Cheech And Chong You Got Ripped Off Album -

Over 40 years later, the Cheech and Chong You Got Ripped Off album has shed its original scorn and emerged as a cult classic. It’s the album that dared fans to waste their money. It’s a time capsule of a band fighting their label. And most importantly, it’s laugh-out-loud funny in its sheer audacity.

For true fans, owning this album isn’t about the music. It’s about owning a piece of comedy history—a reminder that even legends like Cheech and Chong got screwed by the system. And sometimes, the only way to fight back is with a bad album and an honest title.

So if you ever stumble across a dusty copy of You Got Ripped Off, buy it. But remember: they warned you.

Final Verdict: Cheech and Chong’s You Got Ripped Off album is terrible, brilliant, and essential—all at once. Just like the duo themselves.

The phrase "You Got Ripped Off" isn't a standalone studio album in the official Cheech & Chong discography, but it is deeply tied to their 1980 release, Let's Make a New Dope Deal. The title track, "You Got Ripped Off," became a cult favorite for its satirical take on drug culture and consumerism. The Story Behind the "Album"

While often mistaken for a full album title due to the popularity of the song, Let’s Make a New Dope Deal was the duo’s sixth studio album. It marked a transitional period for Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, as it was their first project produced without their longtime collaborator Lou Adler. Release Year: 1980

Key Single: "You Got Ripped Off" peaked at #54 on the Billboard Hot 100. cheech and chong you got ripped off album

Musical Shift: The album experimented with rock, pop, and reggae, moving beyond pure spoken-word sketches. "You Got Ripped Off": Track Highlights

The title track is a cautionary, comedic tale about getting scammed in a drug deal, a relatable theme for their counterculture audience. Other notable tracks from this era include:

"Bloat On": A parody of the R&B hit "Float On" by The Floaters, featuring animated, overweight versions of the duo on the single's sleeve.

"Let's Make a Dope Deal": A game-show-style routine that eventually became a staple of their live performances. Urban Legends and Legacy

The phrase "You Got Ripped Off" also fueled a famous music urban legend. Fans often shared stories of a "secret" record—sometimes attributed to Cheech & Chong or Frank Zappa—where the listener would hear the artist laugh and say, "Ha ha, you've been ripped off," before the needle immediately skipped to the center. While this was largely a myth, it solidified the phrase as part of the era's folklore. Where to Find Their Music

You can find original pressings or modern reissues of their classic work at retailers and platforms like: Discogs: For vintage vinyl and detailed release history. Over 40 years later, the Cheech and Chong

eBay: For rare collectibles, including signed copies of Wedding Album or Big Bambú.

Apple Music and Spotify: For digital streaming of their entire studio catalog. Cheech & Chong Discography: Vinyl, CDs, & More | Discogs

Why would two of the biggest comedians in the world intentionally release a product that tells you, to your face, that you’ve been cheated?

It was performance art. Or sheer gall.

In the early 80s, record labels were compressing artists’ royalties. Cheech & Chong were contractually obligated to deliver one more album to Warner Bros. They didn’t want to. So, they subverted the system. They released exactly what the contract demanded—a vinyl record with grooves in it—but they stripped it of any substantial value. By titling the experience "You Got Ripped Off," they shifted the blame from themselves to the industry.

They were saying: "Don't be mad at us. You bought a product without checking the track listing. The label charged you $9.98. We’re just the messengers." Final Verdict: Cheech and Chong’s You Got Ripped

It was a post-modern joke that nobody laughed at. Fans felt betrayed. Critics savaged it. Rolling Stone famously gave it a one-star review, writing: "The only funny thing about this record is that someone actually paid to master it."

Released in late 1979/early 1980, Let’s Make A New Dope Deal arrived at a strange time for comedy. The counter-culture revolution of the late 60s had faded, and the "Me Decade" was in full swing. Disco was dominating the radio, and Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong were smart enough to know that their old shtick—two guys sitting in a car getting high—needed an update.

The album kicks off with the track "Bummer on Bleecker Street," a solid start that feels like classic Cheech & Chong. But then, the album takes a sharp left turn into the zeitgeist with "Born in East L.A."

If you’re a child of the 80s, you probably know "Born in East L.A." as the hit music video and the premise for Cheech’s later solo movie. But on Dope Deal, it was just a track. It was a parody of Bruce Springsteen’s "Born in the U.S.A.," proving that Cheech had his finger on the pulse of pop culture. It was the moment the duo started to become "moviestars" rather than just "stoners."

In the pantheon of comedy counterculture, few duos are as synonymous with the smoky haze of the 1970s as Richard "Cheech" Marin and Tommy Chong. From Up in Smoke to Big Bambu, their albums weren't just records; they were contraband artifacts, packaged with giant rolling papers and designed to be experienced while "medicated."

But among collectors and die-hard fans, one release stands out as a bizarre, controversial, and financially disastrous anomaly: the Cheech and Chong “You Got Ripped Off” album.

Released in 1984 at the tail end of their Warner Bros. tenure, this album represents the duo’s death rattle before their temporary breakup. It is an album whose title is both a warning and a confession. If you’ve never heard of it, you aren’t alone. If you own an original vinyl copy, you might actually have been... ripped off.