Jay-Z Launches ‘Monogram’ Cannabis Line With Caliva

Hip-hop mogul and businessman Jay-Z has officially launched his first cannabis line with Caliva, the California weed company he joined as chief brand strategist in July 2019.

The product line arriving today (Oct. 23), dubbed MONOGRAM, seeks to “redefine what cannabis means to consumers today” through “careful strain selection, meticulous cultivation practices and uncompromising quality,” according to a press release. The brand launches through an e-commerce platform of the same name.

MONOGRAM builds on Jay-Z’s growing arsenal of businesses, all of which have helped him earn the title of rap’s first billionaire. The artist who famously rapped “I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man” is the owner of streaming service Tidal and entertainment company Roc Nation, which encompasses artist and athlete management, recording, publishing, touring, film and television, and has also formed partnerships with liquor brands like Armand de Brignac and D’Usse. To help promote MONOGRAM, Jay-Z debuted a new Tidal playlist, “Monogram: Sounds From The Grow Room,” including tracks like Fela Kuti’s “Expensive Shit” and Peter Tosh’s “Legalize It.”

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Jay-Z Joins Cannabis Company as Chief Brand Strategist

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Jay-Z’s role at the San Jose-based Caliva not only involves advising the company on creative decisions, outreach efforts and strategy, but also advocating for the social justice issues related to weed legalization. The aggressive enforcement of marijuana possession laws has been shown to have a racial bias: Despite roughly equal usage rates, Black Americans are 3.73 times more likely than whites to be arrested for possession, according to the ACLU.

Find out more about MONOGRAM at the brand’s website and official  Instagram. Jay-Z isn’t the only hip-hop artist to have entered the weed business: Snoop Dogg, 2 Chainz and Wiz Khalifa all have their own strains.