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Dizzy Wright and Demrick drop ‘Blaze With Us 2’, talk bud and healing

We live in a stressful world. Some of us find comfort in the calming activities of smoking a joint and vibing out to some tunes. Don’t worry Blaze with Us 2 is the perfect 2020 album for just that.

From the creators of the first Blaze with Us; Dizzy Wright and Demrick, the album brings us to a place with fewer worries. The tracklist’s ultimate goal is that we relax and heal away from what life may throw at us next.

I got a chance to speak with Dizzy and Demrick about their ongoing collaborations and their love of marijuana. We also discussed their latest project Blaze with Us 2 and its desired and real impact. During the onslaught of negativity via the pandemic and police brutality we explore how music can heal.

Listen to the full interview below:

The discussion was a lengthy and engaging one. We covered everything from veganism to advice for the up and coming in the music industry.

Dizzy Wright x Demrick

Dizzy Wright (né La’Reonte Wright) and Demrick Ferm both have a long list of music industry achievements. They’ve racked in millions of plays and regularly work alongside music giants like Cypress Hill and Xzibit as well as fellow industry heavyweights like Swizzz and Logic.

The duo met in 2014. At the High Times Cannabis Club, Cypris Hill rapper and leader B-Real won the Stoner of the Year award. Dizzy and Demrick happened to be there at the right place at the right time. But they didn’t foresee a long term friendship and music partnership right away.

“To be honest, when we first got introduced me and Demrick did a record but we just did a record kind of regular.” – Dizzy

That record was “We Still Here” which is on Demrick’s 2015 album Losing Focus. 

Dizzy and Demrick’s relationship as artists and friends grew while they were on the road and in the studio together.

“I was able to spend some time with Demrick on the road. […] I realized that his vibe was a lot similar to mine. So then we ended up going to the studio.” -Dizzy

That first studio session and subsequent sessions led to the creation of the first Blaze With Us project.

“I think we cracked out maybe seven records that night and just was up all night drinking, smoking, being creative. And a lot of those records ended up being on the first Blaze with Us. Yeah the chemistry has been strong outside of the studio, in the studio, since we got in the studio that first time.” – Dizzy

Demrick shared a story from the duo’s beginnings. Dizzy and Demrick had gone to a concert in North Carolina following their collab on “We Still Here.”

Marijuana in the state was at the time and still is very illegal, which didn’t deter Dizzy from blazing on stage.

“He was laughing you know. I’m kickin it with him on stage while he’s performing. He comes over to me, he’s blazin on stage security kind of trippin but he hands me the blunt. As soon as he hands me the blunt, security grabs me and kicks me out the venue. As security is pullin me out the venue Dizzy’s like “Nah man hey man don’t do the homie like that”” – Demrick

It’s not surprising knowing that after that the duo would work on the first Blaze with Us  project and later Blaze with Us 2, which is the debut release from Cinematic Music Group’s new imprint Smoker’s Club Records.


Songs to Smoke to

The west coast duo has built not only a musical reputation but also one as cannabis connoisseurs. This love for bud is what makes Blaze with Us 2 the best smoking album of 2020. Bud is something that the artists make sure to have on hand whenever they’re in the studio.

“When we in a studio, 100% of the time, we blazin’. If we go to a studio that don’t allow smoking,  we give them a real hard time. And we still make that trip outside to blaze. You know, niggas, we do whatever we got to do to get the work done, but we always keep the weed burning.” – Dizzy

Each song on Blaze with Us 2 follows a different smoke vibe. It’s perfect for the different scenarios or specific relaxation atmosphere you’re going for while filling your bowl, rolling your jay, or even vaping some herb.

“I like smoking and getting creative. Usually they go together you know. […] I might blaze up and throw on some music and kind of see what comes out of it. […] I kind of use smoking as a tool to enhance my creativity.” – Demrick

“Hotline” and “Medicated” feel like the late-night vibe. You can just imagine how the songs were made in those late-night/early-morning studio sessions where creativity strikes and you can’t leave until you get it all out on a track.

Knowing this, I asked the duo what music fans can expect to be playing in the background if they ever got a chance to cyph with them. Their answers showed some of the influences found on Blaze with Us 2.

“I love reggae. You know, if I had the vocals shit I’d probably do more reggae. Records like “Don’t Worry.”  It was a really nice vibe to be able to tap into considering I love reggae so much.” -Dizzy

“Don’t Worry” brings in the beloved Reggae influence that would be almost disrespectful to exclude in an album dedicated to the devil’s lettuce. The music video for the song just dropped and it’s sure to be a fan favorite.

“I would say that my favorite smoking music is probably just just beats with no lyrics on” – Demrick

“Motivated Stoner” is a bonafide slow jam. The perfect song for chill highs. Not to mention a song with lyrics that refute the idea that weed causes laziness or lack of ambition.

“But I got a lot of smoking songs I like. I’ll be honest, I like R&B music too. But I like soothing more chill type shit.” – Demrick

The album also has several rap-along tracks, with “We Ain’t The Same”, “Rolled Right” and “Ziploc”  for those looking for higher energy hip-hop.

“I like some hip hop shit with a message on it. I might I might tap into that.” -Demrick


Smoke Sesh with Tommy Chong

Several of the songs have excerpts from Dizzy and Demrick’s conversation with none other than one of Cannabis Culture’s most historically legendary figures: Tommy Chong. I asked the duo how that relationship came to be and what it was like talking to someone who’s been around smoking weed for as long as we can remember.

“[Meeting Chong] was kind of like a trip for me because you know, Tommy Chong’s been famous forever in all kinds of genres. From, releasing comedy albums and music albums. Even in the beginning just being around when marijuana was so illegal.” – Demrick

Their conversation, some of which made it onto the album, was about what it was like for Chong to be blazing back in the day, and how he views the herb’s role in his life today. The duo expressed that they were not only awestruck by the opportunity to converse with the legendary Chong, but also that they connected and related to him on a deep level. So much so that it turned into inspiration within their music.

“Soon as we left talking with Tommy Chong, we went directly to the studio. […] So, you know, that’s just kind of a testament to how inspired we were and how we wanted to do something different and put some good energy out there. It was kind of life-changing.” -Dizzy 


A Higher Podcast

The conversation with Chong also led to an increased interest in working on a podcast. From my time speaking with Dizzy and Demrick, it was apparent that they would make great hosts for any dialogue-based medium.

“I came across the podcast that Crazy Bone did. And I thought it was really good. And I was thinking to myself, like, yeah, maybe one day, this might be really cool to do. […] When I see how people use their podcasts, and they use those platforms in a really good light. I enjoy it.” -Dizzy

The artists had actually tried their hand in something similar titled “BLAZE WITH US RADIO 🎙DIZZY WRIGHT X DEMRICK” using ‘stations’ on YouTube. The artists played samples of their music, discussed their lives, and invited fans to call in all on a live platform.

 

“We were able to take phone calls and play some music and just, you know, kind of make it our own little thing. Guess we got like a little taste of it. So I thought that was pretty cool.” – Dizzy


Weed and Music as Medicine

Their conversation with Chong also highlighted the way they viewed weed in a similar way to music: as medicine for healing.

“I treat weed kind of like my medicine.” – Dizzy

With this line of thinking, Dizzy and Demrick viewed music as medicine as well and settled on the idea that healing was necessary for the current social climate. I asked them about how the pandemic and protests affected their music release.

“First we started out with the pandemic, and then, all this, this revolution, the energy and all these protests. […] it was like, is this the right time to drop music? Because we know that music heals and we know that music creates an energy that can ease the mind, especially this album.” – Demrick

The artists were also adamant about making sure their music was not a distraction from the events happening in the world, but rather a space for relaxation and healing from those troubles. Dizzy drew similarities between the internal conflict of releasing music during these times and the conversation around whether the NBA should come back. He highlighted how some say the NBA should return as a way for relief from issues plaguing society. Others opposed its return citing it as a distraction, pulling the focus away from more important matters.

“The whole world had to shut down. And the whole world was seeing what was going on, because of the George Floyd situation. So my biggest thing is that I didn’t want us -I don’t ever want us to be a distraction.” – Dizzy

Ultimately the duo decided to release the music when they did to offer some hope and healing to the world. Dizzy explained that the decision was made in order to try to shift the world’s energy from negativity to some positivity for a while. It was also because of his own experience with how the music made him feel during a time that was quite dark.

“But the music that me and Demrick was making, was making me feel better. Right as I was listening to it at the crib, and I was just thinking to myself, I feel selfish. It feels selfish not to let everybody else maybe get the same type of vibe and the same type of energy.” – Dizzy


Leveling Up

With the pandemic sidetracking so many artists I asked the duo what advice they would give up and coming artists. The answer was to keep collaboration alive as well as work on your catalog of music.

Dizzy emphasized the importance of not skipping opportunities or as he called them “levels.” Honing your craft and using those 10k80 minutes each week is important. Dizzy is of the mind that you lose out on a lot if you make it big too quickly.

“I feel like a lot of artists want to come out and just be, you know, level 10. I think every level is worth embracing, embrace every level. If you’re on level three, don’t skip to level seven. Because four or five or six got some fire moments. The route is a little slower, but you’re growing. You’re getting more wise and you’re understanding the game a little more. [You’re] leaving yourself room to continue to grow and be the artist that you want to be especially if you love it.” – Dizzy

 

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Don’t worry about it 🎶 #BWU2

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Demrick focused on working with other artists. There’s no doubt that his advice has truth in it. He and Dizz had been working together for quite a while and have always come out with some heat.

“Music is created in bands. Even when you’re producing you’re with the producer and the rapper. That’s a couple of people together. There’s something about that […] unity that can turn out something great. So I would just tell artists don’t run away from it. You know, you gonna get your credit. […] It doesn’t have to be all you, you know? The win is with the team man for real.” – Demrick

And the win really is with the team, specifically Dizzy and Demrick. Their work together continues to be great and their album Blaze with Us 2 might be one of the best albums of 2020. It’s definitely the best and most versatile album to smoke to so far.

You can stream Blaze With Us 2 on all major platforms. And check out the duo’s merch here.