“Cannabis has gone mainstream… Maybe now I'm more comfortable taking an advocate position in the industry [because of this], but it's always been part of my lifestyle – even if I kept that more private than some artists do,” declares legendary Hip-Hop lyricist Rakim during an exclusive interview as he calls for federal legalization.
“[Our] Government needs to be very careful when it restricts an individual's right to choose, especially when that individual is part of a majority,” he argues.
The artist recently partnered with the Black Market Group (BMG), a female-founded cannabis culture brand based in Northern California, to launch Higher Frequency Flowers, a weed brand curated by the man himself.
“Higher Frequency Flower was developed to assist artists and deep thinkers as they explore and expand the universal connections that form the foundation of their creative process. We're curating each of our strains and introducing new techniques and technology that will lead the way to the next level of cannabis cultivation,” the rapper explains.
But, before looking further into Rakim’s new brand, let’s get into his history and relationship with the herb.
The Unseen Nature
Ganja has been an important part of Rakim’s creative process for a very long time. The plant has often helped him connect with “the unseen nature.”
When writing, the rapper first has to clear his mind using what he likes to call the “four white walls” system: “I take away the distractions of everyday life, lock myself, figuratively – but sometimes [also] literally, in a completely clean slate, empty room, and then try to connect with frequencies that surround us.”
The artist elaborates: “Everything has a tone… the human body, the planet beneath us and the stratosphere above. If I can disconnect from the immediate and then connect to the universal infinite, the unconscious collective, that's where I find myself [being] most creative. Cannabis helps set the mental stage for me to travel there. Wherever I am, I'll smoke something and then just dig into my mind.”
As one might expect, cannabis is also an important part of Rakim’s culture, his world. And it has been for decades.
“Hip-Hop has always embraced, and in some ways glorified, cannabis use, but not much differently from other musical genres and musicians, from The Beatles to Bob Marley. I think all artists chase the expansion of creative thinking and cannabis can enhance that,” he says. “Obviously, the quality of product has evolved, but I think it's society's relationship with and acceptance of cannabis that has changed much more than the artist’s or individual’s relationship.”
Furthermore, weed represents a great alternative to alcohol, he argues. “For me, alcohol lowers the inhibitions and gets you energized at first, but it also lowers those cognitive skills and starts to have strong physical effects. I don't mind a drink to celebrate, but I couldn't get up on stage or sit down to pen out decent lyrics with alcohol running through my system.”
Universal Consciousness
Cannabis is one of the elements that guide Rakim’s creative process when he’s “trying to find that place in the Universal Consciousness” that's his playground for writing. Mary Jane helps him “zone in” when he’s hitting the studio or the stage, and helps him “zone out” when seeking winding down.
In fact, mood modulation through cannabis has been a game changer, he says. “There's a strain to elevate, one to contemplate, one to put a little shine on whatever direction you are headed in that moment. It's just a part of my everyday life whatever that day brings.”
And this is what he’s trying to achieve with BMG and Higher Frequency. “What the farmers are doing now with genetics and what we are planning for the technology of cultivation means you can choose your product to meet your mood.”
‘A Different Type Of Energy. Personal. Unique. Trendsetting’
The cannabis industry is not something Rakim rushed into. Pretty much the opposite. Over the last decade, a lot of people have approached him to launch a brand, to just “throw my name and face on some packaging.”
Higher Frequency - COURTESY
However, the rapper was looking for something more relevant, more transcendental, more impactful. “I'm in it for the long run and I'm not robbing anyone,” he says, and laughs. “We keep the quality at it's highest but also the price point accessible and the margins fair from seed to sale because I don't just want my name on a quick buck and I need my supply chain to be my family. You might buy the first time because it's Rakim, but I want the second one and everyone after that bought because it's the best choice on the shelf and I want to keep it that way by keeping my Higher Frequency family happy together.”
Therefore, Rakim first focused on the science. He wondered: “Is there a way to manipulate the bud during cultivation to achieve that higher frequency of consciousness?”
And so, he decided to experiment with introducing “the sense of sound to the grow process.”
“There's strain-crossing, light balancing and a ton of things they introduce physically and chemically to the plants, but if we experiment with frequency, with tone, maybe that's the next frontier. My grandmother used to sing to her plants and she had the best garden on the block,” he reminisces. Is it that big of a stretch?
Beyond Buzz
Conceived and curated by Rakim himself, Higher Frequency Flowers is currently sold in the social equity dispensary Josephine and Billie’s, a female-founded cannabis speakeasy conveniently (and not coincidentally) located on 1535 W Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd in Los Angeles, California. His goal with this brand is to conscious cultivators and curious consumers through a socially informed and frequency-influenced cannabis brand.
“First, there's legacy. BMG partners with generational farms, the people [who] have been dedicated long before the corporate dollars started pouring in and had to work underground to protect and perfect the craft. That's something I can relate to on a personal level,” Rakim explicates when asked about his decision to partner with BMG and Josephine and Billie’s.
“You've also got to recognize that both companies are female-founded and I'm honored to contribute in any small way to elevating their platform because there's gender bias in this industry too,” he continues. But for Rakim, the key element here is people. “When you walk into Josephine and Billie's, you can feel Whitney and Ebony's presence.”
The musician is talking about Josephine and Billie’s co-founder, reality television executive turned cannabis industry CEO Whitney Beatty and Ebony Andersen. “Every product [is] self-curated, every design labored over. It's just a different type of energy. Personal. Unique. Trendsetting. So I think I fit perfectly there.”
Circling back on policy, Rakim briefly gets into one last topic that is close and dear to his heart: the racially-motivated War on Drugs, its effect on Black and Brown communities, and what can be done moving forward.
“There ain't one step or one regulation that will repair the damage this poorly conceived and badly executed nationwide policy had over generations. And it won't even begin to chip away at systemic racism,” he assures. “But there's moves that are being made.”
In his view, making sure the concept of social equity is more than just a “buzz phrase” but rather “a guiding principle.”
“And it's also good business. The experts in the industry (the growers, the distributors, the one-on-one retailers) ain't straight out of business school, they are literally in the fields and have been for decades,” he concludes.
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This article was originally published on Forbes and appears here with permission.
Photo: MikaV via WikiMedia Commons.
