Marijuana sales in the state of Colorado hit an all time high in 2019 at 1.75 billion.
Clearly, weed is big business. So it’s no surprise that enterprising rappers, long-time advocates for bud; saw the on-coming green-rush.
Shockingly, there are not more rappers vying to make money off weed, but then again, it’s all in the brand. The rappers in this article have all built their brand around smoking weed.
From Snoop Dogg to Wiz Khalifa, rappers who make money off weed see consuming cannabis as a lifestyle. Several notable rappers have participated in the Cannabis Cup, a festival for cannabis consumers put on by The High Times. Rappers like Action Bronson, Redman, and Ludacris — a connoisseur himself as noted in the “Blueberry Yum Yum” video — all have performed at the Cannabis Cup.
Weed is a useful motif for rappers to structure songs with. And performing these songs in concert venues where marijuana is already present allows rappers to enter into the weed subculture and make money off it.
Wiz Khalifa is making money off weed
Listen to Wiz Khalifa’s Kush and Orange Juice. The album is designed for the listener to ‘wake and bake’ as noted by its opening interlude, “Waken Baken.” The album is a vibe. The bounciness of the beats creates a sense of mellowness, while the flow creates a sense of ‘get-up-and-go.’
In a 2010 interview with The Fader, Khalifa admitted to spending $10,000 a month on weed and smoking daily. That is, of course, until 2014, when he partnered with Colorado-based company RiverRock to produce his own brand of cannabis products — including his “Khalifa Kush” flower.
Wiz Khalifa also partnered with RAW Rolling Papers to create The Wiz Loud Pack. Ever the entrepreneur, Khalifa also went into the game-making space and created a mobile game for Android called Wiz Khalif’s Weed Farm.
B-Real and Dr. Greenthumb
Another bearer of the bud is B-Real of Cypress Hill. B-Real carries with him a vast portfolio of cannabis related products. From his glass accessory company, Phunky Feel Tips, his media company, BReal.TV, that carries the shows The Smokebox and The Dr. Greenthumb Show, and his own dispensary called Dr. Greenthumb’s and his own set of marijuana strains. It’s good to see a longtime advocate of cannabis finally make money off weed in a legitimate way and collect their dividends.
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Aptly named Dr. Greenthumb, B-Real and the Cypress Hill crew were pioneering hip hop advocates for marijuana in the United States. It’s only right that Dr. Greenthumb himself reap the rewards.
Snoop Dogg and his love for The Chronic
Last but certainly not least is Snoop Dogg. The Doggfather himself has been making money off weed in one way or another since the days, of well, The Chronic.
Snoop Dogg launched Leafs by Snoop back in 2015 anticipating California’s legalization of recreational weed in 2016. As with rapper B-Real, Snoop has a marijuana media company as well called Merry Jane. This should be no surprise as Snoop had his own marijuana cooking show with none other than Martha Stewart. The show titled Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party ran on VH1 for two seasons.
Snoop also become an ancillary investor through his venture capital firm Casa Verde Capital, already raise $45 million dollars as by reported by The Motley Fool. The rapper was one of the earliest investors in Eaze, a California-based startup that delivers medical marijuana.
Snoop even helped friend Martha Stewart land a deal with Tweed, a subsidiary of Canopy Growth — one of the largest marijuana companies in the world. With the help of Snoop, Stewart became an advisor of hemp-derived CBD products, as reported by CNBC.
The town of Smith Falls, Ontario even owes a bit of gratitude to Snoop. His partnership with Tweed lead to the revitalization of the small town home to less than 9,000 people. The town faced severe economic hardship after the Hershey plant shuttered down. Snoop and Stewart’s presence has been a boon for their local economy.
Summary
So clearly there are many ways for rappers to make money off weed. From creating weed-related songs and touring places specific to that niche, weed branded merchandise, to having their own dispensaries and media brands surrounding weed; or even simply just investing in cannabis related products — there is serious money to be made.
Rappers like cannabis have been plagued with a stigma unfairly put upon them. Now as weed becomes legal and hip hop is more ubiquitous than ever, there has never been a better time for rappers to get involved in this growing business.
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The Freeze with Tyler Mclaurin and Brian Capitao 
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