High Intelligence Magazine #5

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Editor In Chief

Hector Richardson

Photo Director

Maayan Richardson Fux

Senior Editor

Kalimah Richardson

Assistant Editor

Carlos Tatis

Design Editor

Hector Richardson

Advertising Director Heather Wilkins Editorial Assistant

Wesley Sherman

Art Director

Hector Richardson

Researchers

Santiago Holmes

Contributing Writers Mikael Shimshon Abigail Mcgraph Mona Zangh Hector Richardson Jason Green

EDITORIAL OFFICE 3106 W. Vogel Ave Suite F116 Phoenix Arizona 85051

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CONTENT

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38 44 56

Hip Hop Enthicity, Race & Culture

The Illmatic impact in Hip Hop 28 years later

HIGH NEWS

Artist Spotlight UNLEARN THE WORLD

PG 8-11

HIGH ART

PG 78

Ladies Of Hip Hop

Politics As Usual

Strain Of The Month

High Fashion

Lemon Cherry Gelato

PG 16

The Air Max 90’s

PG 68

PG 50

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Letter from The Editor

What’s Up everyone! Welcome to High Intelligence Magazine Issue #5. This is a special issue for two reasons, one is our relaunch issue after a 6 months hiatus and two because it is a special issue dedicated to Hip Hop music and culture as it celebrates 50 years. In this issue we have a piece called Hip Hop: Ethnicity, Race and Culture written by yours truly. Is part 1 of a 3 part series where I discuss Hip Hop’s humble beginnings and how it evolved into the world phenomenon we know today. Illmatic by Nas is considered by most Hip Hop heads to be the best album of all time so we have a nice piece about its influence 28 years after its release. Also in this issue we have the ladies of Hip Hop from Sha Rock the first female MC to Doja Cat. Hip Hop and Cannabis have been together from the beginning of Hip Hop and it’s just as much part of the culture as anything else so it’s only right that we discuss how Cannabis evolved through Hip Hop. in our Artist Spotlight we have the incredible MC Unlearn The World as he discussed with us about the success of his last album Crowns and more. We have the most exotic strains out there, our strain of the month Lemon Cherry Gelato, our guys from Green Bro Farms and more. I hope you guys enjoy this issue and be on the lookout for next month’s annual 420 issue.

Sincerely, Hector Richardson Editor in Chief 6

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HIGH NEWS New York City Opens Third Legal Cannabis Store

DEA Data Shows Marijuana Legalization Linked To ‘Reductions In Opioid Demand,’ New Study Finds

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n the largest city in the United States, cannabis retail stores are sprouting up while unlicensed locations continue to prosper despite multiple attempts to close them down. The third adult-use cannabis shop in New York City opened its doors on February 13 in Lower Manhattan.

Union Square Travel Agency: A Cannabis Store will be the newest authorized retailer to operate, and it will be situated on East 13th Street between Broadway and University Place. According to the store’s website, it will sell smokable flower, edibles, concentrates, and vapes. Governor Hochul stated in a statement, “We’re building a cannabis industry here in New York State that is equitable and delivers new resources to Nonprofits that bring supportive services to our communities”. “This is the latest recent milestone in our efforts to grow the cannabis industry while creating jobs and opportunities for those who have historically been disproportionately targeted for cannabis offenses,” the statement reads.

After the non-profit Housing Works launched one on East 8th Street, Broadway, and Smacked LLC, a store that opened on Bleecker Street last month, it is the third legal cannabis establishment. During the governor’s announcement, the new store management marked the occasion of its opening. “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has contributed to the opening of the Union Square Travel Agency: A Cannabis Store. From our amazing partners at The Doe Fund who had the courage and innovation to embrace this opportunity; to the OCM, New York State and New York City in paving the way for this new industry and their ongoing commitment in ensuring this legal industry will be a success; our amazing team members who have worked day and night to get us to this point; and our friends & family who have supported us in this endeavor from the beginning,” said CEO of Union Square Travel Agency: A Cannabis Store, Paul Yau. “We thank you all.”

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ccording to a recent study that uses data from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, the legalization of marijuana at the state level is linked to considerable drops in the opioid codeine’s prescription (DEA).

The study, which was released last week in the journal Health Economics, compared 11 states that legalized cannabis for adult use between 2010 and 2019 against prohibitionist ones by examining data on prescription opioid shipments. A “26 percent decrease in retail pharmacy-based codeine distribution” was discovered to be a result of recreational marijuana legalization. The same trend, according to the researchers from Cornell University, George Mason University, the University of Georgia, and the University of Pittsburgh, was not seen for shipments of other opioids, such as hydrocodone and morphine, or to hospitals, which frequently have stricter prescription guidelines.

But because codeine is a lower-potency opioid with a significant potential for abuse, the study’s findings “are suggestive that [recreational legalization] may help achieve reductions in opioid overuse.”

Collectively, the study’s findings “are consistent with the notion that, unlike [medical cannabis laws], [recreational cannabis laws] may be evidence of decreased opioid misuse more so than decreased usage of prescription opioids to relieve chronic pain,” the authors said. This research piece is distinctive in that the DEA’s Automation of Reports and Consolidation Orders System served as its “main data source” (ARCOS).

To our knowledge, this is the first study to use ARCOS data, which breaks down distribution by endpoint (pharmacies, hospitals, doctors, and narcotic treatment programs), to analyze the impact of legalizing marijuana for recreational use. The effect of legalization on the prescription of codeine, they said, “rising from -17.5 percent one year after RCL implementation to -37.3 percent four years after implementation,” over time.

That our findings suggest RCLs affect a reduction specifically in codeine distribution is of particular interest because, among legally distributed opioids, codeine is particularly likely to be misused and diverted,” they wrote.

We cannot rule out that these reductions are due to a reduction in use of codeine as prescribed; however, the lack of other reductions in opioid dispensing suggests that this is not the case. Our findings stand in contrast to the literature on MCLs, which finds that MCLs affect reductions in the dispensing of a variety of opioids that do not have misuse rates as high as codeine.” According to a recent survey by the American Medical Association (AMA), one in three people with chronic pain report using marijuana as a therapy option. The majority of this population has substituted cannabis for other painkillers, such as opiates.

“ “

A different recent AMA study discovered that legalizing medical marijuana at the state level is linked to a considerable decline in opioid prescriptions and use among some cancer patients.

HIGH NEWS

Twitter Stops Suggesting People Who Search For ‘Marijuana’ May Need Drug Treatment

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witter appears to have stopped a federal agreement that suggested drug treatment to users who searched the site for specific drug-related keywords, including “marijuana.” For “alcohol” searches, no such suggestion had come up.

The function, which was introduced in 2020, has drawn criticism from campaigners who feel that the social media giant is wrong to imply that any interest in marijuana is a sign of possible substance abuse. For instance, it did not separate out searches for items and policy news.

The function, which was launched in coordination with the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), was abruptly discontinued last month.

It’s likely that a contract between Twitter and SAMHSA for the search feature expired or that it was taken down as Elon Musk, the new site owner, tries to cut back on numerous services after taking over the business. When Marijuana Moment contacted Twitter to inquire about the timing and justification for the change, no one was immediately available.

Help is accessible. You are not alone if you or someone you know is having problems with substance abuse, the previous warning stated.

It pointed users to the SAMHSA website and helpline.

Massachusetts Recreational Marijuana Sales Have Officially Exceeded $4 Billion, State Regulators Announce

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ince the state’s market opened for business in late 2018, Massachusetts adult-use marijuana sales have surpassed $4 billion, according to authorities’ announcement on Friday.

Data from the Cannabis Control Commission show that as of January 12, the state’s gross cannabis sales were $4,000,732,608.

(CCC). This shows that the business is still expanding less than a year after Massachusetts reached the $3 billion mark.

The state presently has 265 merchants and 14 delivery services functioning, and through the commission’s Open Data Platform, regulators track and share sales data. Marijuana sales in the state totaled $1,483,898,510 in 2022 alone.

Researchers Published A Record Number Of Scientific Studies About Cannabis In 2022, NORML Analysis Shows

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One of the most frequent arguments used by opponents of change is that more research is needed, despite the fact that cannabis is one of the most regularly studied medical topics. Most people feel that research on a plant that is the most commonly used illicit substance in the world should continue, particularly as more jurisdictions consider legalizing it in some form. However, there is a widespread cultural assumption that it has not been sufficiently investigated and that there are too many unanswered questions to proceed with policy reform. But according to an analysis of the federal PubMed.gov site conducted by NORML, there were more than 4,300 research articles published worldwide focusing on cannabis this year. That exceeds last year’s total of just over 4,200 marijuana studies that were published and listed on the federal database.

“Despite claims by some that marijuana has yet to be subject to adequate scientific scrutiny, scientists’ interest in studying cannabis has increased exponentially in recent years, as has our understanding of the plant, its active constituents, their mechanisms of action, and their effects on both the user and upon society,” NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said in a blog post. “It is time for politicians and others to stop assessing cannabis through the lens of ‘what we don’t know’ and instead start engaging in evidence-based discussions about marijuana and marijuana reform policies that are indicative of all that we do know,” he said.

Lawmakers and legalization advocates have actually aligned with prohibitionists to support expanded research into cannabis—a point that’s underscored by the fact that President Joe Biden signed a historic standalone bill this month to streamline studies, for example.

Both the House and Senate passed earlier versions of their separate but similar cannabis research bills in late 2020, but nothing ended up getting to then-President Donald Trump’s desk by the end of the last Congress. Congressional researchers separately released a report in March that details the challenges posed by ongoing federal prohibition and the options that lawmakers have available to address them.

DEA has taken steps in recent years to approve new cultivators of marijuana to be used in studies, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) recently published a solicitation for applications from those authorized growers as it looks for new contractors to supply the agency with cannabis for research purposes.

Meanwhile, large-scale infrastructure legislation that was signed by Biden last year contains provisions aimed at allowing researchers to study the actual marijuana that consumers are purchasing from state-legal businesses instead of having to use only government-grown cannabis. Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) recently sought an update on the status of a federal report into research barriers that are inhibiting the development of a standardized test for marijuana impairment on the roads, as required under that infrastructure legislation.

NIDA Director Nora Volkow told Marijuana Moment last year that scientists have been unnecessarily limited in the source of cannabis they’re permitted to study—and it makes sense to enact a policy change that expands their access to products available in state-legal markets.

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DEA Says Novel Cannabinoids Including Delta-9 THCO Are Illegal

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his week, the DEA revealed in a letter that it views goods containing new cannabinoids like Delta-9 and Delta-8 THCO, also known as THC acetate ester, as Schedule I drugs that are nonetheless unlawful under federal law even if they come from hemp.

Rod Kight, a lawyer for the cannabis sector, received the notification after getting in touch with the organization last August to ask about the status of THCO products’ oversight under the Controlled Substances Act. After receiving a follow-up email on February 7, the organization replied to Kight on Monday, claiming that because the new cannabinoids can only be produced synthetically, they do not believe THC acetate ester products are covered by the 2018 Farm Bill, which federally legalized hemp.

Delta-9-THCO and delta-8-THCO do not occur naturally in the cannabis plant and can only be obtained synthetically, and therefore do not fall under the definition of hemp.” — DEA, in the letter to attorney Rob Kight In a blog post about the development, Kight said the letter confirms his concerns about “the proliferation of THC acetate ester,” which can be easily found in products sold via online marketplaces alongside other cannabinoids such as CBD and delta-8 THC. Kight notes that delta-8 THC “falls within the definition of ‘hemp’ because it is a ‘derivative’ as set forth in the 2018 Farm Bill.”

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For this reason, many people assume that THCO also meets the definition of a hemp derivative since it is typically created from a starter cannabinoid. This is not correct,” Kight wrote. “D8 is distinguishable from THCO because the hemp plant naturally produces D8; however, it does not produce THCO. From this perspective … THCO is properly seen as synthetic THC, not ‘hemp.’”

Arizona, Michigan, Colorado

jarscannabis.com

Wu-Tang’s Raekwon Seeking to Rehab Historic New Jersey Building for Consumption Lounge

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ccording to Jersey Digs, the marijuana business that Raekwon, a member of the Wu-Tang Clan, owns a portion of plans to construct an adult-use cannabis club in Newark, New Jersey. The city’s historic building, which once housed the engineering company A.R. Meeker & Co. and Stoutenburgh & Co. Newark Clothiers, will be renovated as part of the rapper’s plans. e Newark Hashstoria lounge’s design would make the structure look more cohesive. The project’s principal, Rachael Grochowski, of RHG Architecture + Design, said there will be “community art in the window that would be changing.”The structure, which was constructed in 1839 and is located in Newark’s Four Corners Historic District, has undergone a number of updates throughout time The application has been unanimously approved by the Landmarks Commission. New Jersey only recently announced it would allow social cannabis consumption and the state is accepting public comments until March 18, after which the rules will be finalized and adopted. Once the rules are filed and published in the New Jersey Register, the commission will accept consumption area applications for dispensaries already in operation or that have their permits.Hashstoria currently has locations in Astoria, Gladstone, and Springfield, Oregon. The New Jersey location is set to open in March..

California Cannabis Cafes Bill Would Allow Live Performances, Food and Drink

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ccording to the Los Angeles Times, the measure that would legalize cannabis cafes in California has provisions that would permit live performances in cannabis-friendly clubs as well as the serving of food and non-alcoholic beverages there. Municipalities would have to agree to the bill in order to approve the cafés and establish their own rules.

The bill’s proponent, Assemblyman Matt Haney (D), asserted that legalizing cannabis cafés is essential for the state’s regulated cannabis business “to exist.” He called the establishments operating under the present regulations, which permit on-site use but prohibit the sale of food or beverages, “very terrible places.” “They’re losing to the illegal cannabis industry, and one thing that the legal cannabis small business can offer is an experience.

Cannabis businesses told us that they may have to close their doors unless the laws change. The regulations that prohibit them from offering other products like food are a huge burden.” — Haney via the Times Some California businesses have found workarounds to the current laws. In West Hollywood, at the Artist Tree Dispensary & Weed Delivery on Santa Monica Boulevard, cannabis-consuming customers can gather at the second-floor lounge as if dining at a restaurant and order food from Fresh Corn Grill, a restaurant that has a deal with the Artist Tree. Lauren Fontein, a co-owner of the Artist Tree, told the Times the setup mimics “the experience of being in a restaurant” even though they don’t sell customers food. The bill has not yet been sent to a legislative committee but a note attached to the measure indicates it could be heard by a House panel next month.

HIGH NEWS Twitter becomes first major social platform to allow weed ads

By MONA ZHANG

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lon Musk is backing up all his 420 tweets.The owner of Among the other requirements cannabis companies must adhere to: Twitter, who sparked a media firestorm after he puffed on a spliff during an appearance on Joe Rogan’s pod- 1. Be licensed by the “appropriate authorities” cast, is making good on speculation that his acquisition 2. Only target ads to areas where they are liof the platform might make it more cannabis-friendly. The censed to promote products or services online company changed its policy to allow U.S. cannabis compa3. Not target those under 21 nies to advertise on its platform Tuesday — although with 4. Assume all legal responsibility for complying numerous restrictions. with applicable laws and regulations

“It is a groundbreaking thing for many cannabis advertisers 5. to be able to reach their markets and their audiences without doing any type of workarounds,” said Amy Deneson, co-founder of the Cannabis Media Council, a trade association focused on cannabis education. To advertise on Twit- 6. ter, cannabis companies must be pre-authorized by Twitter and meet many requirements. Perhaps the most significant restriction is that cannabis companies can’t promote or offer for sale cannabis products.

Cannabis advertisements also can’t appeal to minors, make any health claims or show any depictions of cannabis use.

Even with this change in Twitter policy, some cannabis companies won’t be able to take advantage of the platform for advertising due to state laws restricting online cannabis advertising.

21flavorsla.com

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annabis is a complex, multifaceted, and occasionally controversial plant. Cannabis has a wide range of uses and is used in a variety of industries and goods, particularly in the medical sector.

What to know about cannabis?

Although there is a lot of science involved in understanding cannabis, we’ll try to make it as simple as possible: There are more than 120 cannabinoids—components of cannabis—in all. The two most well-known and extensively studied cannabinoids are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). The “high” that many people identify with cannabis is caused by THC, but CBD, which you may have seen in the form of oils, candies, beverages, and other products for medical use, is a non-intoxicating, non-euphoric component.

How can CBD be used to benefit health?

There is no denying that CBD has grown to be highly popular and has spawned a new sector; in fact, JWU now offers a degree in Cannabis Entrepreneurship. Even while scientists are still trying to figure out how well CBD works as a medicine, there have already been several encouraging findings. Here are seven health benefits of CBD that have been demonstrated.

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1. Lowering blood pressure A study conducted by JCI Insight in 2017 found that CBD lowered the blood pressure of human participants. It reduced their resting blood pressure as well as their blood pressure after stress tests including mental arithmetic, isometric exercise, and the cold pressor test.

2. Reducing inflammation CBD has been proven to help reduce inflammation and the neuropathic pain it can cause, according to a study by the Rockefeller Institute of Medical Research.

3. Preventing relapse in drug and alcohol addiction A 2018 study discovered that CBD can be useful in helping people who suffer from drug and alcohol addiction. A preclinical trial with lab rats determined that CBD reduced the stress-induced cravings, anxiety and lack of impulse control that often cause people to relapse.

4. Treating anxiety disorders Anxiety is perhaps the most common affliction that people have used CBD for, and a preclinical study found that CBD could be effective in treating generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

5. Treating gastrointestinal (GI) disorders A recent study found that CBD and other non-psychoactive cannabinoids can effectively be used to prevent and treat GI disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis and more. CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties are key to reducing and preventing symptoms.

6. Preventing seizures Decades of research have gone into using CBD to treat epilepsy and other seizure syndromes, and a recent study showed it can have positive effects in reducing symptoms and seizure frequency.

7. Taking on cancer In addition to being used to lessen the side effects of chemotherapy, studies have shown that CBD has a number of anti-cancer properties that can help prevent a wide range of cancers, treat tumors, and strengthen the immune system. It has also been shown to stop cell growth and induce cell death in cervical cancer cell lines.

PHOTO BY ELSA OLOFFSON ON UNSPLASH

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Hottest Exotic Strains Pink Certz

Jealousy Sherbert Bx1 and Gelato 41 were crossed to create the marijuana hybrid strain known as Jealousy. Jealousy has a reputation for balancing emotions. Those who have smoked this strain claim it leaves them feeling mentally calm but physically energised. Jealousy has a THC content that may reach the upper 20s, making it perfect for seasoned cannabis users. The terpene caryophyllene, which is frequently linked to a fragrance of fuel, is the major one in this strain. In addition, limonene, myrcene, and occasionally linalool and humulene are present. Jealousy tastes earthy and weird, according to reviews. Patients who use medical marijuana report purchasing this kind when they experience minor stress symptoms. Seed Junky Genetics was the company that created jealousy.

Pink Certz it combines the flavours of grape gasoline with the menthol. San Francisco’s Transbay Challenge cannabis competition was won by a Pink Certz from Sense SF in 2022. Pink Certz has a strong gasoline and grape-mint aroma. The impact of the strain is hybrid. Great for daytime use, the flavors of wild berries and minty fuel help elevate your senses, leaving you feeling uplifted, euphoric, and creative. Thanks to these effects and its high 14-24% average THC level, Pink Certz is often chosen to treat a variety of conditions including depression, chronic stress or anxiety and nausea or appetite loss.

Cap Junky

Goofiez A genetic combination between Apples & Bananas and Jokerz produced the hybrid cannabis strain known as Goofiez. Goofiez has 28% THC, making it the perfect strain for seasoned marijuana users. Customers using report feeling creative, giddy, and joyful after using Goofiez. Patients who use medical marijuana frequently use Goofiez to treat the symptoms of exhaustion, bipolar illness, and anxiety. Goofiez, developed by Compound Genetics, has tastes including pear, peach, and vanilla. This strain’s major terpene is not yet known. Goofiez normally sells for $35 to $45, on average.

14 High Intelligence Magazine

A cannabis hybrid created by combining Alien Cookies with Kush Mints #11 is called Cap Junky.

The cultivar is the result of a partnership between Capulator and Seed Junky Genetics, two of the most significant current breeders. In 2021, Seed Junky offered Cap Junky clones for $1,000 apiece. L.A. Made, a farm affiliate of Capulator, sold Cap Junky flower in the adult-use market in California in 2022. The best strain MAC was made possible by the Alien Cookies. Kush Mints, created in partnership with Cookies, were the foundation of Seed Junky’s Minntz brand. Cap Junky has a peppery, gassy, and dank aroma that is reminiscent of a sour fruit peel. Buds that have received proper care have the most trichome covering. Its smoke has a sharp, peppery flavor and a very smooth hit.

This high-THC strain is only recommended for seasoned smokers.

Hottest Exotic Strains

Super Boof There are many admirers of the cheerful, citrusy Tangie family as well as those who wish it to have more powerful effects. A Tangie, GSC, Black Cherry Punch project dubbed Super Boof that is owed to the so-called Mountain Trop (“Mtn. Trop”) selection of Tropicanna Cookies will be released in 2023.

It’s Tangie with the body affects of an indica hybrid from the GSC series, as well as some extra cream and funk. Similar in size and appearance to Black Cherry Punch, Super Boof has an amusingly hilarious name. Blockhead, a breeder from California, went from near obscurity to having his creations sold in hundreds of retailers all around the country. Tangies are still adaptable; you may work on them while doing yoga, hiking, housework, or anything else. Play Tame Impala and serve up some Super Boof.

Pinapple Fruz For fans of sativa, the top of the sales lists is filled with legendary rock classics like Super Lemon Haze and Pineapple Express. There aren’t many new sativas that make up to the main stage to perform alongside the Gelatos and Zs that take up all the attention. Pineapple Fruz from Seed Junky Genetics in Los Angeles is one sativa that measures up to contemporary standards in terms of size, bling, terps, and potency. They cultivate it flawlessly in their “Farmacopeia” facility in Northridge, California, and they continue to win awards with their secret cross of Animal Mints bx1 x Zbx1. This year, Seed Junky flowers are popular outside of Michigan, so perhaps they’ll let the Fruz wild. For breakfast, Pineapple Fruz is a touch too powerful, but a smoke before the gym helps avoid boredom.

White Truffle Many admirers countrywide of Original Glue, often known as GG4, are yearning for new products from that range. Lone Watty, the breeder, passed away in 2020, nevertheless. The Glue children who are most active? Gorilla Butter’s so-called White Truffle cut (GG4 x Peanut Butter Breath) from Michigan’s Fresh Coast Seed Co. is expected to become widely available nationwide by 2023. Can marijuana have an earthy, nutty, sweet, and dank scent? You better believe it can. Conflicts over the nomenclature of the truffle have given rise to an entire truffle line, including Black Truffle.

White Truffle gave reviewers tingles, arousal, and relaxation—great for your favorite pastimes. Try it out for yourself and let us know how well White Truffle is received in your community.

First Class Funk The tasty, stinky, potent, and incorrect GMO Cookies brand has established itself as a staple in America. We wanted to call attention to First Class Funk, a rising star in the GMO constellation. The Funk made its premiere a while ago. Around 1,500 shop menus across the country feature it after grower and smoker testing and approval. The glitter, gas, and grower-friendliness of Jet Fuel Gelato were combined by Compound Genetics to GMO, creating a winner and crowd-pleaser.

Reviews of First Class Funk praise its soaring exhilaration and upbeat atmosphere.

High Intelligence Magazine

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STRAIN OF THE MONTH LEMON CHERRY GELATO

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he genetic offspring of Sunset Sherbet and Girl Scout Cookies is a hybrid cannabis strain called Lemon Cherry Gelato.

Due to its 25% THC content, Lemon Cherry Gelato is a great strain for seasoned cannabis users. Customers report feeling tingling, peaceful, and ecstatic after consuming Lemon Cherry Gelato.

You’ll feel a boost of happiness at the onset of the high, immediately erasing any negative moods or racing thoughts.

This quickly turns stoney, leaving you unfocused and fading in and out of heady bliss. As your mind settles, your body will soon follow, leaving you fully relaxed from head to toe. With these effects and its high 19-28% average THC level, Lemon Cherry Gelato is often chosen to treat conditions such as mood swings, chronic pain, chronic stress or anxiety and depression. This bud has flat super dense oversized forest green nugs with lots of thin amber hairs and a coating of milky amber crystal trichomes.

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LEMON CHERRY GELATO STATS HYBRID 60% INDICA

40% SATIVA

THC% 25-29

DELICIOUS CANNABIS CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

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INGREDIENTS Cannabutter Chocolate Chips White Sugar Eggs Salt Vanilla extract Flour Baking Soda

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iting into a warm, gooey, perfectly crispy on the surface, doughy on the inside chocolate chip cookie is the best feeling in the world — unless it’s marijuana cookies, of course!

That is now accurate. Any conventional cookie recipe may be used to create a cannabis-infused treat.

You may create a cannabis-infused biscuit by simply substituting the butter or oil specified for cannabis butter or cannabis oil. Nevertheless, if you’re searching for the best cannabis chocolate chip cookie recipe that has been specifically created to include cannabutter or oil, go no further than this one!

High R

1¼ cups all-purpose flour: white, all-purpose, AP flour works best in this recipe ½ teaspoon baking soda: don’t confuse this for baking powder ½ teaspoon salt: kosher salt or table salt works ½ cup cannabutter: Make this ahead of time. Start with my guide to making cannabutter in a crockpot or an Instant Pot. The cannabutter should be softened to room temperature for the best results. You can substitute cannabis coconut oil here, but it should be room temperature. You don’t want to use melted butter; you want to be softened. Learn how to safely soften cannabutter here. ¾ cup sugar: I use white sugar in this recipe, but if you want, you could substitute cannabis sugar or dark brown sugar 1 egg: for consistency ½ teaspoon vanilla extract: for taste 1 cup optional toppings: This cookie batter is a blank canvas. Feel free to add chocolate chips, M&M’s, sea salt, or even your favorite healthy ingredients, like nuts. One cup seems to be a perfect balance, but add more if you want a higher chocolate ratio.

High Recipies

Recipies Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set them aside. A greased baking sheet will work, too.

Step 2 - Whisk the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set this aside.

Step 3 - In another large, separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, approximately 2-3 minutes.

Step 4 - Add the egg and vanilla to the creamed butter bowl.

Step 5 - Starting at a low speed and gradually increasing, beat well with the mixer.

Step 6 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients while mixing.

Step 7 - Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated, and a dough has formed.

Step 8 - Fold in the chocolate chips when the dough has formed.

Step 9 - Create one tablespoon-sized dough balls (using a #70 scoop) and place them evenly 2” apart on the reserved baking sheets.

Step 10 - Bake in the oven for 7-10 minutes or until they are perfectly golden brown. See baking notes below.

Step 11 - Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for 1-2 minutes before removing them from the baking sheet and transferring them to a cooling rack.

Step 12 - Enjoy!

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HOW CANNABIS CULTURE EVOLVED THROUGH HIP-HOP

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By Mikael Shimshon annabis plays an essential role in In 1988 The “Greenhouse Effect,” which is hip-hop unapologetic culture, the thought to be a factor in global warming, caused influence of hip hop culture on fear because it was the hottest year ever officially pop culture cannot be easily unrecorded in human history. Hip-hop was simultaderstated. Rappers and marijuana neously starting to fuel a different type of green have always been inseparable from the begin- movement. There were a number of seminal, ning of time. Various slang terms for weed ground-breaking albums released during that include greenery, Chronic, herb, ganja, and historically scorching spring and summer, includnowadays ZaZa for exotic weed. Back then, ing but not limited to Run DMC’s “Tougher Than attitudes concerning the usage of marijuana Leather”, EPMD’s “Strictly Business”, Public or cannabis were very covert. These days, Enemy’s “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold this is the hottest topic, making headlines Us Back”, Eric B. & Rakim’s “Follow the Leader”, that flatter the oversaturated hip-hop stars to Salt-n Pepa’s “A Salt With a Deadly Pepa”, 2 Live enter or launch their own brands and strains Crew’s “Move Somethin”, NWA’s “Straight Out in the marijuana industry.

Compton” and Eazy-E’s “Easy Does It”. While 1980s rap had no trouble discussing alcohol, especially malt liquor, any mention of narcotics was vehemently opposed to its ideology, as demonstrated by songs like Melle Mel’s “White Lines (Don’t Do It)” from 1983. In this way, what N.W.A achieved was revolutionary because they embraced and exposed everything that was true to their environment, acting as “the TV news for the hood,” rather than just concentrating on wordplay.

This brings us to 1991, when a West Coast gangsta rap trio altered hip-hop by adorning their debut Album with a skull decorated with a marijuana leaf. While Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, released a year or more later, sold more copies, Cypress Hill’s self-titled debut nonetheless made the term “blunted” popular thanks to its open references to smoking and criminality set to a collage of rock, funk, soul, Latin rhythms, and reggae samples.

Sen Dog and B- Real’s opposing voices narrated scenarios of being stoned, killing people, hating the cops, and becoming incredibly stoned in the group’s songs, which were powerful and contagious. With the song’s success, it appeared like every rapper who had previously felt compelled to criticize crack on a record decided to go off course and release a single that made use of marijuana. It may be assumed that Dre skillfully recognized this and transformed the phenomena into The Chronic, raising things practically exponentially.

These would also include the widely replicated, straightforward pot leaf hats made popular by Dr. Dre. Via MTV and Perry Farrell’s Lollapalooza festival, which in the summer of 1992 included Cypress Hill, Ice Cube, and other hip-hop performers, smoking not only proliferated but also assimilated itself into every new American musical subculture, shaking away the clichés of the ‘80s.

Vintage Dr Dre Snoop Dogg

Cypress Hills self tittled album cover

The Chronic has basically become the Sgt. Pepper of stoned hip-hop thanks to its six million+ US sales. Dre re-contextualized decades of genre-spanning instrumentation and melody for the 16 songs on the album, released three singles that went to the top of the charts and have since become standards, and simultaneously launched the career of Snoop Doggy Dogg, the most notorious stoner in rap, who he had previously introduced on the Deep Cover soundtrack in 1992.

More than just products, lingo, or even reform awareness contributed to the acceptability and incorporation of marijuana in hip-hop; seeds planted in the 1990s presented a model and notion that would later be commercialized in rap. Cypress Hill’s ability to brand through frequent mentions of a relatively unheard-of cigar company in their lyrics demonstrated the effectiveness of hip-hop branding.

Similar to Band-Aid, Dr. Dre’s persistent usage of the phrase “the chronic” for strains did the same for smoking weed in a cigar for years to

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Despite blunts becoming a fixture, Redman recorded the Pete Rock-produced song “How To Roll a Blunt.” Yet, cannabis language evolved as a result of its usage becoming a competition for rappers to outdo one another. Although he and Dre contributed to the rise in use of the words chronic and indo/endo, Snoop had dropped both by 1996. “No dirt marijuana, strictly chronic” was a motto, but it had a clear hierarchy that suddenly had everyone wanting to know what the their weed was called, displacing phrases that truly related to the strain such as indica or sativa.

Dank, dro, sticky, Mary Jane — throughout the ‘90s vocabulary would be a changing target, with every rapper striving to create their own winning word or phrase, but Cypress Hill and Dre pioneered the game and held the patents. At this time, Hollywood joined the movement as well, reviving stoner films with fresh actors, comedians, and rappers, most notably in Half Baked, How High, and the Friday trilogy. Genius went so far as to investigate 2016’s hip-hop references to drugs in such detail that they included several charts and data spanning 30 years. It’s interesting to note that they stated that by the mid-1990s, 45 percent of all hip-hop tracks had references to drugs, up from only four recordings in the early 1980s.

The new wave of hip-hop artists were making smoking weed a lyrical and social norm rather than merely glorifying its usage. Denise Herd, an associate professor of Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health, said she wanted to monitor references to substance abuse in rap lyrics. “I was aware that there was lots of alcohol advertising with rappers,” Herd said. “In the back of my mind I asked myself, ‘Are prominent rappers advertising alcohol? Is there more alcohol in their music? Is the alcohol being accompanied with drugs?’” she told The Columbia Chronicle in 2014. Her research showed that marijuana was the most commonly referenced drug in rap lyrics, and that contemporary songs had over 200 percent more recent mentions of marijuana than songs from 1979 to 1989 did. The proportion of songs that portrayed drug use negatively fell by more than 70%, whereas the proportion of songs that made positive references to drugs rose by about 400%.

Due to the fact that many rappers are openly discussing cannabis smoking, regardless of legal restrictions, since they feel more at ease doing so in hip-hop music, the situation is very different now. Rappers and other artists brought “weed-smoking” into the public eye, which led to a significant shift in the cannabis industry. At the moment, it’s rare in hip-hop culture not to hear references to marijuana in song lyrics. Most rappers raise awareness of the cannabis industry and demonstrate its importance and necessity. besides supporting the legalization of cannabis. Without a question, hip-hop culture has contributed significantly to the acceptance of marijuana usage on a global scale.

Cannabis is known to enhance creative ideas or sharpen thinking abilities. Writing and recording are the two basic steps of rhyming.

To handle and use any unique ideas, especially while crafting rap lyrics for quality results, enormous amounts of thinking and ability are needed. Rappers also believe that using marijuana during their performances has significant advantages.

Rappers like 2 Chainz, Snoop Dogg, JAY-Z, Kurupt, Lil Wayne, Berner, Master P, B-Real Freddie Gibbs, Smoke DZA, Wiz Khalifa, Dizzy Wright and Curren$y have created their own cannabis businesses and marketed weed legally. Snoop Dogg is renowned for both his rap music and cannabis consumption.

That explains why he has a deep commitment to marijuana and operates his own marijuana brand, Death Row Cannabis. Are you familiar with Moonrocks? Kurupt is the creator of Moonrock, a dry herb regarded to as one of the most intense and sought-after. The advertising of weed brands is the main use of this type of business strategy in hip-hop culture.

This frequently serves as a link between artists that include similar elements into their works. Also, it eliminates the age difference between younger and older artists. More than anything else, people are observing a change in what is seen as the usual. Because there is a political battle for legalization, more artists are writing songs about weed. When it becomes engrained in the music, this is something that commonly attracts attention.

Several rappers feel more than motivated to speak about smoking weed.

There are stores where marijuana is sold in locations where it is authorised. As once taboo begins to disappear, this topic has become even more ingrained in popular culture. Rappers who have created entire albums about the use of cannabis have made it more acceptable.

In movies, people make jokes about it. Those who may have chronic pain from cancer or Crohn’s disease deal with it on a daily basis.

Some people are still discreet about their desire or necessity to use marijuana on a daily basis. This reality has evolved through Hip Hop

from top left: Smoke Dza, Momogram(Jay Z’s Brand), Freddi Kane (Freddie Gibbs Brand), Moonrock Pre Rolls by Kurupt, Khalifa Kush, and Berner in studio with his Cookies Brand.

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Curren$y HIGH NEWS C

by Hector Richardson

And His Cannabis Empire

urren$y Talented Hip Hop MC and sucThe farmers of Andretti Cannabis Co. have cultivated cessful entrepreneur from New Orleans, cannabis for many years and can trace the genetics of New York City Opens Third DEA Showstheir Marijuana Legalization LinkedofTo Louisiana has surely cemented hisData name in OG back through several generations cannabis Legal Cannabis Hip Hop. His Store lay back charismatic swag that cultivation.

This original variety sprang from seed, ‘Reductions In Opioid Demand,’ New Study Finds nevcomes through effortlessly authentic in his er crossed, and through years of raids, relocations, and raps and his entrepreneurial mentality are keys to his sucother hardships. At a High Times cup, Curren$y came cess. Spitta’s journey to become that he is today started in across this master strain and immediately recognized its 2002 as a member of No Limit Records. Spitta evolved unique qualities. He and the producers made the deciinto a brilliant lyricist with his own style and delivery over sion to develop Andretti Cannabis after a few meetings, the course of a few years of intense mixtape-circuit. Curand after months of planning, they debuted at the beginren$y has achieved a certain kind of mixtape-level cult ning of 2017 to shock the cannabis industry. celebrity in part because he has mastered his easygoing everyday stoner heStates, drops music almost daily n the largestidentity city in theand United cannabis retail stores are sprouting makingwhile his music easily accessible.upCurren$y has built an unlicensed locations continue to Curren$y’s Strain Andretti OG, typically called to as “Anprosper despite multiple intimate relationship with attempts his fan tobase, knowing where dretti” or “Andretti OG Kush,” is an indica-dominant hyclose them down. The third adult-use canhis music and inproducts received booking events nabis shop New York are City well opened its brid strain that was developed by crossing the traditional doors on February 13 in Lower Manhattan. and shows based on that definedly a formula for success.

Dosi #9 with an unidentified hybrid strain. This was the Union Square Travel Agency: A Cannabis first strain launched by The Andretti Cannabis Co. and Store will be the newest authorized retailer to operate, and it will be situated on East 13th Curren$y being the cannabis connoisseur that he is, it was an instant hit loved by not just his dedicated fans Street between Broadway and University Place.

Accordingatoseries the store’s it will ccording to a recent study that uses data from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, the legalizahelped develop ofwebsite, potent strains. The Andretti but also Cannabis enthusiasts.

Before being developed sell smokable flower, edibles, concentrates, tion of marijuana at the state level is linked to considerable drops in the opioid codeine’s prescription (DEA).

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Hochulsought stated in after a state- strains. Andretti OG into the strain we have now, Curren$y discovered an old, ment, “We’re building a cannabis industry The study, which was released last week in the journal Health Economics, compared 11 states that legalized canis quickly turning heads around the cannabis industry for isolated OGprohibitionist strain during a Highdata Times Cup opioid he attendhere in New York State that is equitable and nabis for adult use between 2010 and 2019 against ones by examining on prescription new resources to Nonprofits that bring shipments.

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Collectively, the study’s findings “are with the notion a that, unlike [medical laws], [recOG” strain. After spending months honing its genetics, ing consistent move for Spitta, match madecannabis in heaven that also After the non-profit Housing Works launched reational cannabis laws] may be evidence of decreased opioid misuse more so than decreased usage of Andretti OGEast is the a new series ofprescription superioropioids cannaone on 8th first Street,ofBroadway, and contributed to the of the to relieve chronic pain,” the authors said.success This research piecebrand. is distinctive in that the Smacked LLC, a store that opened on BleeckDEA’s Automation of Reports and Consolidation Orders System served as its “main data source” (ARCOS). bis flowers smokers that the finest, with a classic er Street for last month, it is the thirdwant legal canTo our knowledge, this is the first study to use ARCOS data, which breaks down distribution by endpoint (pharnabis establishment. During the governor’s macies, hospitals, doctors, and narcotic treatment programs), to analyze the impact of legalizing marijuana for OG dankness and stoney high that leaves you speechless. announcement, the new store management

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marked the occasion of its opening. “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has contributed to the opening of the Union Square Travel Agency: A Cannabis Store. From our amazing partners at The Doe Fund who had the courage and innovation to embrace this opportunity; to the OCM, New York State and New York City in paving the way for this new industry and their ongoing commitment in ensuring this legal industry will be a success; our amazing team members who have worked day and night to get us to this point; and our friends & family who have supported us in this endeavor from the beginning,” said CEO of Union Square Travel Agency: A Cannabis Store, Paul Yau. “We thank you all.”

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recreational use. The effect of legalization on the prescription of codeine, they said, “rising from -17.5 percent one year after RCL implementation to -37.3 percent four years after implementation,” over time.

That our findings suggest RCLs affect a reduction specifically in codeine distribution is of particular interest because, among legally distributed opioids, codeine is particularly likely to be misused and diverted,” they wrote.

We cannot rule out that these reductions are due to a reduction in use of codeine as prescribed; however, the lack of other reductions in opioid dispensing suggests that this is not the case. Our findings stand in contrast to the literature on MCLs, which finds that MCLs affect reductions in the dispensing of a variety of opioids that do not have misuse rates as high as codeine.” According to a recent survey by the American Medical Association (AMA), one in three people with chronic pain report using marijuana as a therapy option. The majority of this population has substituted cannabis for other painkillers, such as opiates.

“ “

A different recent AMA study discovered that legalizing medical marijuana at the state level is linked to a considerable decline in opioid prescriptions and use among some cancer patients.

Twitter Stops Suggesting People Who Search For ‘Marijuana’ May Need Drug Treatment

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witter appears to have stopped a federal agreement that suggested drug treatment to users who searched the site for specific drug-related keywords, including “marijuana.” For “alcohol” searches, no such suggestion had come up.

The function, which was introduced in 2020, has drawn criticism from campaigners who feel that the social media giant is wrong to imply that any interest in marijuana is a sign of possible substance abuse. For instance, it did not separate out searches for items and policy news.

The function, which was launched in coordination with the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), was abruptly discontinued last month.

It’s likely that a contract between Twitter and SAMHSA for the search feature expired or that it was taken down as Elon Musk, the new site owner, tries to cut back on numerous services after taking over the business. When Marijuana Moment contacted Twitter to inquire about the timing and justification for the change, no one was immediately available.

Help is accessible. You are not alone if you or someone you know is having problems with substance abuse, the previous warning stated.

It pointed users to the SAMHSA website and helpline.

Massachusetts Recreational Marijuana Sales Have Officially Exceeded $4 Billion, State Regulators Announce

S

ince the state’s market opened for business in late 2018, Massachusetts adult-use marijuana sales have surpassed $4 billion, according to authorities’ announcement on Friday.

Data from the Cannabis Control Commission show that as of January 12, the state’s gross cannabis sales were $4,000,732,608.

(CCC). This shows that the business is still expanding less than a year after Massachusetts reached the $3 billion mark.

The state presently has 265 merchants and 14 delivery services functioning, and through the commission’s Open Data Platform, regulators track and share sales data. Marijuana sales in the state totaled $1,483,898,510 in 2022 alone.

Researchers Published A Record Number Of Scientific Studies About Cannabis In 2022, NORML Analysis Shows

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One of the most frequent arguments used by opponents of change is that more research is needed, despite the fact that cannabis is one of the most regularly studied medical topics. Most people feel that research on a plant that is the most commonly used illicit substance in the world should continue, particularly as more jurisdictions consider legalizing it in some form. However, there is a widespread cultural assumption that it has not been sufficiently investigated and that there are too many unanswered questions to proceed with policy reform. But according to an analysis of the federal PubMed.gov site conducted by NORML, there were more than 4,300 research articles published worldwide focusing on cannabis this year. That exceeds last year’s total of just over 4,200 marijuana studies that were published and listed on the federal database.

“Despite claims by some that marijuana has yet to be subject to adequate scientific scrutiny, scientists’ interest in studying cannabis has increased exponentially in recent years, as has our understanding of the plant, its active constituents, their mechanisms of action, and their effects on both the user and upon society,” NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said in a blog post. “It is time for politicians and others to stop assessing cannabis through the lens of ‘what we don’t know’ and instead start engaging in evidence-based discussions about marijuana and marijuana reform policies that are indicative of all that we do know,” he said.

Lawmakers and legalization advocates have actually aligned with prohibitionists to support expanded research into cannabis—a point that’s underscored by the fact that President Joe Biden signed a historic standalone bill this month to streamline studies, for example.

Both the House and Senate passed earlier versions of their separate but similar cannabis research bills in late 2020, but nothing ended up getting to then-President Donald Trump’s desk by the end of the last Congress. Congressional researchers separately released a report in March that details the challenges posed by ongoing federal prohibition and the options that lawmakers have available to address them.

DEA has taken steps in recent years to approve new cultivators of marijuana to be used in studies, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) recently published a solicitation for applications from those authorized growers as it looks for new contractors to supply the agency with cannabis for research purposes.

Meanwhile, large-scale infrastructure legislation that was signed by Biden last year contains provisions aimed at allowing researchers to study the actual marijuana that consumers are purchasing from state-legal businesses instead of having to use only government-grown cannabis. Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) recently sought an update on the status of a federal report into research barriers that are inhibiting the development of a standardized test for marijuana impairment on the roads, as required under that infrastructure legislation.

NIDA Director Nora Volkow told Marijuana Moment last year that scientists have been unnecessarily limited in the source of cannabis they’re permitted to study—and it makes sense to enact a policy change that expands their access to products available in state-legal markets.

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Snoop Dogg Launches Death Row Cannabis

By Jennin Masen

noop Dogg has added cannabis to his cultural portfolio, which already includes music, fashion, and entertainment, less than a year after purchasing Death Row Records from MNRK Music Group.

The introduction of Death Row Cannabis was teased on Thursday with a teaser video on Instagram that featured an animation of the famous Death Row emblem created by graffiti artist Eric Haze along with a sneak peek at impending branded pre-roll tubes.

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O

ver the past three decades, Death Row Records has had a significant impact on both hip-hop and cannabis culture. Since its founding, it has sold more than 40 million CDs worldwide and grown into one of the most well-known record companies in hip-hop, particularly when it comes to supporting the cannabis plant. Along with its creators The D.O.C., Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, Michael “Harry-O” Harris, and Dick Griffey, Death Row has been home to numerous well-known cannabis users in pop culture since its inception, including Tupac Shakur, Tha Dogg Pund and others. Although he signed with the company in 1992, Snoop Dogg only officially purchased it in February 2022. The first release is scheduled to arrive in January 2023 and will include “special limited celebratory metallic bags, showcasing the iconic hooded prisoner figure seated in an electric chair logo,” according to the press release.

AK, a partner of Snoop Dogg and a wellknown West Coast marijuana grower, is the person behind the Death Row cannabis brand.

He was a former partner at WizardTrees, where he helped create strains like RS11, Studio 54, and Shirazi from exotic cannabis grower DEO, according to the press statement. Additionally, AK is the vice president of cultivation for TRP LLC and well recognized for his brand SMKRS. Death Row Records intends to reveal specifics regarding the date and locations of the cannabis drop, which will take place soon.

Moreover, chose Cookies. The first locations will be California stores in Brentwood, San Bernardino, and San Diego.

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By Hector Richardson

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ETHNICITY, RACE & CULTURE

n August 11, 1973, at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue DJ Kool Herc through his “Back to School Jam” a musical form of expression and culture was born: Hip Hop!. When we say the word Hip Hop, we’re talking about: Braking,Mcing, graffiti writing and DJing. These are called the 4 core elements of Hip Hop established by African Bambata in 1974. The reason why we do Braking,Mcing, graffiti writing and Djing is for peace,love,unity and safely have fun. That’s the reason why Hip Hop was created.

In the 1970s, New York experienced a severe economic downturn brought on by the middle class’s exodus to the suburbs and a national recession that particularly severely struck the city’s manufacturing sector. Crime and drug abuse were rampant all through the city. Residents of the Bronx would escape to parties in order to explore musically and escape the rising gang culture outside. A complete opposite of what’s going on today, where crime and drug abuse are celebrated along with gang culture.

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130 gangs were reported to be active in the Bronx in 1973.

Over 30 homicides, 22 attempted murders, 300 attacks, 10 rapes, and 124 muggings were all linked to them. There were around 1,500 arrests made that were directly tied to gang activity. According to the police, these groups comprised of 9,500 individuals, with ages ranging from 13 to 30 years of age. Understanding the State that New York City was in when Hip Hop was born, you’ll realize what makes Hip Hop so special. In 1973 the Vietnam war was still going on and Heroin was everywhere. The FBI through their COINTELPRO program designed by J. Edgar Hoover planted the seed that would become an epidemic in the inner cities throughout the 1970’s. Hip Hop was an escape, if you could Breakdance( B Boys/B Girls), DJ, Tag(Graffiti Writing), MC or do what Kool Herc was doing which was basically picking the needle up and dropping it again in front of the break. Needle dropping was how he would start and restart the breaks is what evolved into what we call cutting and scratching today.

Left: Coke La Rock Hip Hop’s first MC. Performing circa 1974

Bottom: Almighty Kay Gee from The Cold Crush Brothers performing in NYC circa 1981

From Kool Herc we get Africa Bambaataa. Africa Bambaataa came in 1974 with The Zulu Nation. The Zulu Nation is responsible for establishing Hip Hop as a culture, something to live life by. Bambaataa was a visionary, he saw what Hip Hop would become back in ‘74. Being a former gang member and leader himself. Bambaataa had enough street cred and respect to gather most if not all gangs in the Bronx at that time, suggesting to stop the Violence and use that energy for something positive. That’s how the Zulu Nation was born. One art, one energy, one kulture Hip Hop!. All these gang members put down their rags, put down their guns for the sole purpose to better their lives through Mcing, Djing, B-boying, and tagging. At the same time this is going on as the Zulu Nation broke down into different parts, a guy from the DJ part of Zulu by the name of LoveBug Starski is credited with the creation of the word Hip Hop and the whole movement was named that.

(top right) lovebug starski (bottom) Africa Bambaataa

Pictures from top to bottom clock wise: Adolfo Quinones a.k.a Shabba Doo breaking scene from movie “Breaking”, Picture by Ricky Flores Kids Breakdancing in the Bronx circa 1974, Kids in The Bronx 1974, Mr Freeze, Kids in the 31 Bronx in 1973, Rap legend T La Rock.

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randMaster Flash first called DJ Flash, got his name from a comic book action hero Flash Gordon. GrandMaster Flash’s genius was taking the techniques he learned from Kool Herc and Africa Bambaataa and improving them. Gordon Williams (Grand Master Flash) was a certified electrician before becoming a DJ. Harsh economy and racism of the time resulted in him and other talented bright African Americans/Latinos to find other ways to make ends meet. In fact the men that created Hip Hop were brilliant men that if given the opportunity could of done anything in life. Kool Herc certified automobile mechanic with the ability to break down a car and put it back together, Africa Bambaataa was a talented writer who actually won a writing contest from UNICEF that took him all they way to Africa. GrandMaster Flash while working as a messenger started to wonder how he could improve the way records played without the interruption of picking up the needle, so he comes across a mic toggle switch and rewires it and turns it into a cross fader. At the time none existed on earth plus no one was doing cutting and scratching with a mic toggle switch on earth other then GranMaster Flash.

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GrandMaster Flash decided to teach this new skill to all the youths in the Bronx and beyond that were willing to learn for free. Until this day he does not own a patent for the crossfader fader even though; Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba, Pioneer, Technics all stole his invention

Hip Hop is not just a music genre, Hip Hop is a culture.

Africa Bambaataa turned Hip Hop into a culture by adding principles; Peace, Love, Unity and safely having fun. If you’re not seeking peace, love, unity there is no reason to be rapping, breaking, Djing, or graffiti writing. This is what’s going on today, a lot of these rappers you hear or see on TV, computer or radio have no reason to be rapping. That’s the main reason why Hip Hop culture has gotten lost. Back in the day is was a badge of honor to be an MC. People requested MCs to rap. Today rappers are not being requested to rhyme they’re forcing their rhymes on you, but you can blame them is their marketing and promotions team from the record label pushing the music for a profit.

Right: Grandmaster Flash’s

flyer circa 1981 ‘s Bottom: Grandmaster Flash at “The Fever” 1980’s

The Cold Crush Brothers were the first MC group in

Hip Hop. Their routines were so legendary that everybody from Sugar Hill Gang, Run Dmc to LL Cool J copy them. The Cold Crush led by GrandMaster Caz also known as Casanova Fly were ruling the MC scene in ‘77 and ‘78. In 1979 Caz met Hank Jackson (Big Bank Hank from Sugar Hill Gang) at club in the Bronx where Hank worked as a doorman. They became close and Jackson became Caz’s manager. As Caz’s manager Big Bank Hank would take his BoomBox and play Caz’s raps. Big Bank Hank became part of the Sugar Hill Gang taking Caz’s rhymes with him but not Caz. In the song Rapper’s Delight Big Bank Hank performed one of those rhymes. The song “Rapper’s Delight” sold 2 million copies out the door, now America gets its first taste of Hip Hop and also this is when the culture splits.

Pictures from top to bottom clock wise: Grand Wizzard Theodore in 1975, Grandmaster Kaz circa 1980, Cold Crush Brothers studio shot 1982.

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In 1979 with the success of “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugar Hill Gang, Hip Hop splits into two major parts corporate/mainstream and underground. Naturally when money is involved and you’re a struggling artist from the inner cities especially in those times, you’re gonna want to get paid but at what price?. Sugar Hill Records was an independent record label that found success with The Sugar Hill Gang then went on to sign other acts like The Treacherous 3, Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 and the first female Hip Hop group called The Sequence featuring a young Angie Stone. They also were innovative in marketing and were the first to produce Hip Hop Music videos the most famous one being “The Message”

by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5.

Pictures from top to bottom: Sugar Hill gang, Grandmaster Flash and Furious 5, The Trecherous 3, Group The Sequence, Joe and Sylvia Robinson owners of Sugar Hill Records, Sugar Hill Re35 cords Logo

Hip hop’s acceptance into the mainstream can be traced back to 1981, when Kurtis Blow signed with then-major record label Mercury Records and released his groundbreaking record “These are the Breaks”. The pioneers of Hip Hop wanted to keep the culture as authentic as possible, therefore they didn’t sign with major labels. This marked the beginning of a schism among Hip Hop between underground/original artists and major labels/mainstream.

As Hip Hop became more mainstream, movies were made around it. The 1982 film “Wild Style” helped spread Hip Hop to a wider audience when it was released in theaters across the country and around the world. Now Suburban kids and kids around the world who had never witnessed real B-boying, Graffiti tagging, DJing, or MCing suddenly had that opportunity.

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The Illmatic impact in Hip Hop 28 years later

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as’ Illmatic set the gold standard of what a real Hip Hop album is and how’s constructed. It gave the rise of the idea of albums consisting of multiple producers instead of the one producer format that was the standard prior to Illmatic.

Illmatic was a game changer that forever transformed the landscape of Hip Hop especially on the East Coast. It raised the standard of production, lyrical style, content, technique and overall artist/MCs ambitious to be the best lyrically instead of street legend/hustler. Never in the history of Hip Hop has an album and MC been so unanimously praised and revered like Nas and Illmatic.

By Mikael Shimshon

Rap geopolitics underwent a major shift after Illmatic. The album electrified Queensbridge hip-hop and, therefore, all of East Coast hip hop. Starting with AZ’s sublime guest spot on “Life’s A Bitch,” rappers like Mobb Deep, Tragedy Khadafi, Nature, Cormega, Noreaga, Capone, Raekwon, Ghostface, and even the Windy City wordsmith Common seemed to find new inspiration in Nas’ self awareness, internal rhyme schemes, and mastery of street detail. Rappers had to step it up—think of Ghost on “Verbal Intercourse”—and the consequence was a rise in East Coast rap’s in-depth self-conscious realism.

In rap lyrics in 1994, mentioning legendary real-life criminals by name was uncommon. Hip-hop hardly ever discussed the real-life folks that lived in the streets, aside from the West Coast’s penchant for banging on vinyl. However, Nas kicked off something when he made references to legitimate street monarchs like the Supreme Team, Alpo, and Pappy Mason on “Memory Lane” and “The World Is Yours,” respectively. The recording and promotion of real-life street legends and their biographies began with the release of that song.

Following were films like Paid In Full and American Gangster as well as periodicals like FEDS and Don Diva.

Rick Ross came close to turning it into a career.

The entire movie Belly was influenced by Illmatic. Why else would the director Hype Williams choose Nasir, a non-actor, to play the starring role? Add to it the number of movie scenes that were taken verbatim from the album, including “One Love. The moment where they dramatize Nas’s phrase from “N.Y. State of Mind,” “Give me a Smith and Wessun, I’ll have niggas undressing,” is another example. It makes sense why critics described Nas’s raps as being cinematic.

Illmatic was deserving of the five-mic rating in The Source, which highlighted how significant the magazine’s rating system was to a developing hip-hop culture. West Coast artists complained that the East Coast bias of the “bible of hip-hop” was evident from the five mic rating, especially after The Chronic received only four and a half mics. The ranking system would eventually be compromised for numerous reasons one of them being Benzino the owner of the magazine and rapper rating his own album with 5 mics as a consequence it would never again be accepted enough to be the subject of such vehement argument, even though other albums would go on to be recognized as classics.

“Sleep is the cousin of death,” “half-man, half amazing,” and even the phrase “Illmatic” itself became slang for something remarkably dope, among other Nas-isms that took the world by storm. Nas’ poetry in Illmatic added new words and expressions to the vocabulary of hip-hop.

Nas’ allusion to the blimp in Scarface in “The World Is Yours” has persisted as a cliché that hiphop has adopted.

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There is a Jay-Z before Illmatic and a Jay-Z after Illmatic. Reasonable Doubt, an album distinguished by Nas-like introspection and Premier production, was made by the Brooklyn MC enough of a contrast from his fast-talking Jaz-O days. While Jay clearly owed Illmatic for his poetry style, on his next album, Jay had switched to more lucrative flows. His samples ( “Dead Presidents” uses the “World Is Yours” as a sample and name-drops notable names (in “Where I’m From,” Jay asks “Who’s the best MC?”). Biggie, Jay Z or Nas? “(as Nas would point out during their epic battle a few years later) hinted at Nas’ influence on Jay.

Top: Jay Z and Jay claims that he asked Nas to contribute a verse on the 13th Nas circa 1997 track of the album, “Bring It On,” but the Queens MC never showed up to the recording studio. A mature Jay-Z expresses his admiration for Nas’ groundbreaking work on 2009’s “A Star Is Born,” spitting, “I had the Illmatic on bootleg/The shit was that ahead, thought we was all dead,” despite the two musical titans’ eventual rivalry.

Albums influenced by Illmatic Ready To Die -The Notorious B.I.G. (1994) Resurrection- Common Sense (1994) The Infamous, Mobb Deep (1995) Doe or Die, AZ (1995) Ironman, Ghostface Killah (1996) The Documentary, The Game (2005) Friday Night Lights, J. Cole (2010) 1999, Joey Bada$$ (2012) good kid, m.A.A.d city, Kendrick Lamar (2012)

left: Reasonable Doubt album cover.

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1994 Album Matrix

Ladies of Hip Hop

By Mikael Shimshon

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ip-hop has always been a storytelling art. The success of Hip Hop’s MCs was built on their willingness to smash traditional forms and use the shards to forge a new form of self-expression, just as the sound of the movement was produced by the inventive reuse of pre-existing music. The most talented male and female rappers of the 1980s and 1990s used wordplay, repetition, and extended metaphor to describe dark, violent, romantic, or hopeful situations while posing as a hero, witness, or seer. However, given the history of the music industry’s marginalization of women’s contributions, it’s simple to assume that hip-hop is a men’s club. In a genre where braggadocious lyrics about violence, sex, swagger, and masculinity rule, women are frequently portrayed as conquered women or a faceless chorus, with little attention paid to their personal experiences. Female rappers, who unabashedly detailed their perceptions and experiences of the world they lived in, were starting to make up a significant portion of the genre’s biology in the early days of the genre, when critics were still dismissing hip-hop as a transitory phenomenon. Each lady had a distinctive style, flow, and lyrical content, but what they all shared was a fiercely independent voice and the strength to persevere.

Sha-Rock

Sha-Rock was the first female emcee-rapper to release a hiphop album “on wax,” or on vinyl, when the genre originally emerged in the 1970s. In the early 1980s, during the South Bronx hip hop scene’s early years, she started out as a local b-girl, or breakdancer. The 12-inch singles “Rapping and Rocking the House” (on Sugarhill Records, 1979) and “That’s the Joint” (on Sugarhill Records, 1980), both of which were featured on public television, gave The Funky 4 + 1, Sha-Rock as the extra member, their first notable hit. MC Sha-Rock, a pioneer connected to the Zulu Nation, is credited with creating the “echo chamber” rap genre, which Run DMC popularized. “The story of the beginning and end of the first hip hop female MC”, luminary icon Sha-Rock”, was published by Green as a book in 2010.

Shante Roxanne

Shante Roxanne, was a Juice Crew member, she was asked to write a song impersonating Roxanne from the U.T.F.O. song as a response to their rap song “Roxanne, Roxanne” . The original beats from an instrumental version of “Roxanne, Roxanne” were used by Marley Marl to create the song “Roxanne’s Revenge.” Shante, who was only 14 at the time, was made when the song quickly became popular.

Rapper Sparky D, who had previously released a song called “Sparky’s Turn, Roxanne You’re Through” as a diss track about her, collaborated with Shante to make a record in 1985. “Round One, Roxanne Shanté vs. Sparky Dee” was a record that was released by Spin Records. It had six songs on it, including the two original battle tracks (“Roxanne’s Revenge” and “Sparky’s Turn”), “Roxanne’s Profile” by Shante and “Sparky’s Profile” by Sparky D, as well as a battle track with censored and uncensored versions where the two rappers “Have a Nice Day” and “Go on Girl” were some of the other hits. Shante competed against Busy Bee Starski for the title of “best freestyle rapper” in 1985, but she lost owing to unfair judgment.

Queen Latifah

As a child, Dana Owens of Newark, who was raised as a Baptist, took the name Latifah after learning that it is Arabic for “delicate, sensitive, and gentle.” She was the top female rap artist when she released her debut album, “All Hail the Queen,” at the age of 19, which featured the smash single “Ladies First” and spread a message of female empowerment and self-respect in a genre known for its misogyny. In 1994, she was awarded a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance. When she was 20 years old, she co-founded the management and production company Flavor Unit Entertainment with her childhood friend Shakim Compere. Latifah continues to manage her own career with Compere’s assistance; Flavor Unit represented, among others, rapper Eve and actor Terrence Howard. Queen, she picked that title as a teenager, convinced that all women should feel like queens, including those in lowly circumstances.Queen Latifah gained notoriety, and she soon began to have an effect on the movie industry as well. She has skills on the mic, she’s an outstanding actress and a savvy business woman, there is nothing that Queen Latifah can’t do. All hail to the Queen!!!

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MC Lyte

Monie Love

MC Lyte’s Lyte As A Rock, the first full-length album by a solo female rapper, was released in 1988. Lyte soon attracted the attention of the industry thanks to her flow, poetic accuracy, and lack of self-censorship. She has said that in its early years, the scene was competitive and skillbased, but not without a gender bias. “There might have been instances where promoters refused to pay me what I was due, They didn’t want to position me in a lineup where my songs called for me to be. However, none of it had a significant impact on me”. Despite any failures, I never allowed them to get the better of me.

MC Lyte became the first female rapper to receive a Grammy nomination in 1993 for “Ruffneck,” which was nominated for Best Rap Single. Lyte has recently campaigned for the Female Rap Solo category to be brought back, claiming that “not having the perspective of a woman damages Hip-hop culture.”

After Latifah and Native Tongues traveled to the UK, where they met the British rapper, who had been making waves in the underground scene there for years, during a show, they quickly became friends with Monie Love, one of Native Tongues’ only other female rapper. Later, Love moved to New York to join Native Tongues, where she worked with Latifah on “Ladies First” and recorded her own album with Afrika Baby Bam’s production. Without losing the flow, songs like “Monie In The Middle” and “RU Single” subtly and definitely rebutted stereotypes and prejudices about black women in relationships.

Salt N Pepa When Cheryl James and Sandra Denton teamed up in 1985, a large portion of the music business still thought hip-hop was a fad. The two released “The Showstopper,” a response to Doug E. Fresh’s blockbuster song “The Show,” under the name SaltN-Pepa. This pair, who were dressed in short shorts and tight shirts that exposed their midriffs, led the sex-positive movement of the 1990s. With songs like “Push It,” “Do You Really Want Me,” “Let’s Talk About Sex,” and “Shoop,” Salt-N-Pepa demanded respect, preached feminism, and spoke out against discrimination and assault while still being open and outspoken about their desires and sexuality.

Da Brat

Da Brat’s first significant success came when she won first place in a regional competition held in her native Chicago, Illinois, and supported by Yo! MTV Raps.

Her prize? Meet the hugely successful rap group Kris Kross. They introduced her to Jermaine Dupri, their producer, who signed Da Brat for his So So Def record label. Da Brat was one of the first female rappers to talk openly about her life, and Dupri originally wanted to position her as a “female Snoop Doggy Dogg.”

Funkafied, the debut album of Da Brat, debuted in 1994 and peaked at No. 11 on the Rap Albums chart.

She became the first female solo rapper to sell one million copies of an album after it went platinum.

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Lady Of Rage

If every section of the rap scene could be linked in two steps to Lady of Rage, the entire rap realm could be. The female rapper from Los Angeles who was born in Virginia played a crucial role in several important rap movements.

She played a significant role in the groundbreaking albums The Chronic and Doggystyle by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, both of Death Row Records. Lady of Rage had a production deal with L.A. Posse, who produced multiple singles for LL Cool J, and worked on a project with Gang Starr before leaving the rap scene to pursue acting.

Lil Kim

No introduction is necessary for the rapper who famously sang, “had buffoons eatin’ my pu___ y while I watch cartoons.” Kim continues to be regarded as one of the most talented MCs of either gender even though she hasn’t put out a significant studio album since 2005. Lil’ Kim subverted the stereotype that a female rapper in the 1990s needed to have a macho swagger by turning sexual mores on their heads. Kim adopted the feminine sexual aesthetic that kept many women in the genre confined to the character of “video vixen,” dressing in mink and diamonds, lace, and lingerie. In 2014, Kim told Billboard, “I’ve always been incredibly sexy and feminine.” “My record label couldn’t get how a female rapper could be seductive.

Lauren Hill

Jean Grae

Lauryn Hill was regarded as a star from the minute critics heard her for the first time on the Fugees album “Blunted On Reality” in 1994. In a lyric on The Score from 1996, fellow Fugee Wyclef Jean admitted as much, saying, “The magazine stated the female shoulda went solo/The boys should cease rapping/Vanish like Menudo.” Hill did go solo and received both critical and popular acclaim with her 1998 album “The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill”. Hill explored the challenges of motherhood, black femininity, and the music industry while fusing neo-soul sounds with strong feminist lyrics. Songs like “Doo Wop (That Thing),” “Everything Is Everything,” “Lost Ones,” and “Ex-Factor,” which were all hits at the time they were released, still sound as exciting and captivating now.

In the 1990s, Jean Grae played a significant role in the New York underground. Thanks in part to her exciting collaborations with partner Quelle Chris, she gradually started to establish herself as a key player in the 2010s indie scene. Grae gained a big following all around the world in her early years thanks to her sharp bars and distinctive delivery. She is regarded as a favorite emcee by many notable figures in the industry, including Talib Kweli, Jay-Z, and Black Thought of the Roots, thanks to her unquestionable lyrical skill. Grae was a key player in the independent music movement as well. She began by selling all of her guest verses on Craiglist for a set price and then joined Bandcamp as an early user.

Foxxy Brown

Eve

Bahamadia

Missy Elliot

Foxy Brown, one of the most recognizable female rappers of the 1990s, made her debut on LL Cool J’s album Mr. Smith, rapping over the remix of “I Shot Ya,” when she was just 15 years old. In 1996, the same year she collaborated on the Bad Boy Remix of “No One Else” with Lil’ Kim, Total, and Da Brat, she was signed to Def Jam. Additionally, her debut album, Ill Na Na, came out that year. Although there were conflicting reviews, Foxy’s sales were robust, and “Get Me Home” was one of those exceptional radio hits with long-lasting appeal. Like Lil’ Kim, Foxy was open and honest about her sexuality and her desires while still gaining and maintaining respect.

A former producer who became one of Philadelphia’s first well-known MCs, Bahamadia, was motivated to enter the rap game by female rappers like Salt-N-Pepa and Lady B. Bahamadia’s verses serve less bombast than those of her contemporaries, yet they are no less verbally nimble and have a smooth, unflappable flow. Her 1996 first album Kollage, which was the first fulllength album co-produced and composed by a female rapper, became an immediate classic. The album is both warm and fresh, full of the jazz and soul influences that have come to be synonymous with the Philadelphia sound. It is loaded with deceptively basic beats that show their depth as they flow over, under, around, and through layered melodies.

It can be argued that DMX was the most popular rapper alive in the late 90s. Right by his side was Eve, who in 1999 released her debut album, Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders’ First Lady. The project reached No.1 on the Billboard 200, making her (at the time) the third female rapper to accomplish this feat. She continued to be a magnetic force in the Ruff Ryders universe, though she began her career on Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Records. But it wasn’t until the release of her 2000 breakthrough album Scorpion, that she would become a household name.

It is hardly an exaggeration to state that Missy Elliott, a native of the South, altered the game with her singular visual and aural lexicon. Elliott entered the studio to begin work on her debut album with childhood friend and frequent collaborator Timbaland after years of working with artists like Jodeci, Ginuwine, and Aaliyah. Supa Dupa Fly, which came about in just two weeks and gave rise to the radio song “The Rain,” was the outcome. “The Rain” was a surprise and a smash, with clever wordplay (“I sit on hills like Lauryn”) that sampled Ann Peebles’ 1973 single and one of the most creative music videos in the medium’s history.

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Trina

Trina was preparing for her real estate license back in 1998 when Miami artist Trick Daddy drew her eye. He accidently hired her to appear on his tune “Nann Ni a.” The song, which debuted at No. 3 on the Rap Songs list, was released as the lead single from Trick’s second studio album, www. thug.com, in 1998. Trina’s rap career was largely launched by the feature, which led to a record deal with Slip-n-Slide Records and distribution from Atlantic Records. Two years later, she would release her debut album, Da Baddest Bitch, and launch a career praised for its length and consistency.

Remy Ma

In the hip hop community, a Big Pun certification is highly valued. One of Pun’s favorite MCs, Remy Ma rose to fame for her work as a member of Fat Joe’s group, Terror Squad, once he learned of her potential. She was featured on True Story, their second and last album, which was released in 2004. For three weeks, their song “Lean Back” was at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, earning Ma her first Grammy nomination. Her solo work has an equally significant impact. In the world of rap, There’s Something About Remy: Based on a True Story is still regarded as a masterpiece.

Gangsta Boo

Hail to the Queen of Memphis! Three 6 Mafia were the city’s pioneers of horrorcore long before musicians like NLE Choppa and Moneybagg Yo were ruling the scene, and Gangsta The only female rapper, Boo, along with Project Pat and Juicy J, stole the show. Boo’s first solo album, Enquiring Minds, was released in 1998 and peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 46 on the Billboard 200.

Outside of her work as a member of Three 6, which is as influential as any rap group from the 1990s, Boo is best known for her work as a solo artist. Where Dem Dollas At!? was a surprise big hit on the album. RIP Gangsta

Rah Digga

Rah Digga first gained notoriety as a longstanding associate of Busta Rhymes’ hip-hop crew Flipmode Squad.

Busta Rhymes and Eve were on her debut solo album, Dirty Harriet, which was released in 2000. She co-wrote the song “Be Ok” from Lyricist Lounge, Vol. 1 with Bahamadia. They were the two prominent female members of the Lyricist Lounge movement at the time, which was also the base of operations for musicians like Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Pharaohe Monch, Common, Lord Have Mercy, Foxy Brown, and Shabaam Sahdeeq.

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Mia X

You ought to be familiar with Mia X if you dig Southern rap. She earned the moniker “Mother of Southern Gangsta Rap” since she was the first female rapper to sign with Master P’s No Limit Records.

She has worked with a variety of No Limit Records artists in addition to her solo projects, including Master P and Silkk the Shocker on the influential Louisiana albums Ice Cream Man, Ghetto D, and Charge It 2 Da Game.

Rapsody

Grammy-nominated emcee Rapsody . She has rapidly established herself as one of the best emcees of this generation with a number of projects, a critically acclaimed first album, and the lone guest rap feature on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly.

Her debut album, The Idea of Beautiful, was hailed as one of the best hip-hop debuts in recent memory by XXL Magazine. Rapsody has collaborated with some of the most well-known musicians in the industry in a short period of time, including Chance The Rapper, Erykah Badu, Raekwon, Anderson.Paak, Estelle, Kendrick Lamar, Busta Rhymes, and Mac Miller, among others.

Ladies Of The New school Nicky Minaj Look at what has been cultivated there to get an idea of the soil’s characteristics: Nicki Minaj was born in Queens. She is what you get when 90s predecessors feed your already-sharp tongue, drawling delivery, and verbal ability that compels Kanye to let you outshine him on his own track. She has complete mastery over the verse, and her sense of style is unique. She is even more formidable because of her understanding as if her talent weren’t enough.

Her unexpected comments on the now-viral video known as “the pickle juice clip” were a sharp and moving distillation of the absurdity of double standards in the music industry, but really in any workplace. Her comments about a culture that chastised women for the same behavior it encourages in men feels eerily prescient. Minaj’s early works served as a testing ground, and now that she has a fresh crop of hits under her belt (“Changed It,” “No Frauds,” and “Regret In Your Tears”), she appears to be set up for long-term success in every manner.

New school artists: Azelia Banks, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Doja Cat, and more We thought it would only be appropriate to highlight a few of our favorite female rappers as the hip-hop scene continues to feature more of them, such as the ground-breaking Azelia Banks, whose anthem “212” quickly became the official song of New York. Then there is Megan Thee Stallion, who is perhaps the best rapper in Houston overall as well as the most interesting female rapper to come out of Houston. When her “WAP” collaboration with Cardi B was released in 2020, it immediately became a classic. Doja Cat is at the top of the Billboard chart and has received numerous Grammy nominations.

We also enjoy Miami’s City Girls (Yung Miami and JT), who consistently produce dancefloor songs, and Tierra Whack, who has successfully fused the avant-garde and popular in an exciting and fascinating manner. Rico Nasty, Latto (FKA Mulatto), Lakeyah, Buffalo rapper Armani Caesar, Flo Milli, and other artists are some of our other favorites.

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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

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nlearn The World had an incredible 2022 from rocking the stage with legends, his album “Crowns” doing over 2 million streams and counting, being mentioned in XXL magazine as one the best MCs to watch out for plus gracing our issue number 2 cover and the list goes on and on UnLearn the World has performed onstage alongside Ghostface Killah of the WuTang Clan, Skyzoo, Griselda, Jay Electronica, and Talib Kweli in addition to collaborating with artists and producers including Jean Grae, Jake One.

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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Congratulations on your success!!! Your album “Crowns” has over 2 million streams and counting. What does the success of this album mean to you? And were you surprised or did you expect it to be as well received as it has?

I think the success of this album puts me in some larger conversations. It’s definitely a milestone, but we’re still just getting started. I think people are just beginning to really pay attention and the more they go down the UnLearn The World rabbit hole, the more they are connecting with the music, the message and the movement. I think I’m bringing a unique and refreshing story and approach to Hip Hop. It goes to show you can be community oriented and not corny. I’m doing all the things that my 15 year old self would be crying tears of joy about. I’m very proud of that.

“I think people are just beginning to really pay attention and the more they go down the UnLearn The World rabbit hole, the more they are connecting with the music, the message and the movement...”

How did you and Producer Jake One end up working together?

I’ve known about Jake One for 20 years. I remember going up to the Def Jam office and listening to his beat tapes like “Yo, this kid is the next Dr. Dre”.

I was amazed that he had this really gritty production style at a time when Hip Hop was going a little too commercial, but still had something that was appealing to the mainstream. I had a lot of his production on my first digital Mixtape “Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind”. My whole career has been inspired by his production, both as a rapper and a producer. His career trajectory has inspired me so much so to connect with him on two records in a year was definitely a blessing I had to take full advantage of.

With two dope collabs with both Nems and Skyzoo.

Any collaborations to look forward to in 2023?

I’m not letting any cats out the bag, but we’re working on some big collabs and leveling up in a lot of different ways; Bigger and better producers, bigger features, bigger opportunities and bigger situations. Every move is strategic. I’ve mapped out my whole 2023 so far, with the exception of a few things. My manifestation powers are on 10 outta 10 right now.

With write ups and named mentioned in some of the biggest Hip Hop magazines and blogs. How does it feel to be recognized for your hard work?

Again, it’s a start, not the destination. What we’re talking about is hitting career milestones, but there still so much further to go. I can see the road ahead of me very clear and I’m paving the road as I walk it to make it easier for those coming after me, my team, my students and whoever else.

I’m trying to create a unique space and show people an alternative pathway for success, however you define it.

Also, it’s real what they say about success and recognition, how it breeds envy and jealousy. I get a lot of support, it’s almost overwhelming and I appreciate it, but sometimes, there’s people close to you who don’t want to see you win the way other people may be rooting for you. That comes down to their personal growth areas, insecurities and what they’re dealing with internally. It’s complicated, because you have to fully understand that as you move upward and forward, you legitimately cannot take everybody with you because not everybody is built for this journey. A lot of people are out here pretending and they wonder why their careers go nowhere. They’re frustrated that no one is really connecting with their content or music. Culture vultures come in many different color feathers, but I think people are able to spot what’s phoney and what’s not. At least my audience can. When you’re standing firmly in your purpose, you’re going to wake up people’s angels, but you’re also going to irritate people’s demons, even both of your own. it’s real what they say about success and recognition, how it breeds envy and jealousy. I get a lot of support, it’s almost overwhelming and I appreciate it, but sometimes, there’s people close to you who don’t want to see you win the way other people may be rooting for you.

After an amazing 2022 what’s new for Unlearn The World this year?

More music and dope visuals, but also putting some amazing programming together for my organization Hip Hop For Change. We’re building both a recording studio and film studio in San Francisco and Oakland and creating an artist excelerator program for young people. It’s each one teach one, then unlearning the world for everyone.

Song Of The Month

Unlearn The World’s popularity stems from his status as a lyricist.

Unlearn The World is dedicated to creating Conscious music and aspiring to be one of the more authentic and significant voices in hip hop. UnLearn, who has been dubbed one of the “Most slept on MCs” by a number of hip-hop magazines and industry heavy weights, has decided to embrace his underdog mentality. Un’s latest body of work produced by Grammy nominated producer Jake One has been picking up rapidly lately almost 100,000 streams in the first month. The Lyrics, flow and delivery on this track are off the charts and is the reason why we picked it to be the song of the month. You can listen to this song as well as his album “Crowns” that has over 2.5 million streams on Spotify.

High Intelligence Magazine is the definitive resource for all things Hip Hop and Cannabis. We share with the World our love, appreciation and respect for Hip Hop and Cannabis cultures through informative and entertaining content. We highlight the entrepreneur side of Hip Hop when it relates to Cannabis and beyond the music. We provide context and understanding on major issues in Hip Hop community. We provide scientific findings and uses of Cannabis as well recipes. We give suggestions on different strains that we consider worth trying, also accessories and dispensaries. We provide the latest news on legislation and economics in Cannabis and all the latest and newest in Hip Hop from new music coming out, album reviews and also highlighting independent artist or movements making noise. We do it our way from an insider’s perspective. We want spark the brain of those who want to continue to push our culture forward.

Subscribe to our magazine @

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POLITICS

TWITTER FILES: Pfizer official flagged tweet doubting need for COVID-19 vaccine

PG 58

The true motivation behind Malcolm X’s murder

PG 64

AS USUAL

Whats Melanin? and why we must understand this before we can become a unified humanity

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US Companies buying up Ukraine

PG 62

Twitter Files: Pfizer official flagged tweet doubting need for COVID-19

By Hector Richardson vaccine

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he W.H.O declared that social media companies were censoring accurate and truthful information about the vaccines and the pandemic because it did not suit the narrative of Big Pharma and the government.

On August 27th 2021 Scott Gottlieb a Pfizer director with over 550,000 Twitter followers saw a tweet he didn’t like and pressed Twitter to hide it. The post was challenging his company’s massively profitable Covid jabs mRNA.

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The tweet explained that natural immunity after Covid infection was superior to vaccine protection. It called on the White House to “follow the science” and exempt people with natural immunity from upcoming vaccine mandates. The tweet didn’t come from any “anti vaxxer” but from Dr Brett Giroir a physician who had briefly followed Gottlieb as the head of the FDA. The tweet further did encourage those without natural immunity to get vaccinated. By suggesting that some people do not need the Covid vaccinations, the tweet can raise questions about the shot.

Besides being a former FDA commissioner, a CNBC contributor, and a prominent voice on Covid public policy, Gottlieb was a senior board member at Pfizer, which depended on mRNA jabs for almost half of its $81 billion in sales in 2021. Pfizer paid Gottlieb $365,000 for that year. Gottlieb stepped in, emailing Todd O’Boyle a lobbyist in Twitter’s Washington office who was also Twitter’s point of contact to the White House.

The post was “corrosive,” Gottlieb wrote. He worried it would “end up going viral and driving news coverage”. Through Jira, an internal system Twitter used for managing complaints, O’Boyle forwarded Gottlieb’s email to the Twitteer “strategic response” team. That group was responsible for handling concerns from the company’s most important employees and users. “Please see this report from the former FDA commissioner” O’Boyle wrote- failing to mention that Gottlieb was a Pfizer board member with financial interest in pushing mRNA shots. A strategic response analyst quickly found that the tweet did not violate any of the company’s misinformation rules, yet Twitter wound up flagging Giroir’s tweet anyway putting a misleading tag on it and preventing almost anyone from seeing it.

Gottlieb is not just a Pfizer board member, he is one of 7 members of the board’s executive committee and head of its regulatory and compliance committee which oversees compliance laws, regulations, and internal procedures applicable to pharmaceutical sales and marketing activities.

Pfizer has a long history of violating drug industry laws and ethics rules. In 2009, it agreed to pay $2.3 billion, the largest health care fraud settlement in American history, for fraudulently marketing several drugs. In 1996, it conducted a clinical trial of an antibiotic in Nigeria in which 11 children died and it became an inspiration for John Le Carre’s novel “The Constant Gardener”. According to a bombshell new report by “Just The News”, the Biden White House Put immense pressure on FaceBook to remove “often true content” According to Bombshell new documents obtained in a federal censorship collusion lawsuit by Missouiri and Louisiana attorney generals. In recently released documents, White House director of digital strategy Rob Flaherty put huge amounts of pressure on FaceBook to remove a Washington Post article about vaccine hesitancy. In a March 14th, 2021 email with the subject line “you are hiding the ball”, White House director of digital strategy Rob Flaherty showed a FaceBook executive a Washington Post article on FaceBook about vaccine hesitancy on it’s own platform including fears of worst than expected adverse events, in the email thread was also President Biden’s Covid response team senior advisor Andy Slavitt. The FaceBook executive whose named was redacted replied to the email saying that was a “misunderstanding”, Flaherty then fired back telling the FaceBook executive that he has been “asking you guys pretty directly” about the extent to which “borderline content” is creating vaccine hesitancy, and wants to know “you’re trying” Flaherty continued as he puts pressure on FaceBook to censor Covid information.

The executive agreed that FaceBook needs to share information faster with the White House, and a week later provided a list of changes FaceBook was making.

One of them was “reducing the virality of content discouraging vaccines” that does not violate policy but “can be framed as sensation[sic], alarmist, or shocking”. FaceBook then responded to Flaherty with “next steps” where they would censor “often true content” just because the White House didn’t like it.

Now we know how the system really works. The Pandemic served as a revelation of what many of us have long suspected that there is a globalist agenda. Now we have proof that the White House regardless of who is in power along with mainstream media and social media companies work together controlling the narrative.

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Whats Melanin? and why we must understand this before we can become a unified humanity

by Mikael Shimshon hat is melanin? your body contains melanin, which is responsible for the color of your hair, eyes, and skin.

Your skin, hair, and eyes will be darker the more melanin you create. Genetics and the quantity of sun exposure your ancestors received are two factors that affect the amount of melanin in your body.

In order to guard against the damaging effects of the sun’s UV radiation, humanity first evolved dark skin in Africa. Some populations that migrated to other continents developed lighter skin to generate vitamin D more efficiently in places with little sunlight.

They discovered numerous, grouped around six distinct genes: SLC24A5, MFSD12, DDB1, TMEM138, OCA2, and HERC2. And they demonstrated that in the three countries under study, these variations account for a total of 29% of the diversity in skin tone.

That’s a sizable percentage! As a point of perspective, a comparable but much larger study found hundreds of genes that influence height, but that together only explain 16% of the variation observed in large populations. Tishkoff and her team turned to Africa, the place where humans is most physically and genetically diverse, to remedy this imbalance. In Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Botswana, they enlisted 1,570 volunteers from 10 different ethnic groups, and assessed the amount of the black pigment melanin in the skin of their inner arms. In order to determine which variants are linked to a person’s skin tone, the team then examined more

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The genetic variety of these tribes reflects their physical diversity.

The first gene to be implicated in human skin color, MC1R, is highly variable in European populations but strikingly constant in African ones. According to Tishkoff, based on this trend, some geneticists have come to the conclusion that because of the high evolutionary pressure for dark skin in Africa, any genetic variations that affected skin color were ruthlessly eliminated by natural selection. Tishkoff asserts, “That’s not accurate,” but this is what occurs when you only look at skin tone in Western nations. “There’s a lot of variation when you look at this African-centered approach.”

For instance, variations of the MFSD12 gene, which are connected to darker complexion, are more prevalent in East Africans with darker skin than the San, who have lighter skin. MFSD12 also demonstrates how discovering pigmentation genes can provide fresh information about the fundamental biology of our skin. The gene, which two years ago had no name at all, was connected to vitiligo, a disorder in which people get white patches on dark skin.

Tishkoff ’s colleagues demonstrated that the gene regulates the equilibrium between light and dark pigments by eliminating it in fish and mice.

A version of the SLC24A5 gene, which is also present in Western European populations, has historically been regarded as being “European” due to its strong correlation with lighter skin.

However, Tishkoff ’s group demonstrated that the variety arrived in East Africa from the Middle East several millennia earlier and long before the time of colonization. Today, it is widespread among Ethiopian and Tanzanian populations but uncommon elsewhere.

Importantly, the variation does not brighten skin tone to the same extent in East African races as it does in European groups. According to Jablonski, it serves as a harsh reminder that “a person can inherit a gene that imparts a certain feature in one population and yet not obviously show signs of that trait themselves.” It serves as a reminder that we shouldn’t jump to conclusions about a suspect’s skin color based just on the presence of a single genetic variant.

The results, says Carlson, “turn the tables” on the racist groups who “frequently gather around the patently incorrect idea that Africans are more genetically related to primordial hominids than Europeans.” “Europeans are really more likely to be genetically similar to big apes” at numerous genes that affect color of skin.

The University of Michigan’s Jedidiah Carlson, who has been monitoring how white supremacist organizations misuse genetic findings, concurs. “White nationalists interpret these qualities as a surrogate for better intelligence because physically recognizable traits widespread in modern Europeans, such as pale skin tone, are also assumed to have developed within European populations,” he claims. The history of SLC24A5 serves as a reminder that “Europeans are not the only people to have light skin pigmentation or, most likely, other ‘European’ features. As long as the human species has existed, human populations have interbred.

key contemporary human rights issue People of African descent’s current circumstances must be considered in light of both the heritage of slavery and ongoing discrimination, which promotes unfair and marginalized conditions. Even though slavery is now de facto still practiced in many parts of the world, despite the fact that it is now de jure prohibited in all nations.

A diverse group with a variety of histories, experiences, and identities is those of African descent. Their daily struggles and living situations are different. However, they are all connected by the fact that they have long been deprived of the opportunity to fully exercise their human rights, and it is feasible to identify a number of pressing problems that need to be resolved.

Structural and institutional racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance; • Inequality, marginalization and stigmatization; • Low levels of participation and underrepresentation in political and institutional decision-making processes; • Lack of adequate representation in the administration of justice; • Barriers to and inequality in the enjoyment of key human rights such as access to quality education, health services and housing, which results in the intergenerational transmission of poverty; • Inequality in access to labour markets; • Disproportionate presence in prison populations; • Racial profiling; • Limited social recognition and valuing of people of African descent’s ethnic and cultural diversity and contribution to society; • Intolerance against religions of African origin.

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US Companies buying up Ukraine

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By Mikael Shimshon “ It is obvious that American business can become the locomotive that will once again push forward global economic growth” Zelinsky

ou might have noticed the IMF and the World Bank and the kind of leverage that they require in order to give what they call loans but seem essentially like opportunities to take control of new territories and economies, and this is no different. You’ll be shocked to learn that they have a strong anti-union law before doing the types of deals that zelinsky describes. I.e. Now that for-profit growth possibilities are being generated, how can you use public money to produce these? circumstances well, I think only if you were to claim that Putin is like Hitler and we’re only doing this to aid people oh yes under these conditions I suppose you could what I feel this conflict affords us the opportunity to do is acknowledge how reductive our media have gotten part of the formula these days is to paint a situation as humanitarian or a crisis that demands a required resolution then in effect powerful Elite interests gain from it having that shape.

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“we have already managed to attract attention and have cooperation with such Giants of the International Financial and investment world as BlackRock JP Morgan and goldman Sachs” Zelinsky

They are not unquestionably positive factors. The companies JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, and BlackRock are not charities.

Who’s next in there the philanthropic organizations even humanitarian organizations aren’t that humanitarian Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation? even as the US and Europe saturate Ukraine with tens of billions of dollars’ worth of weaponry, using it as a front against Russia and igniting a bloody conflict that is wreaking havoc on the nation. Moreover, they are preparing to practically pillage its post-war economy. even if they are evocative words, the type of poetic language necessary to counteract the bland narrative we’re constantly fed, where we’re encouraged to, you know, assist Ukraine, aid the people there. You’re taught that because it’s the correct thing to do, but I don’t think that’s really what’s going on, do you?. representatives of Western industries and governments gathered in July, a group of tough neoliberal proposals calling for the eradication of labor regulations, the opening of markets, and tariff reductions were discussed in Switzerland. What is being proposed here is a recipe for corporatization: deregulate industries and sell privately held enterprises. If you’re familiar with the phrase “neoliberalism,” you’ll understand that this describes what has occurred in Western asset stripping has been popular in democracies for the past 20 or 30 years.

Finding publicly owned assets and selling them to private companies when they were constructed with public funds is a great way to make money, but what we’re seeing now in nations like ours— and likely yours if you’re American—is that it has a terrible impact on the economy that we live in.

It causes a housing crisis and, ultimately, it could be argued, the same manner that you had presidents in other nations like Gaddafi in Libya and Saddam Hussein in Iraq. This is a similar tactic to governments that needed to be destabilized and eventually had to have their leaders removed.When you enter a nation and say that you’re sort of assisting, you portray a really vivid and graphic picture of tyranny and humanitarian crises, but who do you bring in?

The Red Cross? No, it’s BlackRock, and in the end, they’re also talking about political influence and buy in Ukraine. Ukraine will enact legislation that will make it impossible for unions to manage salaries in the long run things like these have a price.

After a U.S.-sponsored coup d’état ousted Ukraine’s democratically elected government in 2014, the country has been violently destabilized. It’s essentially arguing that the War Beginning a lot earlier when the country’s current leader overthrew the government, sparking a civil war that lasted until February 24th, 2022, when Russia attacked the nation. Even the formulation of the war’s timeline took eight years. A creation of the mainstream media. When it comes to the geopolitical situation, which is comparable to a pandemic, we are only given a tiny fraction of the information; if we had access to the full picture, we would have said, Hey, hold on a minute, on the different ways to approach this on the different solutions that are available . If you have woken investigative citizens and told them to forget, you might bring the world to the verge of extinction. Right and left Forget about anything else, just give me the facts so I can decide what’s best for my family, my neighborhood, and myself. They won’t let us do that, which is why we’re constantly pitted against one another and given utterly absurd narratives that only apply to Washington.

“and everyone can become a big business by workin g with Ukraine, in Prior to Russia invating, a significant amount of all sectors from weapons and defense weaponry, military training, and assistance were sent to Ukraine by the US beginning in 2017, representatives of Western governments and compato construction, from communicanies conducted covert yearly conferences where they discussed how to profit from the Ukrainian tions to agriculture” Civil War they were fomenting. At these discussions, Western political and business leaders laid out a set of radical reforms they wanted to force Zelinsky on Ukraine on July 4th and 5th 2022, including the extensive privatization of state-owned industries and regulation of the economy.

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“You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear You’ve got to be taught from year to year You’ve got to be carefully taught.”

–Rodgers and Hammerstein, \“South Pacific”

The real reason Malcolm X was assassinated

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ifty-eight years ago, on Feb. 21, 1965, one Black man shot and killed another Black man and changed the course of history. The killer could have been from the FBI, he could have been from the Nation of Islam, he could have been a finger on the hand of both. Who the guy was, we do not know — all we know is that he was Black, he was effective, and that he was taught to think differently from Malcolm X even though they were the same color.

Malcolm X’s death changed the world.

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By Abigail McGrath

Because of that assassin, a way of thinking was effectively diluted. It still is to this day.

Malcolm was the bad boy of that era; Martin Luther King Jr. was the saintly one. Martin was nonviolent and turned the other cheek. Malcolm was for plucking out your eyeballs and teeth. It is true that they both had the same goals, they just went about it differently. It was the Beatles versus the Rolling Stones.

They both made beautiful music. Bad boys, however, don’t get a national holiday named after them. They may get a boulevard in Harlem, but not a paid vacation day. Saintly ones become martyrs.

Malcolm X voiced the thoughts that many people, mostly Black, were thinking but were afraid to say out loud.

“I’ll have them n______ voting Democratic for the next 200 years.”

–Lyndon B. Johnson [said to two governors regarding the Civil Rights Act of 1964, according to then–Air Force One steward Robert MacMillan]

The notion of Black people forming a political party that favored Blacks was an anathema to me. A political party should represent all the people, Black and white.

It should answer to the needs of all its constituencies. I never said that I was bright.

I was earnest, but not very bright. Huge numbers of Black people thought the same way. Malcolm was going too far. He must pull back on his rhetoric if he was going to attract college-educated Negroes like myself. Of course, I did not know about the Lyndon Johnson quote at the time. If I did, I probably would have made some sort of namby-pamby, rationalized excuse for him. I may have been college-educated, but it was a white college, and I had “liberal” white values. I didn’t know the difference between civil rights and human rights.

Malcolm taught me that.

Civil rights are the rights that a government gives to civilians. Human rights are the rights you have as a human being. Civil rights are protected by civil law; human rights should be protected by natural law — the right to life, education, employment, food, shelter. That’s not my definition, it is the definition of the United Nations. Black people had none of those rights. It never occurred to me that both mainstream political parties were white people who upheld the needs and the power of white people. They were one group of wealthy white people opposing a different group of wealthy white people as to who could steal the most from poor people who trusted them. True, they represented all the people. All the people who were wealthy and white.

Here it is 50 years later, and the vote still doesn’t mean anything. In fact, it’s going backward. The Democrats (the people’s party) couldn’t even protect the voting rights bill. This means that it will be state authorities who will be responsible to protect fair elections. Now, how do you think that is going to play in Georgia? Georgia’s Republicans are dancing up and down with joy with their success in sabotaging the Black vote.

Malcolm supported forming cooperative towns which were Black-owned, Black business, Black professionals, Black curriculum, and run by Black people. It was a good idea, I guess he never heard of Tulsa. If Malcolm had his way, there would have been massacres throughout the United States. Tulsa wasn’t the only self-sufficient Black community that was destroyed when the community got power. The Elaine Arkansas Riot in 1919, the Wilmington Insurrection of 1898, Africville, and many others were decimated as well. If Thornton Wilder’s play “Our Town” had been written by August Wilson about an all-Black town with an all-Black government, it would have been thought of as “agitprop” theater. I know, because I wrote one. The very thought that Black people could oversee their own lives scared the bejesus out of white people. They thought, “Oh, oh, what if the situation is reversed? Will they treat us the way we treated them? Will they learn to hate us from the lessons we taught them?”

Here is something Malcolm didn’t count on: white callousness and white guilt.

Malcolm thought of himself as a revolutionary. Revolutionary in thought and in action.

He wanted to put the power into the hands of the constituents who lived in communities. In the past, to do that, a lot of blood was shed. Patrick Henry shed a lot of blood, so did Washington. They were seeking freedom from England; Blacks were seeking freedom from the institutionalized racism as stated in the Constitution of the United States of America.

Malcolm wanted to have a bloodless revolution. “Give me freedom or give me death,” said Patrick Henry. “Let my vote mean something,” said Malcolm X.

Malcolm had a lot of brilliant theories, all of them about making the world a better place, all of them aimed at equalizing the races, distributing wealth more evenly, and instead of trying to bury 10 percent of America’s people, encourage them, extol them, because that 10 percent will make America stronger.

Historically, the cruel treatment of Black people from Jamestown to today has given some white people a thick skin, an inability to see a situation from another person’s point of view. Those kinds of white people haven’t a clue about life from the eyes of a Black person. Other white people feel so guilty that they are ashamed of being white. At a meeting of the M.V. Diversity Coalition, some people bemoan the fact that they are white, and own up to the atrocities their ancestors have bequeathed. They are aware of the privileges that come with being white, the luxury of being part of the ruling class, yet it churns in their stomachs and in their minds, and they cannot find peace. I’m not saying that we should feel sorry for these white people.

I’m simply saying that racism affects us all in different ways. Fannie Lou Hamer was clearheaded and firm when she talked about the bravery of the young white people who went to the South to organize the vote. She loved them as much as she loved those who needed to know that they could vote. Mrs. Hamer also recognized the need for Black sustainability.

Well, Malcolm understood her position, and it was when his attitude toward whites was evolving, that “they” shot him. Clearly, they had to. If Malcolm was given the opportunity to unite the exploited, to affect their thinking, all hell could break loose. Poor people would be helping other poor people across the board. Democracy would be about representing the majority by the majority.

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According to opensecrets.org, in 2012, the median net worth for members of the 113th Congress was $1,008,727. Skip ahead seven years to 2019, and the poverty threshold for a family of four was $25,926.

Now you know good and well that the concerns of the congressperson who is worth over a million dollars are not the same concerns as someone whose annual salary equals the congressperson’s weekly salary. There were 34 million people who lived below the poverty line in 2019.

Malcolm was beginning to realize that in addition to race, it was how you think that separates us. True, the white man can be your enemy, but then again, don’t wealthy Black people exploit workers as much as anyone else?

It’s how people think that separates them more than anything else.

When Malcolm returned from Mecca, he said, “That morning was the start of a radical alteration in my whole outlook about white men.”

In his introduction to “The Autobiography of Malcom X,” by M.S. Handler, he says that “Malcolm’s attitude toward the white man underwent a marked change in 1964.” Many people talked about his trip to Mecca. Charles Wilson said, “Even his attitude toward whites was affected by his experiences in that holy place … he became less and less doctrinairely antagonistic toward whites.” Those who followed Malcolm were disappointed in this change of attitude, and made a big fuss about denying it. In their heads, Malcolm could never become an “integrationist.” If only the covert assassination government agencies saw it that way, perhaps they would not have murdered him. The truth is, he was not talking about racial integration, he was talking about people sticking together with the same thoughts; the voter registration people 50 years ago, the non-Black, Black Lives Matter supporters of today. Having a community of like-minded people who understood the needs of humanity. Mecca taught him to see the beauty inside a person.

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He recognized that Daniel Shays did not risk his life by singing “We Shall Overcome,” he risked his life by gathering a group of like-minded men and threatening the government with pitchforks. That threat is what persuaded the “Founding Fathers” to write the Constitution. Malcolm didn’t dismiss Shays because he was white. Malcolm admired him because he represented his community.

So, what is our “bad boy’s” legacy? Well, the Black National Party, which had its roots with Marcus Garvey, evolved into the Black Panthers, then SNCC, SDS, and CORE, and now BLM. Everything Malcolm said is true; every single organization formed to empower Black people has been besmirched by politicians and the press.

In 1969 J. Edgar Hoover said, “The Black Panther Party, without question, represents the greatest threat to the internal security of the country. ‘Schooled in the Marxist-Leninist ideology and the teachings of Chinese Communist leader Mao Tse-tung, its members have perpetrated numerous assaults on police officers and have engaged in violent confrontations with police in cities throughout the country, Leaders and representatives of the Black Panther Party travel extensively all over the United States preaching their gospel of hate and violence not only to ghetto residents, but to students in colleges, universities, and high schools as well.”

The Panthers’ biggest campaigns were self-help programs, such as their breakfast for grammar school children.

In 2020, ex-President Trump said of the Black Lives Matter movement, “The stated goal of BLM organization, people, is to achieve the destruction of the nuclear family, abolish the police, abolish prisons, abolish border security, abolish capitalism, and abolish school choice — that’s what their stated goals are.”

To my knowledge no politician or news outlet has corrected either one of them.

It’s not color, it’s the way you think which separates us.

It’s the ability to have compassion, the ability to care. If it were color, no Black man would have killed Malcolm.

The idea of taking action for profit and greed, to take action against another human being to benefit yourself, those are the things that separate us at least as much as color.

Heights Chronicles Podcast @heightschroniclespodcast7887 @heights_chronicles

High Fashion The Air Max 90

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he Nike Air Max 90, a cornerstone of the sneaker culture, is still one of the most important creations to come out of the company’s inception. Although the silhouette’s original hues are some of the most important, during the past few decades it has also been the subject of notable general releases and collaborations. The Air Max 90, which was introduced in 1990 as its name would suggest, effectively replaced the Air Max 1 as Nike’s second flagship shoe. It was developed by architect Tinker Hatfield whose first thinking resulted into the original “Infrared” hue, a scheme believed to be the most popular and the most iconic. Following then, this color blocking served as the model for new releases that have amassed their own devoted fan bases.

Vibrant teal accents claim the silhouette’s horizontally ridged embellishments, including its initial quarter overlay, heel tab, and the base of its “AIR MAX” branding while also encircling the translucent Air Max bubble underfoot, taking design cues from the alternative “Mariners”-treated Nike Air Max Griffey 1. While the pair distinguishes itself from Griffey’s design by using a clean white base layer, matching laces, and tongue construction, a light grey overlay couples with a shadow grey Swoosh before jet-black colors wrap the model’s staple overlay and sectioned tread.

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The Air Max 90 has also emerged in a variety of unusual versions throughout the years, including FlyEase upgrades and ACG palettes. The Duck Camo colorway soon rose to fame because to its affiliation with Japanese shop atmos, a now-immortal imprint that subsequently issued the adored “We Love Nike” bundle as a significant follow-up. It has since returned to the limelight thanks to not one, but three current incarnations. Next, UNDEFEATED erected their strike logo flags over the figure with some futuristic alterations and motorsports-inspired additions.

And though 2020 has been riddled with injustice and viral outbreaks, the year has been relatively kind to the Air Max 90 early on. As a celebration of the model’s 30th anniversary, Nike provided it a total reconstruction that made it that much closer to the OG pairs. They slimmed the overall profile down by a large margin through tweaks to the panel scale, toe box height, and heel counter. After an initial Triple White release, the newly recrafted AM90 took a tour through its many iconic appearances.

The Nike Air Max 90 currently retails for around $120 USD, but special editions will garner a premium price tag that can float around upwards of $180 USD.

Futura tooling has lent an updated aesthetic to The Swooshes’ wide-ranging Air Max efforts, rendering an expressive slate of disparate textures most widely attributed to the Nike Air Max 90. While the model has recently indulged in a reserved palette of primary colors, the latest composition enjoys an earthy outlook with vibrant hits.

Collaborations with Tiffany & Co. has sneakerheads yearning for a touch of luxury in their footwear. What if you could achieve the look without having to shell out $400 for retail (and likely a lot more on the secondary market)? fot this upcoming Air Max 90, Nike let’s the detailing do all the talking. Sticking to an all-white leather upper base.

The Nike Air Max 90 has recently been welcomed into an early slate of springtime aesthetics with vibrant pastels and the named neutrals, but this “Elemental Gold” edition is recalling a darkened ensemble to battle the still dismal winter months. Via horizontally ridged quarter panels and laces, color-matched entities further envelop the shape by centering their top tooling on a closely knit base layer of jet-black mesh. A stronger coat of wheat envelops the upper’s dominating suede overlay and layered tongue construction in a dramatic departure from the used monochrome ensemble, save for its infrequent “Summit White” highlights placed around the expanded tongue tab, midfoot Swoosh, and branded Air Max panel. The lower half of the silhouette is covered almost entirely in a clad-black association, matching the murdered-out heel tab and coating the tumbled leather of its midfoot overlay before returning to its predominate rendering along the midsole before the trio of aforementioned tones separates along the tread.

Suedes have recently received a lot of attention while discussing the Nike Air Max 90. The most recent upgraded Air Max endeavor indulges in a “Sequoia” coated proposal, maintaining the military-inspired looks of earlier years. Fading “Medium Olive” hues cover the base layer and seldom ridged overlay, while “Sequoia” is used to dawn the suede overlay and quarter, establishing as many shades of green as the silhouette’s usage of textures. In a slightly off-putting contrast, the laces and presiding tight mesh tongue structure are predominantly brown while the midfoot Swoosh, heel counter symbol, and AIR MAX logo, which is located just under the latter check, are all lime-colored.

Black and white are combined for a monochromatic look across the sole unit, with a final neon hue illuminating the tongue tab and cushioning system beneath the foot. See the official pictures of the Nike Air Max 90 “Sequoia/Medium Olive” below as we wait for more release information. The New Balance 9060 explores “Olive/Maroon” accents for a more rugged design.

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The Nike Air Max 90 now features a Roswell Rayguns-inspired hue. During the last several months, the Beaverton company has experimented with the appearance of its signature Swoosh, portraying it in melting circumstances and spray-painted aesthetics. The dominant jet-black shoe retains its association with Dr. Funk and his squad of All-Stars despite without any spray paint cans or gun-wielding mascots thanks to brilliant orange and yellow hits on each of the mid-foot Swooshes.

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Nike’s commitment to sustainability has resulted in items like the Air Max Terrascape 90, which was just released in the hues “Pure Platinum” and “Hyper Royal.” The undisclosed pair, like previous Terrascape products, is made entirely of recycled materials on the upper and sole. The upper part of the shoe is made up of materials like canvas, plastic, and other neutral-colored materials, with bright blue swoosh emblems at the sides. The midsole and outsole combination are more obvious signs of the sneaker’s recycled origin than the multicolored components on the spine. While the underfoot traction adopts a Nike Grind composition, the semi-translucent midsole displays Crater Foam, a substance made from leftover materials.

The Nike Air Max 90 is still a popular choice for sneakers worldwide even if it is no longer celebrating a significant anniversary. A blend of fall-appropriate colors have been used to debut Tinker Hatfield’s classic design for the first full week of the new year. The third official Air Max design, which made its 1990 premiere with a heavily-grey and off-white color scheme, is mostly imitated in the arrangement of the unpublished pair. A wine-reminiscent “Burgundy Crush,” however, animates everything the sneaker’s “Infrared” flair would: TPU eyelets, profile swooshes, and labels on the top of the tongue. Visible Air units also take on the aforementioned reddish tone, injecting a regal look into the sneaker.

The Air Max lineup has abruptly lost appeal in the sneaker world, which now largely favors Dunks, New Balance, and even Salomons.

Yet, as March draws nearer, Nike is making a number of preparations for Air Max Day, including introducing fresh colors of timeless designs like the Air Max 90. One of the numerous new additions to the collection is the Air Max 90 “Diffused Blue.” Yet, in contrast to the alternatives preceding it, this pair favors a much simpler, more plain color blocking, with cool tones adorning not just the suede overlays but also the mesh inserts, eye stays, laces, and other similar elements.

Although Tinker Hatfield’s Air Max cushioning design has recently been claimed by a wave of suede mudguards and overlays, the Nike Air Max 90’s clad-canvas construction has also given a wide range of modifications to the early 1990s mainstay. Yet as the chilly winter months continue, The Swooshes sportswear company is making a daisy-colored effort to anticipate spring. The pair’s densely woven canvas construction completely envelops the top, with the exception of the horizontally ridged overlays and heel counter. It is striking in almost every way. In keeping with the aesthetic of the warmer months, the Air Jordan 1 Low “Year of the Rabbit” pairs color-coordinated fuzzy laces with an all-white upper.

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GREEN BRO FARMS INC

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he most commonly asked question asked being in the Medical Cannabis Industry How can I get in the industry? is generally the first question asked. I alwaysreply first with what state can you move to and want to live in or do you wantto just buy stocks and invest or actually be in the industry and if so, in what aspect of the industry. Once the indivdual decides which direction they want to go is do you want to be on the corporate side or non corporate side of the business.

Usually the next question is how much will it cost, then the convo gets alot more detailed depending on which state and role they would like to playin the industry. As of now I tell them Michigan has the best laws & cheapestliceneses in the country on both the corporate & non corporate side.

In Michiganwe have a caregiver system as several other states that allows every resident of age to grow 12 plants for themselves as well as having upto 5 patients totally 72 plants per person and no cap asto to caregiver per residence, so in essence, sky is literally the limit. Yes the weather is a bit of a challenge hear and not for beginners and those not prepared being cold, wet and fluctuating weather & insanse humanity which is why the licenses are cheap because only seasoned vets will survivein Michigan, we’re not like northern california growers that have the most optimal conditions in the country with tempature & humidity.

By Jason Green

The next question if they made it this far is how much money can I make. Which is an unknown answer because their are so many avenues to travel down in this industry and finding what your place is. Like everything in life, its what you make it. The biggest thing I suggest to anyone getting into the industry is to know how the industry is moving as the industry is forever changing along with this country.

The industry is different in every state on both the corporate and non corporate side. With the biggest inflation in this country in the last 40 years we’ve seen the prices and value drop 50% across the board really hitting hard at the beginning of 2022. The #1 reason being that California has supplied 80% of the country the last 25 years and now more and more states are becoming legal there is a major war going on over real estate between local states forcing California products out which has resulting in the value of products to drastically drop 1 year ago. Alot of people who jumped in 2020 when all of the PPP money was floating around have all mostly given up of dreams that they would become rich instantly. So Im clear this industry is not for everyone if your intention is to solely make money and become rich. In michigan weve seen many local growshops go out of business, dispensary prices drop to street value prices and taken the biggest hit ever in 2022, where the price of growers in California & Oregon has dropped to as low as $400 a pound in which has put us at this point in time where California is now in a decifit vs a surplus and 75% of the businesses are now going out of business and the governor of California has chose to move the 15% sales tax of growers to the dispensaries so the corporate side in Calirfornia & Oregon is on the brink of callopse as states like Oklahoma have not entered the market place and laws, cost etc has become the great escape for alotof Cali & Oregon growers along with states like Nevada, New Mexico all fighting for market share.

So in short there is a national fight going on in 2023 to restore the natural balance as the original west coast states try to stay alive as more and more product is circulating all over the country. Until Cali & Oregon fall and completely tap out, prices will most likely stay super low in most states, but its all about who you know as well as what you know and having partners in different states is what its really coming down to survivng in this industry right now. So I would tell anyone to focus on your distribution and quality of your product as the industry is becoming very personal as more celebrities are aligning with companies & brands.

But if your not in it to get rich and for the healing aspect of it, their is where you’ll find your true wealth eventually.

Being versatile is a must in this industry or you will not survive beyong the hobbyist level. You have to go to events, network and see where thing are moving in your area and become the niche and you’ll be find.

In closing I would say focus on your mission in life, if growing the plant to hear people is it you’ll be find. I believe 2023 will be an interesting year asto will the value & prices stay the same, increase like every other product in america but I don’t beleive it can get any lower than it is right now. But inevitably it will be decriminalized most likely which is 85 years overdue and the the industry will forever change. Find your window of opportunity, have a realistic game plan and timeline based on your financial situation and stick to it. Realistic would be 5 years minimum and network with others who are in field that are willing to share advice. It will save you alot of time and money vs experimenting because every state and terrain in America is differen from the heat in the west to the cold up north, prepare and good luck

INDIE GRIND

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Whether you’re an up-and-coming artist In addition to his exceptional looking to make a name for yourself, or design skills, JaySee is also known a established brand looking to refresh for his ability to help clients unyour image, JaySee has the skills and ex- derstand the importance of good perience to help you achieve your goals. branding. He works closely with His passion for hip hop and dedication his clients to help them understand to his craft make him one of the top the key elements of a strong brand, designers in the industry. and how to effectively communiOne of JaySee’s most notable projects cate their unique identity to their was the creation of the logo for Pack target audience. He helps clients to Bros, a cannabis brand that was featured define their brand’s mission, values, in a music video starring The Gatlin, 4 and personality, and to develop a Racc from The Mechanix and Mistah visual identity that reflects those In addition to his work in the music Fab. For this project, JaySee drew inelements. JaySee understands the industry, JaySee has also made a name spiration from the gritty, underground importance of creating a consistent for himself in the cannabis industry, feel of the hip hop scene, and created a and recognizable brand image and designing logos for brands such as Pack logo that was bold, striking, and imme- make sure that the visual elements Bros and Hidden Treasure. His unique diately recognizable. The logo featured a of the brand are consistent across approach and deep understanding of stylized version of the Pack Bros name, all channels, from social media to the culture and community make him set against a backdrop of red and blue packaging. He believes that a strong a valuable asset to any brand looking to shipper colors, which perfectly captured brand is essential to building trust establish a strong visual identity. the brand’s image and identity. and credibility with customers, and helps clients to create a brand that is memorable, recognizable and “Your brand is the single most stands out from the competition. aySee is a graphic designer and brand strategist who has made a name for himself in the industry over the past couple years. Growing up, JaySee was introduced to hip hop culture through B-boying, and quickly rose through the ranks to become one of the top b-boys in his home city. As a member of a renowned b-boy crew, JaySee honed his skills and developed a deep understanding of the culture and community.

important investment you can make in your business.” Steve Forbes

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“Branding is the process of creating a relationship or connection between a company’s product and emotional perception of the customer.” - Shane Gibson

JaySee understands the importance of creating a consistent and recognizable brand image and make sure that the visual elements of the brand are consistent across all channels, from social media to packaging. He believes that a strong brand is essential to building trust and credibility with customers, and helps clients to create a brand that is memorable, recognizable and stands out from the competition.

JaySee’s expertise in branding and visual identity systems, coupled with his deep understanding of hip hop culture, make him an invaluable resource for artists, musicians, businesses and cannabis brands looking to establish a strong and recognizable brand in their industry.

Today, JaySee uses his knowledge and passion for hip hop to help artists and brands establish their visual identities.

He has worked with a wide range of musicians, creating designs for artists such as The Gatlin, Bueno, Locksmith, Beeda Weeda, Unlearn The World, and Crown Royyal. He has also created graphics for high-profile shows, featuring Rakim and The Lox and State Property, and also he designed an ad that was displayed in New York’s Time Square.

“A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is - it is what consumers tell each other it is.” - Scott Cook 75

JaySee offers an alternative to “Cookie cutter mass produced graphics” pre-made, generic designs that are often offered on platforms such as Fiverr or other freelance marketplaces. These graphics are created to be used by multiple people or businesses, and are not unique or tailored to any specific brand or company. They are often low-cost and easy to obtain, but lack the personalization and attention to detail that a professional designer like JaySee can provide. It’s important to note that these type of graphics are not always a bad thing, and can be useful for small businesses or startups that don’t have a big budget for a professional branding and design work. However, if a company wants to establish a unique and recognizable brand, it is important to invest in a professional graphic designer who can create a custom visual identity that truly represents the company’s values and mission.

“Branding is not just about getting your target market to select you over the competition, but it is about getting your prospects to see you as the only one that provides a solution to their problem.” - Steve McKee

JaySee, as a professional designer with over 20 years of experience, understands that a good branding is important to differentiate a business from its competitors and establish a strong relationship with the target audience. He also knows that a good branding is not only about a logo, but also about creating a consistent image, tone and message across all the company’s touchpoints. As a self-taught designer with over 20 years of experience designing, JaySee understands the importance of creating a strong and recognizable brand for his clients, regardless of their budget. He is able to provide his clients with the same level of expertise and attention to detail that a big agency would offer, but without the high cost associated with working with a large agency.

“A brand is a living entity - and it is enriched or undermined cumulatively over time, the product of a thousand small gestures.” - Michael Eisner

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JaySee approaches each project with a focus on understanding his clients’ needs, goals and target audience, and works closely with them to create a visual identity that truly reflects their brand. He is able to provide a big agency feel, but with a more personalized approach that is tailored to the specific needs of his clients. This way, his clients can have a professional and unique branding without breaking the bank.

In summary, JaySee offers a professional design service that can help companies and artists establish a unique and recognizable brand, without the high costs often associated with working with a big agency. He provides a personalized and tailored service that can help you achieve your goals on budget and with a sense of quality.

“Your brand is the promise you make to your customers, and the promise you keep to them.” Scott Bedbury

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