Top 20 Reggae Tributes To The Herb

When it comes to reggae music, the topic of marijuana looms large in the lyrics and subject matter. In Rastafarianism, marijuana is used religiously and medicinally, in prayer and meditation, to achieve greater spiritual insight into life and the universe. Marijuana is only one aspect of Rastafarianism and you can read more about the subject here.  

Below is a listicle of 20 great reggae tracks paying tribute to the herb.

This song was made in retaliation against the police who were arresting and abusing the people of Jamaica at the time for herb use. In 1978, Tosh proclaimed ‘Herb will become like cigarettes’, in an Interview in the magazine NME.

Kaya is a Jamaican word for cannabis.

Here’s a quote from Bob Marley about herb: “When you smoke herb, herb reveal yourself to you. All the wickedness you do, the herb reveal itself to yourself, your conscience, show up yourself clear because herb make you meditate. Is only a natural t’ing and it grow like a tree.” Also, have you seen the Bob Marley movie?

Lee “Scratch” Perry worked with Bob Marley and the Wailers back in the day and helped craft some of the greatest music anyone’s ever heard.

This track is so popular it’s been sampled by Wiz Khalifa and other musicians.

In the song they sing the “birds eat it” so “utilize it, man!”

Sinsemilla is marijuana from female plants that are specially tended and kept seedless by preventing pollination in order to induce a high resin content.

“Pass the Koutchie” was a hit twice internationally!. First on the album Changes  in 1982 and again as a cover by Musical Youth with “Pass the Dutchie.” It was turned into the word Dutchie because of un-PC reasons. If you look in the Urban Dictionary you’ll find Dutchie means a dutch master cigar, a cast iron pot over an open fire, and a dirty sex joke.

This is the one was covered by Sublime, y’all. You know it.