Wu-Tang’s Raekwon the Chef and Charlamagne tha God held a Grand Opening for their dispensary Hashstoria in the heart of downtown Newark.
The company was co-founded by Raekwon the Chef of the Wu-Tang Clan, the popular podcast host Charlamagne Tha God, civil rights advocate and attorney Bakari Sellers, and entrepreneur Jedd Canty of Maryland.
Party Atmosphere
Raekwon’s solo music was playing giving it a nightclub party atmosphere on a Wednesday afternoon.
A large crowd was eager to be there at the opening. Many leading local cannabis figures were there like Real Cannabis Entrepreneur conference founder Gary George, Josh Alb of Cannademix, real estate specialist Colby Piper, and other longtime cannabis businesspeople, advocates consumers who made it a great scene.
The place was well decorated with a colorful mural of Newark in the back and clouds on the walls.
Raekwon’s record awards made for some memorable decorations.
Raekwon the Chef on the Record with Heady NJ
Heady NJ caught up with Raekwon for an interview. He was with Newark Councilman Dupree Kelly and a few others in the back after working the party.
(A podcast version of the interview with Raekwon will be available soon!)
Coming Back to Old Hang Outs in Newark
“This is one of the places I grew up, number one. Ya know, Staten Island and Newark been so close together. These were like my stomping grounds as a kid. These streets taught us hip hop,” Raekwon explained.
“Just coming to parties. We came for clubs like Sensation, Peppermint Lounge. These were rough places back then,” he noted.
Raekwon recounted that he snuck into some clubs and saw Queen Latifah and Shaq when he was younger.
“Weed saved our lives. I tell people that all the time. That gave us inspiration while we were listening to the music,” he explained.
Raekwon said smoking joints of the Thai stick land race cultivar or strain is his favorite method of cannabis consumption.
Independent and MSO Cannabis Products Available
Raekwon explained he understood the need to provide quality cannabis products.
“It’s good for you, and it’s pure. No pesticides. No weird things,” he said about their selection. “It’s important … we give you top-notch quality.”
Ambassadors promoted a range of brands at the HS opening.
In addition, in display cases, they had new flower brands like North Lake Supply’s pre-rolls, concentrates from Mudd Brothers, and Precious pre-rolls from a white labeling deal with Clade 9 of California. The vape maker Fernway of Massachusetts was prominently displayed in a case too.
They also had the brand Illicit of Missouri, which took over Harmony’s growing operation. Prolific Grow House flower brand was also tabling.
There were also a few large Multi-State Operator (MSO) brands and ambassadors there.
Upcoming Newark Cannabis Consumption Lounge
“This was pretty much a dream we wanted to manifest. This will be a consumption lounge over the next couple years where people can come upstairs, and we can have great events,” Raekwon explained.
“It’s all about empowering the community to be greater and feel that confidence that they have our support,” he said. “This wellness center is designed for those types of things to happen.”
But that depends on the NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJCRC). They have not said anything about the legal cannabis lounge approval process since January.
There is a great demand for legal weed lounges as a place to hang out and smoke weed in a place where the cannabis community can gather in peace.
Harnessing Celebrity for Social Good
“I remember sitting down and talking to strong Black leaders who always said the power lays in y’all. We were so much inspired by the you know, um, the civil rights movement and everything they did. But we don’t even realize we had 20 times that power,” RK explained.
“We never took the time to communicate and really nourish our minds,” RK added. “Sometimes that comes with growth.”
“It takes a village to raise people, especially our youth, our younger cats,” Raekwon said.
“These kids today, a lot of them don’t know how to read, write,” he noted. “Even if we get the one, we did our job. And then the one will multiply to ten.”
“It’s more about getting our people’s businesses in here and kind of supporting everybody,” Raekwon said.
Hw endorsed home grow legalization.
“Everybody should be able to grow. This is God’s broccoli man! This is God’s gift man!” Raekwon declared. “We gotta let the Most High nurture us. He gave us something that’s pure.”
Getting into Newark
“Charlamagne tha God, you know, said Newark should be a place we should pay attention to. It’s something we really fell in love with. It made sense. Newark is a sense that is growing right now,” Raekwon explained.
He noted explained they got the right lawyers and team and then applied.
“It wasn’t an easy walk. Jersey is one of those tough states,” Raekwon said.
Newark has many residents who are pro-cannabis. However, more socially conservative churchgoers have had concerns. ThT harmed locals from opening due to hysterical, irrational concerns about dispensaries near parks clauses made in Newark’s cannabis laws.
Unfortunately, larger, well-funded companies can charm and jump through the hoops of a limited market more easily than smaller companies.
“Of course, I’m going to make a strain,” Raekwon said about future plans.
“My mission is to get everybody’s strain in here, and it’s a strain with a positive message and a cause behind it,” he added.
Hashstoria Ownership Background
Raekwon explained they Hashstoria in Oregon.
“We already had some land out there,” he said. “But it’s a smaller shop.”
Raekwon is from Staten Island, NY, while Charlemagne and Sellers are from South Carolina.
Raekwon has had a storied show business after being raised on the streets of New York City and growing up in Staten Island.
Co-owner Bakari Sellers was a politician in South Carolina and has become a talking head on CNN. He emphasized the brand’s dedication to social equity and community engagement.
“We are committed to working with the great city of Newark to safely and legally expand the cannabis industry here,” said Sellers.
Charlamagne tha God has a very popular podcast called “The Breakfast Club” where he interviewed Vice President Kamala Harris when she was running for President and asked her about cannabis legalization.
After it was announced former President Donald Trump won the election, Charlamagne tha God was asked by the big media company Politico about the election, and he blamed economic issues.
Canty is a venture capitalist in cannabis with his own firm.
The NJCRC sent a letter awarding an annual license to open in October 2023 to Joshua Sanderlin. The Washington, DC-based Sanderlinm was likely just their lawyer who handled paperwork.
Brick City Weed Dispensaries
Newark is positioned to play a central role in the NJ cannabis industry. Urb’n dispensary was the first to open and was followed by Treeotics and City Leaf dispensaries. More are expected.
