“Tree“: Chance the Rapper, Lil Wayne, and Smino Cultivate a Soulful Anthem of Resilience and Heritage
“Tree,” a deeply soulful single from Chance the Rapper, featuring the formidable talents of Lil Wayne and Smino, made its resonant debut on July 3, 2025.
This track stands as a truly compelling collaboration, seamlessly weaving introspective storytelling with pointed social commentary and a vibrant celebration of Black resilience alongside cannabis culture.
It is notably accompanied by a self-directed music video and serves as an insightful preview for Chance’s forthcoming project, Star Line Gallery.
The title and chorus cleverly employ “tree” as a double entendre, referring both to cannabis and to deeper concepts of roots, heritage, and the complex journey of generational trauma and healing.
Chance’s verses are profoundly inspired by his mother, intricately weaving memories of family, unwavering protection, and the enduring strength of Black women.
The lyrics also directly address the historical criminalization and subsequent commercialization of cannabis, systemic injustices, and the collective power of community.
Lil Wayne’s verse includes characteristic references to codeine and Percocet, alongside a playful, unexpected shoutout to Winnipeg, while Smino delivers a melodic bridge and outro that perfectly anchor the track.
The song’s production samples India.Arie’s “Video,” providing a hypnotic, soulful backdrop.
Sonically, the track harmonizes Chance’s urgent, reflective bars with Lil Wayne’s seasoned wordplay and Smino’s melodic, genre-blurring delivery, creating an upbeat, summery, and laid-back vibe with a hazy, celebratory mood.
The self-directed music video, filmed at a Black woman-owned dispensary in Los Angeles, employs a powerful visual metaphor: it transitions from a joyful community gathering to a potent scene where, upon the arrival of two white police officers, the women dramatically transform the dispensary into a tranquil flower shop—symbolizing resilience, reclamation, and the protective grace inherent in Black womanhood.
The reception for “Tree” has been overwhelmingly positive, lauded for its lyrical depth, social consciousness, and the undeniable chemistry among the three artists.
Lil Wayne’s verse, in particular, is widely celebrated as one of his best recent features.
The song quickly gained traction on major streaming platforms and generated significant buzz across social media, solidifying its cultural significance as both a protest anthem and a celebration of Black heritage, womanhood, and the ongoing fight for justice.
Quotable Lyrics:
My mama used to always keep a lil’ bit of ‘dro
The incense in the window while she foldin’ our clothes (Huh)
And though life will have its issues, there would never be a problem with the weed
She told me “Son, don’t worry, don’t you have no shame (Huh)
There’s gonna be frustration in this white man’s game
And they’re gonna have us tied up once it’s legalized (Igh)
Because it is a tree” (Ooh, yup)
My mama had to work (Igh, huh)
My mama had to birth (Two kids)
My mama drove to church and ironed shirts and kept a smirk (Yeah, yeah)
And I think my mama must’ve workеd that saltine at the factor’, why?
She camе home cryin’, said, “I’m tired of these crackers” (Igh)
I roll up for pretty girls that’s on their grind, gettin’ paid (Huh)
I roll up for women who life wasn’t no crystal staircase (Igh, huh)
And I roll up for any my ni**as that’s stuck in that jam
Torn from their family, hustlin’ grams
We love you, we smokin’ on big Uncle Sam
Dispensary weed is a government scam
My cousin my weed man, the plug is my mans
My whole life look like I been rubbin’ a lamp (Skrrt)
The blunt like I rolled up a rug in my hand
Stop, look, duck in my hand (Hm)
If it ain’t a buck in my hand
Fist full of bullets, I’m flippin’ a bird, it’s a plane,
it’s a don’t-give-a-f**k in my hand (Brrt)
If we roll up, we flame up (Huh)
Yes, we flame up
If we pull up, ain’t no change up
Don’t play with our money, it’s dangerous
Ain’t no more sharecroppin’, this for my mama, I promise I’m f**kin’ the game up (Huh)
This for my ladies that’s makin’ it happen, you ready? I’m ready to flame up
