The list of prominent celebrities claiming their stake in the “Green Rush” continues to grow. Particularly, in the Hip Hop industry. On Friday, B-Real of Cypress Hill—one of the most notoriously green-friendly hip-hop groups in recent memory—officially took his talents to the legal marijuana industry by co-opening a new LA-based dispensary.
Its name? None other than Dr. Greenthumb.
For all you youngsters (or total squares) unfamiliar with Cypress Hill, Dr. Greenthumb was the name of a 1998 track produced by B-Real. The song—if you couldn’t already tell by the name—is about growing bud. While being a “Dr. Greenthumb'” wasn’t quite legal back then, it certainly is now.
How life comes full circle.
B-Real Of Cypress Hill Opens Dispensary
On Wednesday, the dispensary, which is part-owned by B-Real, officially opened its doors in Sylmar, Los Angeles. B-Real, unsurprisingly, was at the event, taking pictures and chatting it up with fans.
The rapper, whose real name is Louis Freese, sounded upbeat about the prospects of his new dispensary in an interview with Los Angeles Magazine. What separates his business from other prominent cannabis dispensaries in the area, Freese explained, is the fact that they are constantly toying with new, exotic strains. According to Freese, the industry is rapidly changing, so diversification of product is key.
“When we started out the brand, it was based on ‘OG Kush’ strains, because, at the time, that was the sought-out strain in Southern California,” B-Real said. “As the industry and culture evolves, exotic strains hit the market, and now there a new demand for those. We’ve been developing new strains for some time, to have the options people are looking for now.”
Although Freese is certainly basking in the prospects of a potentially lucrative marijuana endeavor, the LA native hasn’t always been thrilled with California’s recreational industry. In fact, he was staunchly against Proposition 64—the bill which legalized recreational cannabis throughout California—when it was first proposed. The bill, Freese contends, is too heavily regulated. However, he ultimately believes the state will make the necessary changes as they get more and more comfortable with the once-taboo industry.
“I was opposed to it at the time because some of the new regulations and penalties along with overwhelming taxation which seemed to be unfair to smaller businesses,” he wrote in an e-mail to Marijuana Moment. “Additionally, a number of other complicated issues that are just now being addressed with new and changing policies. I still think there are things that need further due diligence to give the small business owner a chance at succeeding before the big businesses start to come into play.”
Freese also thinks that loosened restrictions will help push out the still-prevalent black market.
“You just have to figure out a way to keep what you’re doing in the shop at a quality that will compete with anything,” he said to ABC 7.
Cypress Hill And Weed
While the particular views of B-Real might make his entrance to the industry somewhat of a shock, his music career says otherwise.
Cypress Hill has long been considered a pro-cannabis rap group, and, in a broader sense, huge advocates for the legalization of the plant.
Look no further than their 1993 album Black Sunday for additional proof of the group’s advocacy.
The song was filled with cannabis-centric tracks such as “Hits from the Bong,” “I Wanna Get High and of course, “Legalize It.”
In the company’s press release issued Friday, B-Real acknowledged that his music career laid the foundation for this particular endeavor.
“We have a lot of history behind us as it relates to music and the pro-legalization movement.”
