Last Thursday, rapper Dizzy Wright sat down for a few joints and a chat with me on Weedmaps Instagram Live before giving fans a sneak peek of some tracks from his album The Golden Age 2, which dropped Friday.
Smoking on some OG from West Coast Cure on a rooftop patio somewhere in downtown Los Angeles, Dizzy talked about his new album, healthy lifestyle changes, the Vegas music scene, and of course, weed.
“This s#!t is fire, man, let me tell you right now
How has marijuana contributed to your music?
I just wanted to continue to give the marijuana community music that they can … (pauses) I wanted to contribute to marijuana being legalized and, you know, just give the stoners some motivation and vibes. With The Golden Age 2, I’ve been going through so much on the back end; Getting new management, business managers, new lawyers — all of this shit, you know what I’m saying? I wasn’t able to just focus on being an artist.
How did that affect this album?
So, I was taking a little more time with these records. Instead of just going in there and doing whatever, I had a plan. There was a lot of things on the first Golden Age that I would have done better. And the message that I got across, I got it across the way that I wanted to get it across. But this, I wanted to tie this in to make it a full package and really tie that story in and have it make sense, to keep it going.
I’m figuring out how to put that message into one song and give a listener a real experience, you know what I mean? I wouldn’t say it’s any different than what I’ve been doing.
Would you say the new album is one cohesive message or is there a lot of different vibes?
A lot of different vibes, a lot of different messages. You know, the first Golden Age was what you want to instill in your kid, that’s why on the cover you see the mom with the baby. This is the vibes that she’s putting into her seed, you know, like world peace and progression. This [Golden Age 2], this is the growth, this is the knowledge that you receive unwillingly as you get older; you start learning from the things around you and it’s not all about just what your momma’s telling you.
I just kinda gave the listener a few different topics to cross their mind — but without just being pushy.
How does weed help you in your life?
Weed helps keep my vibrations high. I started smoking weed in maybe 2009 or 2010; started smoking Black and Milds first. My fiancé was pregnant with our first kid, my daughter, and, you know, we used to go through things and then I was going through other things with music, trying to get on and dealing with the bullshit. I felt like life was starting to get the best of me and I needed to handle things a little differently. [I started] smoking weed and it helped me step back for a second, figure out what I needed to handle, handle one thing at a time, do it right, and move on to the next.
Your parents might teach you that, or how to do that without marijuana. It’s just all about what you use it for and how you utilize it. For me, it just helped me handle my s#!t without feeling so pressured or without letting life get the best of me. I’m able to find balance within destruction.
How are things now that Nevada has legal weed (Dizzy’s from Las Vegas, in case you didn’t know)?
It’s been cool. I’ve been so busy, man, so I haven’t been able to get to a lot of the shops out there. I’m still working on my whole marijuana situation out there. I’ll probably have a few strains, drop some new shit. It’s going to happen in Vegas, though, you know what I mean? I’m waiting to do it in the most real way.
I just don’t want people to be treated like criminals for the good marijuana plant. And it’s another element added to Vegas for people to come and have a good time, man.
Right now, some lawmakers in Nevada are trying to outlaw delivery. Do you think delivery is important in Nevada?
I think it’s important. The people in Nevada are idiots and they need to let somebody come in who’s been doing this shit for years to guide their ass. But they refuse to work with the black market and are making everyone go through these hoops. And you know they just want to control this shit and roll it out the way they way to roll it out. But it is what it is and we need to keep moving and just figure it out. There’s a lot of good people out there pushing for the right thing.
How much do you smoke on a daily basis?
(laughs) Too much, man. I don’t know, it just depends on what kind of day it is. I smoke a lot of weed, though. I’m not trying to keep count.
What about dabbing or edibles?
I dab, but I slowed down on dabbing. I don’t really do edibles. I have in the past but … I don’t know … I think it’s the process for me. I like breaking down the weed, rolling it up … you know what I mean?
For sure, the ritualistic part of it. What’s your favorite strain?
(laughs) Dizzy OG.
Shout out to Crown Genetics, you know my Crown bros. When I started working with them, the Crown OG was already so fire, so we mixed the Crown OG with King Louie and that’s how we got the Dizzy OG. Its fire, I would put it up there.
Speaking of the best in the game, what do you think about athletes using weed?
I don’t think it should be wrong for athletes to smoke. Weed would only help them … I don’t know. It’s crazy. And then it’s like, they can’t say it’s about slowing them down because I mean the shit you put in your body is already slowing you down.
Speaking of eating, did you see “What The Health” on Netflix?
I did see it on Netflix. I think everybody should watch “What The Health.” You need to know what you’re putting in your body. It’s crazy because (pauses before giving away the whole movie) … watch that documentary, you’re going to realize why you don’t need meat, why you’re getting sick, and then you can do the rest of the research yourself. But if you want to know why you feel sluggish, watch “What The Health.”
Fun Fact: Dizzy’s been meat and dairy free for 20 days and had eaten at Veggie Grill before the interview.
As the biggest rapper from your city, what’s it like being “the man” in Vegas?
I don’t know. I’m just trying to be a good dad; play my cards right, soak in this knowledge that I’m given. I’m not trying to be the man, you know what I’m saying? I’m not trying to stunt on these younger artists. I want Vegas to shine, too.
Anyone in Vegas we should keep an ear out for?
Euroz, for one. There’s a lot of good artists out there, and off the top of my head, I can’t think about them right now (laughs). But that’s just because I’ve been so focused on what we have going on. I don’t really be checking for nobody. I’m not worried about the competition, and maybe that’s why I’m the biggest one out of Vegas because I’m not focused on anything but what I got going on — nobody but me and mine.
After the interview, Dizzy the (Almost) Vegan Las Vegan and I headed to Pink Dolphin on Fairfax in Los Angeles, where his most loyal fans had packed in to get their first listen to The Golden Age 2. As Dizzy mingled with fans, signed countless posters, and took what seemed to be thousands of selfies with his supporters, it was easy to see the positive vibes he was talking about earlier reverberating throughout the party.
Dizzy even had a few colleagues show up to the listening party to show love, as the ever-underrated Casey Veggies and TGA2-featured artist Demrick (track #7, we’ll talk about it shortly) came to hang with fans and puff on Dizzy OG like the rest of us.
The dense, colorful nuggets of the Crown OG and King Louie cross were a sight to see, credit to Crown Genetics for a job well done. I’m already a big time King Louie fan, so I was expecting great things. I wasn’t disappointed, either. Sometimes with gas of this magnitude, you can get a harsh aftertaste in the back of your throat. However, Dizzy OG hit extremely clean and provided a long-lasting effect that helped me relax without taking me down for the count — I was technically working at this party, after all.
Maybe I spoke too soon, though, because as I stood up post-Dizzy OG
smoke session, I started to question whether the strain name had anything to do with my new rapper friend’s name at all — or rather this intense desire I suddenly had to fall down embarrassingly. Thankfully, with the help of TGA2 track number 17 “I Can’t Keep Falling,” I held it together.
The songs with very laid back production and what sounded like live horns seemed to fit best with the vibe Dizzy OG gave me, so tracks like “Looking Up” and “Fraud” immediately stood out. The drums slap, so you won’t have to worry about dozing off or anything. Like I said, got you. Once I settled into the high a little bit, “Make Moves Wit Me” with Demrick and “Big Shots” felt like they were specially made to be heard while smoking this strain. It should be noted that anytime I hear the G Perico-assisted “Choosin” now, I want to roll a fat personal blunt with a glass tip and crumble sprinkled inside, and then face it. That’s a smoking song.
credit:marijuana.com