Blunted on Reality @ Complex.com

In the tradition of Hunter Thompson’s wild styled Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, I began writing a gonzo memoir called Blunted on Reality. Today, Complex.com offers a sneak peek of this work-in-progress. As a celebration of National Weed Day 4/20, this excerpt details various “blunted” experiences while working as a journalist for various publications including The Source, Vibe, Rap Pages and Spin.

For those new to my work, I've been a pop journalist since the 1980s and co-authored the respected hip-hop book Bring the Noise (1991). I've also written for Essence, High Times, Right On and New York magazine.

As a fan of the gonzo writer adventures of Hunter Thompson and Lester Bangs, and I wanted to apply that type of prose to pot, hip-hop and soul. I wasn’t attempting to mimic either writer's style, but simply trying to find my own groove.

Beginning with the first cover story I ever wrote for The Source in 1992, documenting a studio session with weed advocates Cypress Hill, the other weeded artists I reminisced about in “Blunted on Reality” include Snoop Dogg, D'Angelo, the Notorious B.I.G. and Tricky.

I started writing this project, because I used to tell friends all these smoked-out stories about those golden years and I thought they would make a wonderful book. This is just a sneak preview of what is is come.

As a companion piece to “Blunted on Reality,” he also wrote a list of “50 Best Weed Songs” for Complex.com:

Blunted on Reality: http://www.complex.com/music/2012/04/blunted-on-reality-a-rap-journalist-recalls-smoking-with-snoop-dogg-biggie-cypress-hill-more/page/1

50 Best Weed Songs: http://www.complex.com/music/2012/04/the-50-best-weed-songs/#gallery