About
*Hits Blunt* is a catchphrase associated with a series of two-panel image macros that convey inane or absurd thoughts which may run through a person’s head while under the influence of marijuana, especially when it is consumed in the form of a cannabis cigar (more commonly known as a “blunt”), typically accompanied by a photograph of a subject sporting a hooded sweatshirt and looking utterly confused in the typical fashion of a stoner.
Origin
The phrase *hits blunt* first began surfacing on Twitter in mid-September 2014, with the earliest known viral instance posted by Twitter User @JimJones[1] on September 16th. Over the course of the next two months, the tweet garnered more than 4,400 retweets and 3,200 favorites (shown below):
On the same date of September 16th, hip hop entertainment and news magazine Complex[2] picked up on the latest trend on Twitter, which showcased a small collection of tweets posted from earlier that day and likened the meme to the philosophical musings often shared by Will Smith’s son and child actor Jaden Smith.
Precursors
[researching]
Spread
On the following day, the first single topic blog devoted to highlighting the growing collection of the meme was launched under the Twitter handle @HitsBlunt[3], which went on to play an instrumental role in popularizing the meme beyond the sphere of Black Twitter. The first tweet from the account, which features the same photograph of a young black man looking very confused in a hooded sweatshirt, garnered more than 11,000 tweets and 9,000 favorites within the first months.
On September 17th, tweets associated with the phrase *hits blunt* began to draw the attention of major viral media, internet culture and hip hop entertainment news sites, leading to a slew of compilation posts from BuzzFeed[4], FunnyJunk[5], We Know Memes[6], Watch Loud[7], UpRoxx[8], Run Rap[9] and SoCawlege[11] among many others, with many outlets declaring it the latest “stoner” meme to sweep across Twitter. On September 22nd, a single serving site was registered under the domain HitsBlunt.com[10], followed by the launch of the first single topic blog on Tumblr on September 28th[12].
Notable Examples
Search Interest
External References
[1]Twitter – @JimsJones’ Tweet
[2]Complex – Hits Blunt Is the New Twitter Trend for All Your Philosophical Musings / 09-16-14
[3]Twitter – @HitsBlunt / 09-17-14
[4]BuzzFeed – 19 Stoner Questions That Will Make You Think Maybe You’re High Right Now / / 09-17-14
[5]FunnyJunk – hits blunt / 09-18-14
[6]We Know Memes – Best Of The ‘Hits Blunt’ Meme – 16 Pics / 09-18-14
[7]Watch Loud – LOL! Hits The Blunt Tweets Win The Internet / 09-19-14
[8]Uproxx – ‘Hits Blunt’ Trending Topic Asks The Questions Only Weed Can Inspire 09-21-14
[9]Run Rap – Hits Blunt memes are taking over the web / 09-21-14
[10]HitsBlunt.com – Pondering Life’s Deepest Questions… / 09-22-14
[11]SoCawlege – 15 Funniest Hits Blunt Memes On The Internet / 09-27-14
[12]Tumblr – Hits Blunt / 09-28-14
[13]Imgur – Some of my favorite “hits blunt” tweets / 11-09-14
[14]Tumblr – Tagged Results for ‘Hits Blunt’
[15]Tumblr – Tagged Results for ‘Hits Blunt’*
[16]MemeCenter – Search Results for ‘Hits Blunt’
[17]Wanna Joke – Tagged Archieves for ‘Hits Blunt’
[18]Twitter – Search Results for ‘Hits Blunt’
[19]Topsy – Tweets per day: hits blunt