The Story Behind 'Dope Is Dope'

Todd Snider sports a “Dope Is Dope” shirt outside Huey’s original location on Madison Avenue in Memphis. (Photo by Anita Webb)

By Daryl Sanders

When Hard Working Americans arrived at I.V. Recording Studio in Chicago in February 2015 to begin work on Rest In Chaos, they had one song ready to record: “Dope Is Dope,” which they had been performing live. During an interview in December 2020, HWA cofounder and lead singer Todd Snider related the story behind the song that would be the album’s first single.