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Over the course of the last decade, "rapper weed" has gone from a tier of potency to a lucrative and all too logical brand expansion for some of hip-hop's most industrious stoners. In fact, many didn't even wait for states to legalize recreational purchase and use to cash in on the early phases of rap's "green rush." Veterans like Snoop Doggand Berner were amongst hip-hop's first (and frankly, most predictable) founders of cannabis companies.
In 2015, Snoop launched his (now-defunct) Leafs by Snoop product line before moving on to start a weed-centeric media outlet in MERRYJANE and Casa Verde Capital, an investment fund catering to cannabis businesses. Berner, on the other hand, founded Cookies, one of the industry's most readily-identifiable brands, flipping the notoriety he gained from popularizing a sought-after strain into a global cannabis empire. Cookies has tentacles at every level of production, from cultivation to curation to establishing brick and mortar dispensaries all over the world and even partnering with other rappers to present exclusive top-shelf strains.
Now, as the industry enters a new era driven by celebrity activations, generally destigmatized consumption, and growing demands for federal legalization, other longtime cannabis connoisseurs are entering the market and developing some of the strongest flowers ever smoked. Within the last few years alone, 2 Chainz, JAY-Z, Lil Wayne, and Curren$y have all entered the weird and wild world of rapper weed strains with their own collections of "luxury" products, offering a range of carefully-selected flower strains, pre-rolls, edibles, concentrates, and the like. The sheer breadth of wildly potent new strains from rappers and their companies makes it impossible to personally test each of these products. But thanks to a handful of crowdsourced strain indexes and review-welcoming online marketplaces — shoutout Leafly, Weedmaps, Allbud, and every dispensary with a site that isn't awful — we finally have the (scientific and purely speculative) data to determine which rapper weed strains are truly in a league of their own.
Here's a definitive ranking of the most potent weed strains from hip-hop legends in the cannabis industry. Smokers beware: these are mostly not for amateur lungs. Choose (and use) responsibly.
Cam'ron's debut in the cannabis market provides a strong yet functional buzz without the couch-lock. Source: GFive Cultivation
THC Content: 18.6%
Rapper: Cam'ron
Cam'ron's debut in the cannabis market is a properly pink Sativa-leaning hybrid that provides a strong yet functional buzz without the couch-lock. According to Hytiva, smokers report experiencing a clean and energetic creative spark that could also pair well with working out. The namesake strain in the Harlem rapper's new collaborative collection with GFive Cultivation is the first of five new flowers Cam will be unveiling over the months ahead in Nevada dispensaries. Grab a bag from Jardin, INYO, or Thrive.
Khalifa Kush was amongst the cannabis industry's first rapper weed strains. Source: The Khalifa Kush
THC Content: 20-22%
Rapper: Wiz Khalifa
A citrus-spiked and fairly even hybrid from the Taylor Gang founder, Khalifa Kush was amongst the cannabis industry's first rapper weed strains. With a lemony taste and pine scent, the rapper's staple strain has become widely available in dispensaries across the country, sustaining its popularity in the years since it was introduced. Check your local shops for prices.
Pink Rozay is a heavy night-time-is-the-right-time Indica with a slightly-earthy floral palette and a calming afterglow. Source: Cookies Enterprises
THC Content: 22%
Rapper: Rick Ross
One of three flowers developed by Berner's cannabis giant, Cookies, in partnership with Rick Ross, Pink Rozay is a heavy night-time-is-the-right-time Indica with a slightly-earthy floral palette and a calming afterglow. Perfect for these now abundant nights in with a movie and an album in need of attention. You can find your stash at most Cookies dispensaries or other shops that carry the brand's strains.
Developed as a "gift" to fans, this spicy hybrid packs a punch, but won't weigh you down, making it a solid pick for people with active lives and high tolerances. Source: Crown Genetics
THC Content: 23-25%
Rapper: Dizzy Wright
Dizzy Wright lends his name to a well-balanced (but, again, incredibly potent) orange-haired strain from the award-winning Crown Genetics outfit. Developed as a "gift" to fans, this spicy hybrid packs a punch, but won't weigh you down, making it a solid pick for people with active lives and high tolerances. LA locals can grab a vile via Crown directly.
Aiding with anxiety and restlessness, Honey Bun is a hybrid that delivers powerful calm and almost instant uplift, pairing well with a leisurely evening at the house. Source: Cookies Enterprises
THC Content: 26%
Rapper: Berner
As Cookies' CEO and the reigning rapper-turned-cannabis-kingpin, Berner has been behind the proliferation of some of weed's biggest hits. And while the Cookies banner is now a worldwide enterprise with dozens of their own strains, one of the company's current flagships is also one of its sweetest and most therapeutic smokes. Aiding with anxiety and restlessness, Honey Bun is a hybrid that delivers powerful calm and almost instant uplift, pairing well with a leisurely evening at the house. Check your local dispensary for availability.
Crowdwalker is a knockout Indica-dominant hybrid with a peppery scent that, despite its name, will likely keep you off your feet for a while. Source: TICAL
THC Content: 27.2%
Rapper: Method Man
One of four introductory strains in Method Man's newly-launched (and aptly-titled,) TICAL line, Crowdwalker is a knockout Indica-dominant hybrid with a peppery scent that, despite its name, will likely keep you off your feet for a while. All four strains are bred in partnership with California-based grower, Clone Guy Industries, and sold exclusively at four Black-owned dispensaries across the Golden State. Look up a shop with TICAL products in stock near you via Weedmaps today.
Curren$y's "New Orleans inspired" strains are wracking up praise from smokers with a nose for pungent flower. Source: Andretti Cannabis Co.
THC Content: 28.3%
Rapper: Curren$y
Just a few months after launch, Curren$y's "New Orleans inspired" strains under the Andretti Cannabis Co. banner are already wracking up praise from smokers with a nose for pungent flower. And while the company's namesake Andretti OG is becoming a heavily-pursued bag in The Golden State, Andretti's gorgeously purple Jetlag should not be overlooked. The deep green and violet tones make for swell eye candy and all, but with a THC count surpassing the 28% mark, this brain-and-body-rattling Sativa is seemingly tailor-made for the highest functioning tokers amongst us, providing more than just a jolt of productivity. Pick up a bag at a nearby Cookies dispensary.
A powerful, dense, and tranquilizing smoke, the OG kush offshoot packs a round of punches in just few pulls. Source: Chroncierge
THC Content: 29.8%
Rapper: Freddie Gibbs
Freddie Gibbs' signature strain shares a lot of the rapper's strengths. A powerful, dense, and tranquilizing smoke, the OG kush offshoot packs a round of punches in just few pulls. Though it isn't his latest outing in the full-bloom cannabis market — the rapper released a slightly less potent strain with Passiflora in 2020, toasting to his Grammy-nominated collaborative album with The Alchemist — Freddie Kane is surely one of the heaviest Indica's for your buck.
On top of being an intensely pleasant smoke, Saucey Cake reportedly aids with arthritis aches, as well as a range of neurological conditions. Source: Saucey Farms and Extracts
THC Content: 30.2%
Rapper: Jim Jones
Saucey Farms, a joint venture between Jim Jones and celebrity jeweler Alex Todd, specializes in full-spectrum cannabis oils and concentrates. But the company's selection of flower is nothing short of top-shelf. The strain bearing the company's name is a euphoric Indica-tilting hybrid that is strictly for seasoned smokers. On top of being an intensely pleasant smoke, the strain reportedly aids with arthritis aches, as well as a range of neurological conditions. You can check out the company's full menu here.
Source: Caviar Gold
THC Content: 46.2%
Rapper: Ice Cube
Finally, we've reached the rapper weed of rapper weed (and honestly, the product that provided the inspiration for this list.) Somewhere between the most intoxicating of off-the-plant strains and Kurupt's Moon Rocks — which is, arguably, no longer a flower, but a treated bud, soaked in oil, caked in keef, and dried until its literally a hardened ball of near-narcotic strength — there's Ice Cube's infused collaboration with Caviar Gold. And it's truly about as potent as flower can get. Stewed in a 98% THC oil, the rap legend's debut in the weed market is a lights-out concoction that will likely demand a day or two of recovery for even the most experienced smokers.
