What works in hip-hop doesn't necessarily cross over to cannabis, rapper Xzibit is learning now that his weed brand Napalm's being removed from store shelves in California.
Based on Xzibit's 2012 album Napalm, the product packages include pre-rolls and flower stuffed inside grenade and bomb-style containers. What was initially a questionable marketing strategy has now backfired with bias against Asian-Americans in the U.S. on the rise.
Napalm was dropped by American bombers during the Korean War and Vietnam War after being introduced in World War II. It creates fiery explosions and causes major burns. Napalm is banned from being used on civilian populations.
Xzibit: "My intention for naming the cannabis company Napalm was by no means affiliated or a nod to the devastation it has had in its past."
In a four-minute video post, Xzibit apologized, but refused to change the brand name or stop using grenade and bomb packaging:
"Last week our IG page for Napalm was taken down because we were being accused of promoting something that was devastating to the Asian community during the Vietnam War and the Korean War. Lots of thought has gone into this, and we are not tone-deaf and we are really understanding of the climate of everything that's going on right now in the world. I just wanted to take a couple of seconds to give some people some education about where the name of this company came from, how we view it and our intention. The word napalm is definitely synonymous with war and being used as a weapon. If you know anything about me and my body of work, you know I got albums called Weapons of Mass Destruction and Man vs. Machine, and so on and so forth. This album here [holds up a CD] is called Napalm. I put this album out in 2012. This is where the branding for Napalm came from. That's the font we use, that's the flame we use. So, it was based off this album. It transcended into how we built our cannabis company. But, that's neither here not there.
"My intention for naming the cannabis company Napalm was by no means affiliated or a nod to the devastation it has had in its past. I think the creative license that I use for Napalm is purely based out of my body of work as an artist. There's been calls for banning of the company and banning the use of the word napalm. My intention here is to just let everyone know that as a Black man I understand discrimination and hatred. I understand what that does to communities, how it affects communities. I'm not tone-deaf to that. So, just to clarify the position that we have at Napalm Cannabis: We by no means acknowledge, justify or feel as though that we are promoting violence towards the Asian community. We stand with the Asian community. We stand firmly in that belief that our intentiions and our directives and iniitiatives are for the positive of the cannabis community and also for the enrichment of the community around us. We plan to do many, many things for our community and within our community - not just the cannabis community, but the community at large.
"So, I apologize for anybody who feels that's what we were trying to do, but that is not in fact what we were tying to do. It is an extension of my album from 2012. I appreciate all the feedback, we are willing to listen, we are willing to do whatever we can to make sure that everyone undertands and clarifies our position, and we appreciate everyone supporting Napalm Cannabis. Let's continue the conversation. Peace."
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Despite numerous references to not being tone-deaf, Xzibit appears to be. The name Napalm is bad enough, but the grenade and bomb imagery are even worse. Perhaps he's catering to the Soldier of Fortune crowd or Proud Boys who like to stock up on guns and ammo. It's time for Xzibit to show some smarts and pivot away from Napalm.
