In terms of cannabis-themed tracks, Styles P hits it right on the nose with “Good Times.” Many smokers and avid music listeners don’t understand the criteria for making a “weed record” in the first place. First and foremost, a common misconception is that it is simply a cool song to listen to while baked. This is where I beg to differ and have taken it upon myself to add a rule: the song must be about smoking cannabis or contain at least one extremely overt and memorable mention of the consumption of the sticky icky. Then, and only then, will it qualify.
So yes, when The Notorious B.I.G. on “Dead Wrong” exclaims, “Relax and take notes while I take tokes of the marijuana smoke,” that was the qualifier straight out of the park. I went ahead and made a Spotify playlist of such qualifiers available here. I kept the playlist mostly rap because it is in celebration of a hip-hop classic with some other genre qualifiers, for either trolling or educational purposes. Take your pick.
“Good Times” over-qualifies with virtually every line being about the inhalation of that sweet green. For example, Styles hits us with lines like, “Ayo, I smoke like a chimney, ‘matter fact I smoke like a gun,” and “I smoke like the hippies did back in the ’70s.” In essence, this track is just too significant for us stoners to ignore—especially the Dutch Masters-smoking, Timberland-wearing, Sour Diesel/Haze-copping old heads from that era. To gain further insight, I was able to track down Devin Horwitz, the original High Times magazine contributor from 20 years ago who interviewed a young artist named Holiday Styles, who we now know today as Styles P. He couldn’t remember much, other than, “Upsetting many staff members at the Interscope Records office after SP and I decided to light it up in a conference room that day.”
Two decades later, that song still holds so much weight in both the hip hop and cannabis communities. So much so, High Times, along with a few other reputable brands, got down to support two elevated experiences in NYC that paid tribute to “Good Times.” One was an extraordinary night at the legendary Irving Plaza, where over a thousand hip hop heads smoked the place out while being treated to an impressive performance from The LOX. Following that, was a pop-up and intimate performance at the Astor Club where Styles rocked out his classic records from on top of a couch, with Statik Selektah DJing.
The music was fire, but so was the flower. In fact, Styles P linked with Green R Fieldz and his team at TerpHogz to create a super potent and memorable strain called “Good Times 2.0.” When I caught up with Fieldz at The Astor Club to ask about the project, he recalled, “Working on the ‘Good Times 2.0’ with Styles P was a life goal. We see eye to eye on so many aspects, and amazing weed is just one of those things. This isn’t the end for the Strain Gang x TerpHogz collaborative efforts. We will be putting out at least one more strain together from our new Z fem pheno hunt. We are elated to be able to call Styles a brother and a business partner!”
Subsequently, many bong rips of the Good Times 2.0. were consumed by yours truly. Moments after he hopped off the couch/stage at Astor Club NYC, I sat down with Styles P in the flesh to get even higher and see what we could reveal from the man who calls himself The Ghost.
Styles, here we are again at the Astor Club. What is it about this place that you love so much?
Astor Club is just one of the greatest places in the world for hippies. Especially in NYC, the vibe alone is there, but you just come in here and they have the best bud. I love to come here and get stoned. Matt and Ben are true potheads. I see how members come here and they might have had a shitty day, but Astor sets the right vibe to let you relax and get high, sit back, and eat your snacks. I come here all of the time, and people either mind their business or hit me with strains I forgot about. I just love how you can bring your laptop here and work, or just let it go!
So you enjoy having quality cannabis nearby?
Yeah, great weed is like an escape for me. And usually, I have to jump on a plane for it, so I love coming down here.
Tell me about “Good Times 2.0.”
This is about 20 years of “Good Times!” If you know me, I’m about the bud. If you’ve ever been around me, you know I’m ‘bout those plants. Fieldz is my bro. “The Original Z” is by far one of my favorite strains. I wanted to do something dope that I was actually into.
I was very impressed that the “Good Times 2.0.” was actually on sale at Irving Plaza. How did that come about?
It’s a new era, it’s a new day. I think the whole city needs to pick up on what we’re doing and what we’re doing anyway. It’s not legal federally yet, but that’s why we need to stand together and push for what we are into and what we feel is okay. It’s fucking cool to light it up.
What else have you been up to in the cannabis space lately?
We’re just looking to bring more recognition, attention, and fun to all the communities, dispensaries, growers, and legacy brands across the world, and show them how we live. There are cool ways to do innovative shit with artists and actors. That’s “Strain Gang” and that’s what I stand for. But the cannabis industry is not as broad as it should be, and there is no honesty in that. What is the purpose of pot? One of the purposes is to rebel and it just became such a big industry that it trickled down to the legacy brands, and everyone competes with each other when we should be getting together to figure out how to make weed better, how to spread all our brands across the world, and how we can heal the most people. We need to show more unity because the plant is the common denominator on a lot of factors that people don’t want to speak about. The plant is one of the biggest defenders and fighters of racism. I have long-term friendships with really awesome white people because of the power of the plant! And that transfers to other things too, like fruits and veggies. But the real hippies need to stand up. The real stoners and the real potheads. Understand what the bud is really about, and that is unification.
Evidently, the world needs more people like Styles. As far as the next stoner anthem? Hit the bong, but don’t hold your breath. He recently announced his upcoming solo career retirement on Instagram. It seems that he intends to focus more on his ventures with Strain Gang and Farmacy For Life. It is extremely appreciated when such a stoner icon like SP The Ghost drops gems, and we are excited about what the future holds for him. Shoutout to Daniel at Doubt x Belief for putting in the work to make the events happen and graciously connecting us to the legendary Styles P.
