Jay-Z sparks up new cannabis brand ‘Monogram’

Marijuana is legal in some capacity in 33 states and the District of Columbia

Oct 23, 2020

Hip hop mogul Jay-Z is putting his support behind a new venture – this time in the lucrative cannabis industry.

After being named chief brand strategist for Caliva, a California based cannabis company last year, the rap entrepreneur is now releasing his own product line, Monogram.

According to a press release, the brand boasts “careful strain selection, meticulous cultivation practices, and uncompromising quality” and will join Jay’s huge roster company partnerships which include the NFL, liquor companies Armand de Brignac and D’Usse, and the streaming media service, Tidal.

Tidal released a Monogram playlist called Sounds from the Grow Room that includes popular odes to marijuana including “Kaya” from Bob Marley and the Wailers, “Brown Sugar” the title track of D’Angelo‘s debut album, the 90s hip hop stoner track “I Got Five On It” by the Luniz, Scarface’s “Mary Jane” and the Peter Tosh hit “Legalize It.” (We’re wondering where Rita Marley‘s classic ganja anthem “One Draw” is but hopefully, someone will add that one, too.)

“Anything I do, I want to do correctly and at the highest level. With all the potential in the cannabis industry, Caliva’s expertise and ethos makes [sic] them the best partner for this endeavor,” Jay told Variety last year after announcing the Cativa partnership. “We want to create something amazing, have fun in the process, do good and bring people along the way.”

Other rappers who have invested in cannabis brands include weed enthusiasts Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa along with the Marley family who has a cannabis brand called Marley Natural that launched in 2016.

Marijuana is legal in some capacity in 33 states and the District of Columbia. This November, Montana, Arizona, New Jersey, and South Dakota will vote to add themselves to the list.

Marijuana is still illegal, according to federal law which considers it as a controlled substance in the same category as cocaine or heroin, though federal enforcement is generally applied to growers and distributors of large amounts.

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