Two sharp fangs pierce a thin layer of skin. There have been several bites throughout his life, but he still remembers that first one. “I’ll never forget it.” His muscles twitch in a chaotic melody, and in that sudden burst, far from terrifying him, something clicked in his brain. Was that what had been scaring him all these years? Yes: and suddenly, fear turned into curiosity, and then into obsession. A mania he deliberately pushed to the extreme. “From that moment on, I was hooked,” Highdro confesses to High Times regarding his obsession with… snakes!
American rapper Highdro is one of those people who have always faced their own fears head-on. That’s why, at one point, he confronted his fear of heights by jumping out of a plane and, later, with the same drive, he began rock climbing. At last, of all his fears, one remained: snakes. So he faced them. After overcoming that terror—because this man goes from one extreme to the other—he began successfully raising them. Yes, you read that right: Highdro raises snakes. “The next step was to turn that passion into a business,” he says.
And from that mindset, he offers a striking definition: “Snakes taught me that fear is a story we tell ourselves. When you eliminate that story, anything becomes possible.” He never thought he would be around snakes, let alone raising them. “They also taught me patience, adaptability, and that ‘misunderstood’ doesn’t mean ‘dangerous.’ I used to think that people who loved snakes were weird… now I’m one of them, and it turns out we’re just passionate, misunderstood, and too cool for the stereotypes,” he continues.
Not many people know this, but reptile therapy is a thing that exists. Yes, the wonders never cease: there are people who treat various ailments by interacting with snakes! How come? Highdro posits a possible explanation: “Snakes offer a different kind of connection energy. They are silent, calm, and predictable. When a snake trusts you enough to relax in your hands or around your shoulders, it’s a completely different kind of connection.” This rapper definitely has Barry White vibes from The Simpsons episode “Whacking Day”.
Highdro—who is also a rapper and obviously smokes pot, hold on, we’re getting there!—claims that Hollywood demonized snakes to sell movies “at the expense of these incredible animals.” He compares them to cats and calls them “low-maintenance” since, as he says, “they don’t scratch the furniture.” Let’s talk numbers for a moment: a snake can sell for up to $100,000. Whoa! “There are snakes out there that would make a snake-hater fall in love in five seconds.” So… innovative entrepreneurs, you know what to do.
Let’s get down to business. In his life, weed has brought him peace and, artistically, has opened up new creative outlets. “Cannabis makes the world slow down so I can hear myself think. And the crazy thing? Snake genetics work very similarly to cannabis genetics,” the rapper insists. “My history growing weed definitely gave me an edge in understanding how snake genetics work. Both worlds teach you patience, precision, and appreciating the magic hidden in the details.”
Besides, Highdro has been a fan of the RAW Rolling Papers brand for many, many years, since way before. “I found my first pack trying to quit blunts, and I couldn’t stop talking about them. I got like half the city to quit blunts and switch to RAW. The company noticed and reached out, and they’ve supported my music and my movement ever since. Almost two decades later, and it still feels like family. RAW isn’t a brand to me; it’s part of my story,” the rapper says, aware of his influence.
Clearly—one doesn’t need to be particularly perceptive to notice—everything Highdro does is intrinsically linked: music, weed, and, of course, reptiles. Aware of this, he tries to explain it in his own words: “The crazy thing is, without even trying, all the paths I go down end up intertwining as if they were meant to be together. My purpose is to challenge the status quo, push people to face their fears, and make them think deeper about who they really are.”
These days, he’s working on his reptile-inspired music because—as he well knows—”the reptile world deserves an anthem.” So everyone listen up: the reptile hit is coming, the one that will be playing in cars, in supermarkets, on TikTok, and while you’re housecleaning. “My music is the soundtrack to the ascent from self-doubt to self-confidence and then to self-mastery. If someone leaves feeling more capable than they did before pressing play, I’ve done my job.”
He’s also preparing an exclusive album for “Josh (Kesselman) and the RAW family.” Later, he’ll travel to Spain, and more songs about snakes and pot are on the way. And then another album, plus some further homage to the serpentine creatures themselves, his true muses. Ladies and gentlemen: Highdro, unusual character, and the true guardian of the scales.
Photos courtesy of Highdro.
