Shawn Carter may have started as a crack dealer in Brooklyn’s notorious Marcy Projects, but Jay-Z is now a legitimate cannabis entrepreneur after dropping the first products from his cannabis company, Monogram.
Monogram represents the first fruits of Carter’s newly formed joint venture The Parent Company – for which he’s been named Chief Visionary Officer – combining his Roc Nation brand with California cannabis companies Caliva and Left Coast Ventures. A press release issued on December 10 said Monogram “seeks to redefine the cannabis category by taking an individualistic approach to describing product experience” with four numbered strains – No. 88 Medium, No. 96 Heavy. No. 70 Heavy and No. 01 Medium. The strain catagories are
"light" (sativa) “medium” (hybrid) and “heavy” (indica).
Monogram was officially announced in October, but the products just become available in Los Angeles and the San Francisco-Bay Area. After 18 months of "careful strain selection and meticulous cultivation practices," Monogram unveiled the brand by sending VIP boxes to influencers.
Jay-Z: “Cannabis has been around for thousands of years, yet it is still an industry whose legacy of skilled craftmanship is often overlooked,” said Jay-Z. “I created Monogram to give cannabis the respect it deserves by showcasing the tremendous hard work, time and care that go into crafting a superior smoke. Monogram products are next level when it comes to quality and consistency and we’re just getting started.”
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CelebStoner received one of these highly sought-after boxes. It contained three products: flower, OG Handroll and Loosie’s Pre-Rolls. Here's our review:
• The OG Handroll: Wrapped in a cigar-style blunt inside a slick black tube casing, this fancy preroll costs $50. The “proprietary roll technique” developed by Monogram's Culture & Cultivation Ambassador DeAndre Watson allows the flower to burn slowly and evenly over multiple sessions. This is a great example of the quality Jay-Z brings to the product; it has a smooth pull and a potent kick with a slow-burning wrap that encourages you to let it rest on the ashtray and then light it up again later when you're ready for another sesh.
• The Loosies: This take-off of when people used to buy so-called “loose joints” in New York in the ’70s and ’80s comes in a pack of four pre-rolled half joints (.4 grams each). Monogram’s No. 70 "heavy" strain with a THC content of 31% filled these mini-prerolls. The pack, containing four in black tubes, runs $40. These quick hitters provide a pleasant buzz that makes it best used as an eye-opener in a “wake-and-bake” situation, with its miniature size offsetting the relatively high THC percentage.
• The Flower: Available in both two-gram ($40) and four-gram ($70) jars, Monogram’s No. 01 "medium" strain with a 34% THC content came with the sampler. Perhaps the most impressive of the Monogram product line, the single glistening green-and-purple bud represents a top-of-the-line strain that packs an impressive wallop, whether smoked or vaped. One look and you appreciate Jay Z’s commitment to upmarket quality.
The press release added that Monogram "offers a clear and considered sensory description for every product within the line. The newly introduced Monogram strains – No. 88, No. 96, No. 70 and No. 01 – are currently available via the brand's three product classes."
"Perhaps the most impressive of the Monogram product line, the single glistening green-and-purple bud represents a top-of-the-line strain that packs an impressive wallop."
Monogram flower is cultivated at The Parent Company’s flagship growing facility in San Jose using a batch-by-batch approach. Carter first partnered with Caliva in July 2019 to bring his flagship cannabis line to life. In November, Subversive Capital Acquisition Corp. entered into an agreement with Jay-Z, Roc Nation, Caliva and Left Coast Ventures to form TPCO (The Parent Company) Holding Corp., a transaction that's expected to close in January.
