SHOCKEY - HIGH (INTERVIEW) - The Single about Cannabis, Culture, and Friends
Cannabis.net got to sit down with cannabis culture musical artist SHOCKEY to talk about his new single "HIGH" and how cannabis has been in influence in his artistic work.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR FIRST TIME SMOKING
First day of college... my new and, HIGHLY experienced roomie pulled out a bong and a jar of super smelly Blue Dream. Packed a bowl, rolled up a blunt and 20 minutes later... My body was glued to the aged black wooden chair in our second story Bostonian apartment. A few more hits, 2 packs of Ramen Noodles and half a bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos and I KO’d. I woke up to a MacBook full of tabs Google searching “I can’t feel my left arm” and “How to tell if I’m having a heart attack”.
Then I smoked for the second time and wrote the first verse of HIGH :)
How much do you smoke?
I do my best to burn through a few ounces a week, minimum. Along with a steady dose of edibles, dabs, cannabis oil, more weed, pens and plenty of iced americanos.
How does weed inspire your creative process?
Weed inspires the soul and a healthy soul inspires great art.
What is your favorite strain?
Gotta say I’ve been chiefing up A LOT of Durban Poison lately, also really digging Valley grown White Widow, Bob Saget OG, Zombie Killer, Charlie’s Sheen, and Alaskan Thunderf****
How do you smoke?
Pretty much every and any way. Joints, blunts, cans, apples, spliffs, dabs, lying down, standing up, awake, asleep, sometimes I even put a blunt in my gravity bong covered in wax. I dont like to put myself in boxes.
Secret Recipe: Zig Zag’s, rose pedals, tobacco, wax, keef, tons of weed and two drops of blood, not mine.
Where are you from?
LA but feels more like Mars.
Who were some artists that inspired you when you were just starting out (and why)?
Nellyville changed my life. Also, Smokey - When i was in college i studied him and i base a lot of what i do on his teachings. I also love blazing up to A$AP, Mac, Wiz, Kid, Surfaces, Lewis Del Mar and all the legends every day and every night!
What do you listen to now?
Bumping my own and my homies’ unreleased records mostly. 6lack’s “Never Know” is at the top of my rotation. A$AP Rocky, Sublime, BENEE are in there too. Also Juice’s album is incredible and a huge fan of what Surfaces are doing!
SHOCKEY’S SMOKE SESH PLAYLIST?
1. Pursuit Of Happiness
2. L$D
3. Smoke Two Joints
4. Super Rich Kids
5. Young, Wild & Free
6. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
7. Sgt. Peppers
8. Channel Orange
9. Are You Experienced
10. Slim Shady LP, sorry.
Tell me about your next single?
ADDICTED takes you deeper down the rabbit hole and tells the story of how all of us become addicted to certain things, feelings, love, pain, hate, ideas, money, and how that can work both for and against you in a number of ways. It’s also a metaphor around drinking to a certain extent but i really hope my audience hears the message on a deeper level.
Seems like you’ve got a theme going?
A key common musical theme between ADDICTED and HIGH are that they are both are songs I absolutely love to sing and perform with an acoustic guitar. Most of my gigs are me and my guitar and that’s something i’m certainly looking to expand on but for my first three singles it’s gonna be about the songwriting, performance and message.
Will you make a video for it?
YES! Not sure if you know this but I directed, edited, produced and put together every single shot of the HIGH video and it was one of the most exciting and time consuming experiences of my career. Every second spent shooting and editing the HIGH video amped me full of adrenaline. I was creating so many ideas on so many levels all at once it was quite an experience. Countless nights, spliffs and blunts were spent learning techniques in Final Cut. I meditated on it day and night for a month and a half. Definitely bringing that same energy to ADDICTED. There are also a lot of things that need to be said and addressed about the world and how we treat each other - My videos are a way of expressing and expanding upon my feelings beyond my music. SO EXCITED to show everyone!
You’re based in LA! What do you think of the music scene there at the moment?
LA is such an incredible city with an epic history of music and musicians. Lots of the most recognized music in the modern world has been written and recorded in this tiny area. The way so many Los Angelinos with such different backgrounds come together in the name of music never ceases to amaze me.
Microscopically?
So many friends and artists out there releasing AMAZING content and writing the best songs of their lives at the moment. I hope that my releasing of HIGH, especially during this chaos is seen as a sign of confidence and goodwill - ALSO as a message that we should all stay
HIGH ON LIFE.
Are there any other artists breaking through at the same time that you take inspiration from?
Musically, I love what Dominic Fike is doing. I LOVE RAURY he’s so underground and cool and i vibe with him big time he’s like the hip hop beatles. There is this graphic artist i found on instagram, Savina Monet that absolutely blows my mind. She’s so saucy, i love it and i’d really like to connect with her!
If people could take away one thing from your music, what would it be?
Be Happy Relentlessly.
Where’s your “happy place”?
1. Urban Treez - 11376 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604
2. AHHS - 7828 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90046
3. The W.E.E.D - 11557 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604
4. Fair Oaks Collective – 2126 N Fair Oaks, Altadena, CA 91001
5. Greater Ohio area: (740) 424 - 6453
Check out the HIGH video below and download the single on your favorite streaming sites!
You can watch/listen on YT, Spotify, Apple, TT etc... here: https://fanlink.to/shockeyhigh
THANKS!
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