For a few years now it has been common to see rappers expanding their businesses beyond music, and the cannabis market seems to be where most of them are choosing to invest.
Although most US rappers tend to move into luxury goods, fashion, cosmetics or property, we have been watching this shift towards weed for years.
Since recreational use became legal in states such as Arizona, California, Nevada and Oklahoma, the industry has grown at a wild pace. And rappers, most of them smokers themselves, spotted the gold mine and are launching their own brands like crazy.
Jay Z: MONOGRAM
The business side of Beyoncé's husband is well known by now. He put his music career on hold years ago, but he is involved in so many projects that he has an excuse.
It is no coincidence that Forbes lists him as one of the richest rappers in the world. Besides owning the Brooklyn Nets, running Rocawear and holding sports bars in New York, he has moved into cannabis.
His brand is called MONOGRAM and it sells pre-rolled joints at luxury prices. He brought together the best growers in California, and the difference with other dispensaries is in the process: selecting every flower, humidity control, post-harvest care, trimming and washing.
That approach sounds familiar: it is basically what separates a well-looked-after flower from an average one. With our CBD flowers, hand trimming and dry curing are about exactly that, although we do not charge 50 € per joint.
Snoop Dogg: Leafs By Snoop
He was the first one to get into the business and also one of the first to make serious money out of it in the United States.
Snoop wanted a brand that would cut the clichés off at the root and give a more sophisticated image without losing the fun. In his words, the challenge was “to create a brand that captured his unique personality but appealed to a very wide spectrum of users”.
We love the visual identity of Leafs By Snoop: a strong jewellery and fashion influence, with that stylised leaf made of golden polygons.
Drake: More Life Growth Co.
The Canadian took advantage of legalisation at home to grow his empire.
Drizzy teamed up with a Canadian producer to create a company that grows and distributes cannabis and its derivatives. He owns 60% of a Canopy Growth subsidiary called More Life Growth Co., focused on wellbeing and personal growth.
Ice Cube: Fryday Kush
Another old-school rapper who is smashing it. The NWA man is also known for what he does off stage.
He launched his own brand, Fryday Kush, in honour of the film Friday, which he starred in himself, the first of three stoner films with Ice Cube.
It was created in partnership with Caviar Gold and is sold in Arizona, California, Nevada and Oklahoma.
Rick Ross: Cookies
The US rapper and producer joined forces with Berner, another guy with plenty of mileage in the sector, to put out his own strain.
Cookies, the brand launched by Berner, partnered with Rick Ross to present Collins Ave. The news was announced right after Cookies opened its first dispensary in Europe.
They released three strains: Collins Ave, a strong citrus indica; Pink Rozay, a bit more indica; and Lemon Pepper, a sativa.
Other famous names who invested in weed
The list of celebrities keeps getting longer, and there are names outside the hip hop universe who have jumped in too: Mike Tyson, Whoopi Goldberg, Miley Cyrus, Gwyneth Paltrow and even the legendary guitarist Carlos Santana.
And what about over here?
In Spain the legal framework is different, so the market has moved towards hemp and CBD. What does look the same is the trend: well-finished product, proper branding and transparency about what you are buying.
That is our lane: CBD flowers and CBD hash with the percentage and the growing method stated on every product page, plus our own rolling gear.
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