass studio because it's named Ghetto-Ass Studio. Terrence Howard is Lyon, the patriarch of Empire Entertainment, whose health troubles force him to think about his dynasty's future. So he sets up a Shakespearean battle among his three sons, none of whom have a hint of his street smarts. But his real nemesis is his ghetto-fabulous ex-wife, Cookie, who just got out of jail after serving 17 years for the drug-dealing that funded Lucious' label. As Cookie, Taraji P. Henson is Joan Collins times Foxy Brown, wearing leopard-print ensembles to board meetings. Cookie is the true star of the show; she makes Scandal's Olivia Pope look like a mousy little paralegal. She can be trusted never to stomp out of a room without an exit line like, "The name's Cookie. Ask about me." The setup may come from Shakespeare, but the sensibility is Eighties hits like Dynasty and Dallas — particularly the Dallas season where Jock's will divided Ewing Oil between Bobby and J.R. (Even old Miss Ellie knew that was bullshit, whispering, "Oh, Jock — no," at the will reading.) Cookie's favorite son is gay R&B singer Jamal; Lucious favors Hakeem, the rapper, even though he's so dumb his dad has to tell him what a threesome is.
Terrence Howard and Courtney Love in 'Empire.' Chuck Hodes
Courtney Love has a role as the well-named R&B singer Elle Dallas, whose version of Al Green's "Take Me to the River" is enough to make you ache like she aches. There's also Judd Nelson as a rival rap mogul — yes, Judd Nelson from The Breakfast Club, who threatens to purchase Lucious' favorite strip club and rename it Cookie's. This means war! Timbaland takes care of the music, which is more than sharp enough for network TV, though unlikely to make
From The Archives Issue 1230: March 12, 2015
waves beyond that — Jamal's supposed R&B hit sounds like Eurythmics covering the Good Times theme. But like everything else on Empire, the music works because it goes for immediate impact without sweating the big picture. Empire is a smash because it knows exactly what it wants to be and doesn't pretend to be anything else. There's a good-natured sense of show-biz hustle to the production. All the actors can smell that they're in on something big, and they're as thirsty as the aspiring stars in the story. Get well, Lucious — Empire could stretch on for years to come.
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Topics: Fox
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ADD A COMMENT 77 Comments
Rolling Stone
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cas
•
a day ago
I love this show and I love MS. COOKIE, if you're nasty. • Reply • Share ›
bigheadgirl
6 days ago
•
I agree. Olivia Pope is a different character all together and she rocks! Cookie, well ghetto-fabulous is definitely the description I'd give her. But also sho nuff street smart. • Reply • Share ›
tess
10 days ago
•
Don't compare Cookie and Olivia two different species. And, both are at the top of their game. • Reply • Share ›
Cryptkeeper
13 days ago
•
It's "Black Nashville." Unfortunately, there's nothing more to it than that. 1
• Reply • Share ›
Stephany
•
14 days ago
Can't miss stop watching! • Reply • Share ›
Serg
•
15 days ago
Empire is truly an amazing work of Art. From the music, the stars, the acting EVERYTHING. One of the first shows that really gets under my skin and feels so real. Let it NOT end.... Life goes on, so does Empire in our lives.... We need it!! N • Reply • Share ›
Alana Udwin
15 days ago
•
This article is extremely well written! I love that last line! Wow. Impressed. Www.jollergirl.com • Reply • Share ›
liberalpeople
Old Salty.
•
16 days ago
• Reply • Share ›
GETTMONEYYCLICKK
•
17 days ago
This show is a set up for what they are really trying to do with music and deepened the hypnosis the world is under - SAWDOFF https://www.youtube.com/watch?... #ME&WIFEY 4MORE VIDEOS GOOGLE GETTMONEYYCLICKK #HAVINFUN #GALVESTONTX #BATONROUGE • Reply • Share ›
Frankie
•
18 days ago
This latest Empire article is just another example of why our country struggles with the issue of race. White men, for the most part, trivialize black success because it effects the white supremacy's subconscious. It is why Hitler blew off the nose of the Sphinx., Yale/Univ of Penn pay to keep Egyptian artifacts, It is why athletics once revered as a means of identifying superiority is now deduced to a slave narrative due to breeding. I feel more pity than anger now that I realize it is a lesser man who can not stomach the beauty, intelligence and strength of another. I pity you. • Reply • Share ›
Raul Miller Miller > Frankie
•
15 days ago
In the words of Mr T, I pity the fool who canmake sense of your long diatribe. 3
• Reply • Share ›
Luci > Raul Miller Miller
•
3 days ago
You got that right, this is a television show that we are reading about, not a scientific experiment, thank you. 1
• Reply • Share ›
liberalpeople > Frankie
16 days ago
•
Huh?? No comprehendo 1
• Reply • Share ›
Mickey Flowers Dunkellicht > Frankie
•
17 days ago
OMG, you should totally write a script for Empire, it made no sense but it was truly entertaining to read it. 1
• Reply • Share ›
Big Ice Bastardman ✓ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ > Frankie
•
18 days ago
None of what you said makes any sense. 3
• Reply • Share ›
philip bergen
•
18 days ago
rolling stone is just a pretend hipster stoner rag for panty wearing metrosexuals that steal their boy friends perfume and undies. they love radicals, deviant professors, moronic politicians and dress in costume. 1
• Reply • Share ›
clash14 > philip bergen
•
10 days ago
SOMEone has a cross-dressing fantasy. • Reply • Share ›
Guest
•
20 days ago
Is this show a parody of how stupid hip hop culture is? Everyone is a cartoon idiot stereotype of a ghetto clown that gets some money. 1
• Reply • Share ›
Bird
•
20 days ago
Does this writer even watch the show? Leviticus is a night club not a strip club. And the Empire soundtrack is straight fire. 3
• Reply • Share ›
Raul Miller Miller > Bird
•
15 days ago
Apparently the writer favors Rock,or he 'd know how good the music really is • Reply • Share ›
Bea Houseoffashion
•
21 days ago
Rolling Stone has been bashing Empire since day one. They sort of hate the fact that it's doing well 6 777
• Reply • Share ›
•
21 days ago
Terrance Howard is such a weirdo with all that stuff he said about toilet paper and only being attracted to women who look like him.
1
• Reply • Share ›
Good ole bill cosby
21 days ago
•
I love the song "keep your money" by Jussie smollet. The show does feel like hustle and flow but a series. I hope the show has longevity 3
• Reply • Share ›
Pirate7x
21 days ago
•
It's an entertaining show that doesn't attempt to approach any realism, it's a nighttime soap opera. If I had to run down the titles of corny, whitebread, lifeless shows that stink up primetime & daytime I'd be here til doomsday. Go watch Modern Family or some crap like that... 6
• Reply • Share ›
Jayberto
•
21 days ago
Really trying to like this show... music is ehh, but acting is third rate.. phony anger/ not sure what "Cookie" is really all about.. script is even worse.. Sorry, I think the show is largely a waste of some otherwise good actors who seem to have phoned in their parts... just my opinion... and it doesn't matter how 'great' the music is doing ....somewhere.. it's worse than dated.. it's mediocre !!! 1
• Reply • Share ›
Bird > Jayberto
•
20 days ago
Sorry you're not loving it dude. Maybe you should stop watching. 8 NikinNY
• Reply • Share ›
21 days ago
•
Wow, I'm surprised at the positive comments about the music. Although I love the show, the music is corny and dated. And that drip drop song "She make that thang go drip drop, drip drippity drop". It sounds like she gave him the clap. 6
• Reply • Share ›
Bird > NikinNY
20 days ago
•
The songs cost $1.29 a piece. Try 2 or 3 out and make sure you include Drip Drop. Listen to them in the car or while working out or doing chores and see if you change your mind. I think you will. The show moves too fast to fully appreciate the songs there. You gotta listen to them without all the background noise. 1 tatum635
• Reply • Share ›
•
21 days ago
"Timbaland takes care of the music, which is more than sharp enough for network TV, though unlikely to make waves beyond that"....is this a joke the music is doing great. One of the songs is even on the hot 100. 10
• Reply • Share ›
fede4488 > tatum635
•
21 days ago
The songs are trash. If you can't see it, then you know nothing about music 2
• Reply • Share ›
liberalpeople > fede4488
•
16 days ago
The soundtrack is boss. Don't hate, just appreciate. They sound better in your car. Try it. • Reply • Share ›
Bird > fede4488
•
20 days ago
I'm a die hard, life long music fan with a serious music collection. I eat sleep and breath music. The Empire soundtrack is fire and miles ahead of the majority of R&B and Rap currently being released. Maybe it's you that knows nothing about music. Have you ever even heard an Empire song outside of the show? How do you judge a song after listening to it only one time during the course of the drama of the show? 1
• Reply • Share ›
Guest > Bird
•
20 days ago
You are just a dumb kid that steals bad music from the Walmart discount bin. You are fed marketing by black people making you buy bad black music. 1
• Reply • Share ›
Real Chocolate Love > Bird
•
20 days ago
Mister Bird what is your stake in this show? What do you do for a living? 1
• Reply • Share ›
Jeremiah Newman > fede4488
•
21 days ago
Songs are great and it's no wonder you don't know, you're the only one seeing it, lmao! We, the people who hear, thinks it's great. BTW what exactly is it do you think you know about music? I mean, you are here on a blog... lmao 1
• Reply • Share ›
Bea Houseoffashion > fede4488
•
21 days ago
Interesting. I love the songs 1
• Reply • Share ›
woodyblack > tatum635
21 days ago
•
The magazine is "Rolling Stone". The writer has NO CLUE about music. 7
• Reply • Share ›
Guest > woodyblack
•
20 days ago
Says the illiterate guy that thinks he is smart. • Reply • Share ›
In My Opinion
21 days ago
•
"Timbaland takes care of the music, which is more than sharp enough for network TV, though unlikely to make waves beyond that — Jamal's supposed R&B hit sounds like Eurythmics covering the Good Times theme." @robsheffield - really dude? the soundtrack sales are going to be PHENOMENAL! Get out your fork and knife because you will be eating that statement above. 10
• Reply • Share ›
woodyblack > In My Opinion
•
21 days ago
The magazine is "Rolling Stone". The writer has NO CLUE about today's music. There is nothing is Vaguely "Eurythmicly" about that song. 1
• Reply • Share ›
Guest > woodyblack
•
20 days ago
Y U be hatins on him fat dawg? • Reply • Share ›
Angel Leigh
21 days ago
•
What a pathetic article Rob Sheffield, Do you hate the shows appeal, it's success, it's talent. Like it or not the story line is engaging, the characters are diverse and sympathetic. If you're hating find someone else to write about who can serve it some justice. Empire is worth watching and this is from a late viewer. 20
• Reply • Share ›
Pitchsurfer > Angel Leigh
•
21 days ago
I've noticed quite a few reviewers have gone to great lengths to applaud but marginalize the show. Its indeed cheesy, soapy fun but it has often hinted at something deeper in several ways. That's fine. If its more than they want to credit it for over the period of a couple of seasons it will show itself. 2
• Reply • Share ›
fede4488 > Angel Leigh
•
21 days ago
Look, the show is trash. Entertaining but trash. The words "guilty pleasure" are for things like this 3
• Reply • Share ›
liberalpeople > fede4488
•
16 days ago
I don't think it's trash, it highlights some very serious issues and give it a second look. I love it. • Reply • Share ›
VG
•
21 days ago
Actually, I'm pretty sure Lucious said, "It's TRICK-onometry." Makes more sense once you realize that. 28
• Reply • Share ›
liberalpeople > VG
•
16 days ago
He did. • Reply • Share ›
Bird > VG
•
20 days ago
Hehehe. I didn't get that, but I like it. You're probably right. • Reply • Share ›
BB53 > Bird
•
7 days ago
You don't get how to spell, "hee hee hee" either. • Reply • Share ›
Kaston
•
21 days ago
I don’t understand why Rolling Stone magazine is comparing the character of Cookie to Olivia Pope. Olivia Pope is not ghetto. So no matter how educated a black female character is on televison she will get compared to an ex-con. Why aren’t they comparing Cookie to Alicia Forrick on the Good Wife, or any of the female characters on Revenge or House of Cards? The character of Olivia Pope is nothing like Cookie and I’m glad. Olivia Pope is highly educated and has her own business, oh and her boyfriend is the most powerful person in the world. Stop making comparisons with the few black actresses that are currently on t.v, just because they are black. Rolling Stone likes to think that they are this liberal and hip magazine, but really they’re just as behind the times as some other publications. Scandal is a highly rated show that’s been on the air for 4 seasons. Believe me if Scandal wasn’t successful, there would be no Empire on the air today 22
• Reply • Share ›
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Since spending nine months in jail for sending bongs across state lines in 2004, Tommy Chong has become a more outspoken weed advocate than ever. Ilya S. Savenok/Getty
MUSIC
"The government always used to say, 'We don't know the real bad effects of marijuana. We've never been able to test it,'" Tommy Chong says in the perma-high drawl that made him a counterculture legend as half of Cheech and Chong. "Well, I'm a walking guinea pig. I've been testing it for well over 50 years. I came in fifth on Dancing With the Stars at 76. This old stoner waltzed right by professional athletes because of the marijuana." In the decade since the comedian spent nine months in jail for sending bongs across state lines in 2004, Chong has become more active than ever in weed advocacy. Today, he is hanging out in his Los Angeles office early in the morning before going to the gym to speak to Rolling Stone about how legal marijuana has found itself in a state
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10 Best Stoner Movies of All Time »
Tommy Chong on Weed, Jail and Getting 'High With Every Beatle Except Paul' As Washington, D.C. sorts through its new legal-weed legislation, the hippie hero opens up about how marijuana opened his mind BY KORY GROW March 17, 2015
SIDEBAR
of limbo in our nation's capital. Last year, Washington, D.C. citizens voted in a law that decriminalized weed in a way similar to how Colorado, Alaska and Washington state have done so, but a last-minute provision by Republicans – prohibiting the District from using tax dollars to "enact" the bill – has limited its efficacy. Adults are allowed to possess a maximum of two ounces of pot and grow up to six marijuana plants but the law prohibits its sale and regulation, according to The Washington Post. Chong finds the whole situation absurd, if not for the fact it seems behind the times. "It's the pot that opened my mind 20 years ago," he says. "When I got high for the first time, when I was 18 years old, I got visions of how one could prosper in this world. Everything just got so clear." Besides, Chong says, pot isn't that dangerous: "You can't OD on marijuana," he says. "People have tried." He laughs. What's your take on the current legal-weed situation in Washington, D.C.? Typical Washington. You can smoke it, but you can't buy it and you can't sell it. It's so stupid. These guys are so lame. It's a money game. It's all about a paycheck for Washington, and the rich people are getting people in office that'll keep everybody's mind on everything else but raising taxes. So you think that this legislation was written in a way to distract people? Yes, totally. Looking at the political situation, it's self-serving for so many people, including the so-called righteous right. People are just doing things just for money. Are there any circumstances in which the government should restrict marijuana use? They can't. We've proven that. Look at the little kid with epilepsy. If the law was in effect, the mom would go to jail for giving a minor the drug. There's no restrictions. You can't patent a plant; it's a gift for everybody. The earth belongs to the Lord and the fullness within. No one can own it. Marijuana is a perfect medicine. It replaces so many dangerous psychotic medicines that we're giving kids to calm them down. It's a safe sleep aid. It's been proven to kill cancer cells, and that alone should be put on a whole different pedestal. And you can see the problem there: Because it does cure cancer, it threatens all of these expensive cancer procedures, like the chemotherapy and all of these drugs that aren't covered by insurance and that cost people a ton of money.
NeilVisel.com
You spent nine months in jail for mailing a bong. How did incarceration change you? I knew it was going to happen. I asked the universe. I said, "I need something to revitalize my career," and the next thing you know, I hear the door locking behind me [laughs].
Actually, I had just one bad half hour in jail. It was the first night, and they locked the door, and I'm in this little bunk bed in this little cubicle. I'm in jail with 200 other men, and they're making all kinds of weird sounds: farting and groaning and crying and moaning. It was like a jungle. Reality set in, and I started getting claustrophobia. Then,
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all of a sudden, this calmness overtook me. It was almost like somebody whispering in my ear saying, "You're going to enjoy this. Relax." Were your fellow inmates happy to see you? Oh, I got a hero's welcome. First of all, the guards, who PTSD and Pot: The Fight to Get Veterans Some Weed » looked like Nazis with long overcoats, met me at the gate. One guard says, "OK. I'll drive you over to the camp behind the prison," and as soon as I got in the truck he goes, "I'm your biggest fan! I got these records, can you sign them?" And then when I got to the camp, I had a big welcoming committee. They showed me how to get bedding and pick up my prison uniform. It was like being in the army. The place I was at was like a rest home for gangsters. I've been in resorts that weren't as plush as this one: It had a running track, a football field, a bocce ball court, tennis courts, it had everything. I met the "Wolf of Wall Street" [Jordan Belfort]. I helped him write a book. I was busy every day. I was up at 5:30 every morning and I had a nap at two in the afternoon. The time went by so fast.
Did jail change your smoking habits? No, not at all. I was always a lightweight smoker. I got into weightlifting real early in my life, about 16 years old. I quit smoking when I was 21, so I was in really good shape and pretty healthy. All that "Cheech and Chong" stuff, that was an act. I never was that character. I picture you smoking every day. No, not every day. But I've got so much weed in the house now, I could start a dispensary [laughs]. In fact, I am a dispensary to a lot of my friends – medically speaking, too, because I'm a big believer in the medical benefits of marijuana, which helped me with the cancer, which I got in prison. The prison was built over a toxic waste dump and when I went in there I was totally healthy and when I came out, I had prostate cancer. I treated it with hash oil. So what do you think is left for weed to become totally legal? The feds have to reschedule it and say that it has medical value. That's all they have to do. I think one of the reasons that they want to keep it illegal is because the way it's going to reverse a lot of convictions. Just like mine. They convicted me of a felony for the dastardly crime of shipping a bong across a state line. That was my crime. Now I've become a felon and have to go get searched every time I go through the airport. It's like the voting-rights issue or the gay-marriage thing: It goes a lot deeper than just not being arrested for the crime. The laws and courts have taken advantage of this. The bottom line is, it's one of the last racially motivated laws on the books. Once that's gone, then we're looking at true equality. Did you always expect that weed would become legal in your lifetime? Yeah, I did. I knew it was good for you. I've gotten high with every Beatle except Paul – and he's the only one that really was a pothead – and I saw top athletes smoking it. I would work out with Arnold Schwarzenegger when he first came over to America, when he was the golden boy of bodybuilding, and he was probably one of the healthiest guys on the planet. If someone offered him soda, he'd spit it out rather than drink it, but he would smoke a joint
"I've got so much weed in the house now, I could start a dispensary."
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because he knew it was healthy. Also, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played basketball eight years past his prime because he was and still is a big, big pothead due to migraine headaches. Kareem and I shared a lot of weed over the years. So I knew it was healthy. Who else have you smoked with? I had the honor and the privilege of being around different, great people who smoked, like Wes Montgomery, the guitar player; he was a big pothead and he was a genius on guitar. And then on the other side of the coin, Jimi Hendrix. I was with Jimi one night and he wouldn't smoke pot, but he would be in the bathroom for a very long time, sort of incoherent and nodding off on heroin. He was a junkie. That's why I never went near heroin, because I've seen people like Hendrix, who was incredibly talented, cut his life short because of the stupid drug that kills you. Henry Rollins on the Racist Origins of Marijuana Prohibition »
And I saw what cocaine did, like to Sly and the Family Stone: I knew Sly when he was just starting out. We had a band, and Sly had a band and we crossed paths in San Francisco, but I saw what cocaine did to him, so I stayed away from it and heroin. But I got totally involved in the marijuana, and here I am today, 76 years old, kicking butt on Dancing With the Stars [laughs]. And that's all because of my weight-training and pot use.
Before we move on, tell me about getting high with John Lennon. With John Lennon, that was weird. We were at a party at [record producer] Lou Adler's house, and all the hippies were there, the Stones, Mick Jagger and the boys, and John Lennon, Rod Stewart. I was looking for a place to get high, and Lou said, "Use the bedroom." So I went in there and lit up this big, old, smelly joint – the real stinky kind – and something caught my eye. There was a guy sitting on the floor by the bed, and it was John Lennon. So I walked over and I offered him a toke, and he refused because of his immigration problems. So he was sitting there in a bit of a funk, but on the floor. It was pretty funny. Then I turn around and Rod Stewart walks in and was looking in the mirror, fluffing his hair up, so I offered Rod Stewart a toke and he turned it down because of his throat. "I've got to watch my voice." So, even though John never smoked any, I always tell people that I got high with John, because I did get high. What about George Harrison and Ringo Starr? Well, Ringo was always trying to get over alcohol. He was always on some kind of wagon. He was so sweet. He'd always give you big hugs and kisses. He was kind of weird, but again, I got high with him and Keith Moon. I think Keith Moon was there and Ringo, but Ringo turned it down because he was on the wagon. So again, I smoked in his presence. But George, George and I smoked up a bunch of times. I met George at this hippie party way out in Malibu. It was really funny because, remember Tony Dow from Leave It to Beaver? He was Wally. He was at the party, too. So, I had the joint, I handed it to George, George took a toke, handed it back to me, and I looked and there's Tony Dow, Wally [laughs]. He's waiting for me to hand it to him. And I couldn't resist, I said, "Gee, Wally, does the Beaver know about this?" [Laughs] And he gave me this disgusted look, like, "C'mon man, get off of that shit," but he
"George Harrison and I smoked up a bunch of times."
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smoked up. I got high with George a bunch of times. And George played on a Cheech and Chong record one time, "Basketball Jones." That whole intro is him. He was a real beautiful guy. While we're talking about Cheech and Chong's music, what is your favorite "Earache My Eye" cover? Korn's. That was Cheech's favorite guy. Really? Yeah, that was a good tune. It was written by a Canadian guitarist named Gaye Delorme. He plays guitar on the tune. I wrote the lyrics and Gaye wrote the music. That was trip, too, because he was staying with Cheech at the time, and Cheech was dating Joni Mitchell – or at least he went out with Joni Mitchell one time – and there was Joni Mitchell and David Geffen, and Gaye Delorme came out of the bedroom, and he said, "Listen," and he played the riff. He was playing this standard guitar that was made in Canada, and he was trying to sell one to Joni and Geffen shot it down. He didn't like the guitar; he found it too tinny. Pot Luck: Cheech and Chong Take Weed Humor to Big Screen »
Another funny story, I saw Geffen years later, but he never saw me. I went in to a plastic surgeon to get some work done on myself, and the doctor was kind of star-struck, telling me about all of the different patients and how David Geffen is in the recovery room. "You wanna see him?" And I went in there and David Geffen's totally out, he's laying there with his new nose [laughs]. It was pretty funny. You got back together with Cheech in 2008 after decades apart. How are things between you now? Oh, excellent. Cheech kind of went his way into the Chicano art area. And for a while there he actually doing antidrug commercials, trying to get into the Don Johnson area [acting on Nash Bridges]. But we're back and he'll never live down the "Cheech and Chong" persona no more than I can. And neither one of us wants to. If anything from the stories that you've been telling is true, weed does not affect memory loss. No, I mean it's selective. At times, I can't remember my kid's name. But I'll remember a girlfriend that I had 50 years ago. It'll pop in my mind. It's very selective. With pot, you've got to go on the ride wherever it's taking you. You've just got to relax and enjoy it. My Christmas present to myself this year was a massage chair. My favorite thing to do is smoke a little bit, get in my massage chair, turn on the TV to usually the greatest hits, "Motown's 25 years" – I'll listen to that because I don't have to watch it – and I just lay there and get rubbed and bounced and massaged and it's the greatest thing. I just lay back and just enjoy my life.
Now that pot is legal in Colorado and Washington State, has touring there been any different? It's so much fun. But in most venues, they don't let you smoke on the stage. Fire laws, you know? You're not allowed to smoke anywhere. The only place we were allowed to smoke up was Santa Cruz. My wife, Shelby, opens the show and she doesn't smoke but she got such a contact high that she did one of the best shows ever in Santa
"We get socks of weed given to us. I can't refuse it."
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Cruz because the place was literally filled with smoke. It was like the van in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. People give us presents all the time. We get socks of weed now given to us. I can't refuse it. I don't care how much weed I've gotten. I've got a conservation habit, like, if I end up with a roach I don't throw it away – I put it in my pocket. It's so silly. My son and I grew about 20 plants on the roof and when we were trimming them, some buds would fall on the floor and my son would walk on them. To me, each little flower means a moment's pleasure somewhere, so I would scrounge and pick up all the buds off the floor. I still got those habits. I can't break them.
Since you're a light smoker, is it weird for people to bring you weed? I made a rule: I never get high with what they give me. You never know what's in it. Cheech got burned a few times where it was a little more than what he expected. When I was on the road by myself, I used to give all the weed to the opening acts. They loved me. The Great Marijuana Experiment »
I've asked the questions I had. Is there anything else you wanted to add about anything? Oh man, just shut me up or I'll talk forever. That's another pot thing. In that case, one last question: Is Dave there, man? Dave was just here, knocked on the door and left you some weed. Awesome. He waved and said goodbye.
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vics_toew
•
an hour ago
i like to burn one with the babysitter • Reply • Share ›
why_mee
•
a day ago
I like what he said about marijuana being a gift to everyone. It's a plant grown on earth. It's not fake, it's not mixed with anything but dirt, water and sunshine. I'd much rather my kids learned and appreciated what comes from the earth, rather than the alcohols and cigarettes that are man made get them into trouble. Weed is a plant. Those that abuse it are the ones that pay the price. That's why it needs to be legalized. Cigarettes have so many additives, and alcohol is so dangerous, I am more worried about dying from cigs or some drunk driver than I am someone smoking or hitting off a joint once in awhile. • Reply • Share ›
anolesoul
•
a day ago
Tommy...It's time...to put down,man... And...try "reality" for a change. • Reply • Share ›
James > anolesoul
•
a day ago
As if weed really distorts someone's sense of reality. I think you're thinking of heavier drugs, man. Weed is a medicine for a lot of people. Wake up. And Chong seems like an intelligent man. 1
• Reply • Share ›
henrilou
•
a day ago
I like him..but this cures cancer stuff is really dangerous.If pot cured cancer then guess what..nobody would be dead of cancer because everybody who had cancer would try it.Pot is good for chemo because it helps your appetite..and there are medical benefits from pot..but they have gone way over board in their claims.There are a lot of pot heads I have known in my life who have died from cancer..lung cancer,,,smoke in you lungs is smoke in your lungs.. • Reply • Share ›
guest > henrilou
•
21 hours ago
""Cannabinoids may cause antitumor effects by various mechanisms, including induction of cell death, inhibition of cell growth, and inhibition of tumor angiogenesis invasion and metastasis" http://www.cancer.gov/cancerto... 1 pedro
•
• Reply • Share ›
a day ago
I have never seen such stupidity. I can't remember my kids names ... Marijuana kills cancer cells ... Every freakin' word in the article. 2
• Reply • Share ›
guest > pedro
•
21 hours ago
"Cannabinoids may cause antitumor effects by various mechanisms, including induction of cell death, inhibition of cell growth, and inhibition of tumor angiogenesis invasion and metastasis" http://www.cancer.gov/cancerto... 1 TDK
•
• Reply • Share ›
a day ago
people who smoke pot ? Don't rob stores. Don't rob houses. They are peace loving and kind. Referred to as "hippies" most of the time...but take a look back in time. Hippies demonstrated peacefully...not like this Ferguson mess. They made us aware. Pot, makes us aware. Legalized or not, it's clear it's here to stay. 3
• Reply • Share ›
Ryan Tippens
•
a day ago
its nothing Im interested in at all..never tried it,never will...yet its a plant that grows out of the ground...Ive never understand what it was made illegal and remains that way to this day. • Reply • Share ›
FYM116
a day ago
•
Tommy is such a great human being! Love reading his interviews, very bright, honest and entertaining. • Reply • Share ›
fin screenname
•
a day ago
If the choice is weed or booze I'll take weed any day. 2
• Reply • Share ›
why_mee > fin screenname
•
a day ago
Same here. I've had a few drinks in my day, but alcohol scares the crap out of me. I stay away from it. • Reply • Share ›
Merkava
•
a day ago
Modern pot is much stronger than the stuff Tommy smoked. It can induce schizophrenia in adolescents and lower their IQ. He should try being on the end of the ambulance ride, like I am. • Reply • Share ›
Twinky > Merkava
•
a day ago
B/c more and likely there was something else in that person's system other than just weed. Never known someone to have schizophrenia from just smoking weed. Just sayin
• Reply • Share ›
Merkava > Twinky
•
21 hours ago
Look up the data. When you have treated thousands of schizophrenia patients, you will run across quite a few. • Reply • Share ›
Merkava > Twinky
•
a day ago
Well, you would be wrong. I have seen plenty of drug screens where it was just weed, and plenty of weed induced psychosis---in both the US and New Zealand. 1
• Reply • Share ›
b3nz0z > Merkava
•
a day ago
no you haven't. 1
• Reply • Share ›
Merkava > b3nz0z
•
21 hours ago
Yes, yes I have. This is what I do for a living. Sorry. • Reply • Share ›
Merkava > b3nz0z
•
a day ago
You're right. I haven't. I usually just write stuff and most people just believe me. • Reply • Share ›
b3nz0z > Merkava
•
7 hours ago
i believe that you believe you've seen "weed induced psychosis." i'm also positive that you don't know what you're talking about. i'm basing this on the fact that licensed psychiatrists: 1. don't tend to say "weed" when talking about their professional experiences 2. don't tend to generalize their anecdotal experiences - they talk about things like "outcomes" and "evidence" 3. a licensed psychiatrist would likely be aware of the numerous peer-reviewed studies contradicting what you are saying 4. i've heard, from the mouths of other psychiatrists, that cannabis isn't bad and can in fact be therapeutic, which again contradicts your poorly worded claims based on personal experience 5. experts, in any field, seldom fall back on simply repeating their career ("but i'm an expert, darn it!"), and tend to produce evidence in support of what they are saying. they don't get defensive and insult the expertise of others 6. no "expert" would conflate the use of cannabis by consenting adults with abuse by children, as you have (in a post that seems to have been deleted for some reason). • Reply • Share ›
Merkava > b3nz0z
•
6 minutes ago
Crack the containment domes! • Reply • Share ›
b3nz0z > Merkava
•
a day ago
so you only ever see the really bad consequences and yet think it represents a full picture? try thinking outside of your personal anecdotes and experiences • Reply • Share ›
Merkava > b3nz0z
•
a day ago
I am a board certified psychiatrist and an expert on substance abuse. Try being a real authority for once on something. • Reply • Share ›
why_mee > Merkava
•
a day ago
Wow, a board certified psychiatrist. That says it right there. legalization of marijuana threatens the drugs that you may prescribe to your patients. Suppose your adolescent patients already had something wrong with them, and by some of them smoking weed, would be the excuse for them becoming schizo. ok. BS!! The drugs given to patients have more harm than hitting of a joint every now and then. All the side effects to drugs are way more harmful than a few pot leaves...LOL gimme a break! 2
• Reply • Share ›
Merkava > why_mee
•
43 minutes ago
nathan: where are you now that I could use your presence? • Reply • Share ›
Merkava > why_mee
•
21 hours ago
Actually, dummy, legalization of marijuana is JOB SECURITY for me. If you stopped drinking your bong water you could figure it our. • Reply • Share ›
b3nz0z > Merkava
•
a day ago
so . . . you have only ever seen the really bad consequences, have a vested financial and reputational interest in the continued framing of the issue as a "substance abuse" problem, think your experiences represent a full picture of the entire issue, and expect us to consider you impartial? wow, way more convincing! 1
• Reply • Share ›
Merkava > b3nz0z
•
6 hours ago
Actually, we do not treat CD issues primarily here. We treat Danger to self/others/grave disability here. It just so happens a lot of potheads end up here. A LOT of potheads. But I have enough to keep me busy without. You really have no clue what goes on in your community, do you, Hal Roachclip? • Reply • Share ›
b3nz0z > Merkava
•
6 hours ago
so, again, you primarily deal with the worst-case scenarios, and have used the information from those extreme experiences to form a generalized opinion of a very large and complex issue. you seem unaware of the difference between causation and correlation in relation to what you've observed - people with other problems attempting to self-medicate, among others, might show up with big problems and cannabis usage without it being the cause of all their woes. it's funny - i thought mental health experts knew that. and again, you resort to personal attacks, the fallacy of appealing to authority (in this case your own which, no offense, must be taken with a grain of salt given that we're arguing anonymously on an internet forum), and a generally defensive attitude - none of which remind me of the behavior or intellect one tends to expect from an "expert in the field" • Reply • Share ›
Merkava > b3nz0z
•
44 minutes ago
You think like a pot head. Toodles. • Reply • Share ›
b3nz0z > Merkava
•
19 minutes ago
you keep saying bye and coming back. kind of a stoner thing to do, isn't it? • Reply • Share ›
Merkava > b3nz0z
•
a few seconds ago
Reviewed the King's College article: MJ use and Schizophrenia use may be due to common genetic inheritance. No conclusions drawn. have you read much of the literature regarding genetics and bipolar disorder and schizophrenia? If you had, you would know how tenusous it is. Generally speaking, the relationship betyween use and schizophrenia affects adolescent brains, which generally are knwon for not developing abstract thinking skills yet---like yours. • Reply • Share ›
Merkava > b3nz0z
•
11 minutes ago
Send to: Choose Destination File Clipboard Collections E-mail Order My Bibliography Citation manager
1 selected item: 18190663 see more • Reply • Share ›
Merkava > b3nz0z
•
16 minutes ago
No, it is just that you say something stupid and dangerous, forcing me to answer you. That's OCD, not stoner. • Reply • Share ›
Merkava > b3nz0z
•
6 hours ago
There is no discussing with you. You extraoplate from an n of 1 or 2 and think you know much. Do thousands. Good day, fool. May you get hit by a driver high on MJ. • Reply • Share ›
b3nz0z > Merkava
•
6 hours ago
maybe i will, but peer-reviewed studies and traffic statistics suggest it isn't likely. hey, there's another thing you don't seem to be aware of despite your extensive expertise on the issue! i'm noticing a theme . . . • Reply • Share ›
Merkava > b3nz0z
•
44 minutes ago
Traffic stats are not supporting you as they extend further out. And the data on schizophrenia/lowered IQ are from peer reviewed studies, which, unlike me, you have never bothered reading---hard to concentrate when you are high. • Reply • Share ›
b3nz0z > Merkava
•
31 minutes ago
"traffic stats extend further out." i'm not sure that's a sentence, but if you are trying to say that cannabis, on its own, contributes to traffic fatalities in a significant way, you'll need to provide some kind of evidence because every study i've heard or read about makes it clear that users are no less safe when driving. regarding your vast knowledge pertaining to peer-reviewed studies, please refute the following: Scientific studies have, in some cases, found a tenuous link, but common sense also says that if marijuana caused schizophrenia, incidents of the chronic, severe, disabling brain disorder would have skyrocketed starting in the 1960's, alongside the rapid rise of marijuana smoking in the United States. Instead, schizophrenia rates held steady, even as millions of Americans turned on to reefer for the first time. Now a new study, led by King's College London, and published in the scholarly journal Molecular Psychiatry, suggests that previous researchers may have misunderstood the dynamic linking marijuana and schizophrenia entirely. • Reply • Share ›
Merkava > b3nz0z
•
7 minutes ago
Modern THC concebtrations are much higher than they were in the 1970s. Myself, I have noted the problem only in the last 7 years or so, not earlier. By the way, HOW many studies on driving do you want me to data dump. • Reply • Share ›
Merkava > b3nz0z
•
7 minutes ago
Send to: Choose Destination File Clipboard Collections E-mail Order My Bibliography Citation manager
FormatSummary (text)Abstract (text)MEDLINEXMLPMID ListCSVCreate File 1 selected item: 14725950 see more • Reply • Share ›
Merkava > b3nz0z
•
8 minutes ago
Format Summary Summary (text) Abstract Abstract (text) MEDLINE XML PMID List Apply Send to: Choose Destination see more • Reply • Share ›
Merkava > b3nz0z
•
9 minutes ago
See comment in PubMed Commons below Clin Chem. 2013 Mar;59(3):478-92. doi: 10.1373/clinchem.2012.194381. Epub 2012 Dec 7. Cannabis effects on driving skills. Hartman RL1, Huestis MA. Author information 1Chemistry and Drug Metabolism, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. Abstract BACKGROUND: Cannabis is the most prevalent illicit drug identified in impaired drivers. The effects of cannabis on driving continue to be debated, making prosecution and legislation difficult. Historically, delays in sample collection, evaluating the inactive Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) metabolite 11-nor-9-carboxy-THC, and see more • Reply • Share ›
Merkava > b3nz0z
•
18 minutes ago
What I said was: Traffic stats are not supporting you as they extend further out. PUT DOWN THE BONG. As this gets examined and analyzed more and more, they are finding more and more danger. Duh. I've got 48 hits from a 30 second review. I gave you two, because it is hard to read when you are high. • Reply • Share ›
b3nz0z > Merkava
•
18 minutes ago
you took 48 hits in 30 seconds? that's so hardcore • Reply • Share ›
Merkava > b3nz0z
•
a minute ago
I have taken more hits than that you moron. Usually I take them right in the a$$!
Reply
Share ›
Merkava > b3nz0z
20 minutes ago
•
Maybe if you were sober, you could do this---took me about 30 seconds. • Reply • Share ›
b3nz0z > b3nz0z
•
30 minutes ago
it continues: The study examined 2,082 healthy individuals, including 1,011 who'd previously used cannabis. For each participant, a 'genetic risk profile' was measured, based on the number of genes related to schizophrenia they carried. The findings showed that those genetically pre-disposed to schizophreniaused cannabis more often, and in greater quantities than those without schizophrenia risk genes. “Our study certainly does not rule out that cannabis increases the risk of schizophrenia,” according to Powers. “But it suggests that there is likely to be an association in the other direction as well -- that a predisposition to schizophrenia also increases your likelihood of cannabis use. Our study also highlights the complex interactions between genes and environments when we talk about cannabis as a risk factor for schizophrenia. Certain environmental risks, such as cannabis use, may be more likely given an individual's innate behavior and personality, itself influenced by their genetic make-up. This is an important finding to consider when calculating the economic and health impact of cannabis." but a top notch shrink like you already knew all that, right? • Reply • Share ›
Merkava > b3nz0z
a day ago
•
Look, didn't you see what I wrote? I'm a BOARD CERTIFIED PSYCHIATRIST! • Reply • Share ›
Merkava > Merkava
•
6 hours ago
That's not me---that's my ignorant doppleganger. My post isn't closed; his is. • Reply • Share ›
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Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp a Butterfly': A Track-by-Track Guide
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