[4] Hager based his article on interviews with Afrika Bambaataa, founder of the Universal Zulu Nation, and one of the three original hip hop DJs (the others being Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash).
[6] In 1984, St. Martin's Press released Hager's groundbreaking book, Hip Hop: The Illustrated History of Break Dancing, Rap Music, and Graffiti.
Hager followed that book in 1986 with Art After Midnight, an examination of the New York nightclub scene and its influence on artists, primarily Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf.
He is most well-known for removing positive coverage of hard drugs (e.g., cocaine and heroin) from the magazine, and instead concentrating on advocating for the personal cultivation of cannabis.
The High Times Freedom Fighters were famous for dressing up in Colonial outfits and organizing hemp rallies across the United States.
In 1990, Hager became the first person outside Marin County, California to promote 420;[citation needed] as a result, subsequent Freedom Fighter councils, Cannabis Cup ceremonies, and Whee!
[9] The article indicated Kennedy was likely murdered because of his growing opposition to the Vietnam War, and implicated J. Edgar Hoover and Allen Dulles in the cover-up.
In the mid-1990s, Hager turned the membership list of the Freedom Fighters over to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), and began concentrating on creating events that advocated the environmental benefits of hemp while also demonstrating the spiritual uses of cannabis.
[citation needed] Hager appears in the 2013 film 420: The Documentary and provides the history of the phrase and its ceremonial use, as well as his role in spreading awareness on the spiritual aspects of cannabis.
In 2014 Hager created Abakus Media in Denver, published the ebook Cannabis Cures Cancer?, and founded the religious organization the Pot Illuminati.
[14] His essay "The New Pot Enlightenment" was included in the 2016 book Cannabis and Spirituality: An Explorer's Guide to an Ancient Plant Spirit Ally.
On January 1, 2025, Hager released an expose on his history with High Times magazine that details the actions of the lawyer who was running the company.