Can you tell readers who might not be familiar with your backstory a little bit about your path, your time at Merry Jane and Mass Appeal, with About That Time?
I moved to New York as a teenager and was always drawn to music and magazines. One of my first writing and editing jobs was for a magazine called Mass Appeal that a bunch of my friends had been working for.
After working as a music journalist for a few years, I got more committed to music and music production. That led to a variety of opportunities, including producing two albums with Wu-Tang Clan alongside RZA.
Shortly thereafter I got a very fortunate call, asking me to helm the music department at a label called Decon (that later rebranded using the Mass Appeal name). The first record I oversaw there was Pusha T’s debut solo album that was born out of his Fear of God mixtape series. Around that time I also started doing A&R work for Australian producer Flume just as he was just crossing over into North America.
Fast forward a couple years and I started getting a little West Coast itch and wanted to try something different. So through a buddy of mine I connected with Snoop’s team just as he was launching his cannabis-focused Merry Jane platform. I moved out west and took a job there as Editor In Chief. There were a lot of amazing moments during that time, but I’m especially proud of the cookbook that I put together with Snoop called From Crook to Cook.
The success of that book and my relationship with the publisher led to my first book, How We Roll.
There’s been a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in between all of these things, but that’s a decent version of the story…
Can you take us through your first memorable experience with weed?
A buddy of mine from NYC got kicked out of my summer camp for smoking weed, and he hid his stash of New York City dime bags in the woods. He was kind enough to make a treasure map for me to recover his goods. That was the first time I ever had a legit amount of weed in my possession.
How has weed culture impacted your sense of community in NYC?
Honestly, it feels great to be back in NYC now that weed is a little bit more on the forefront than when I left almost 10 years ago. Walking down the street and hitting shops that seamlessly connect fashion, music, and Cannabis resonates with me on a very deep level. I’m really excited to see what the future holds.
Travel must haves for stoners?
You’ve got to have your rolling essentials, like papers and accessories from the good people at Daysavers. You also need somewhere smell proof to stash your trees — that’s something the folks at Sesh really know something about.
What’s your stoner itinerary for people visiting the city for a weekend?
If the weather is nice, grab some bikes and fill your backpack with good weed. Ride to the Coney Island boardwalk, smoke one by the ocean and then get pizza at L&B Spumoni Gardens.
What is the biggest misconception about the art of rolling?
I think people imagine that rolling is harder than it actually is. Back in the day when weed was more expensive and harder to get, whatever you rolled, you felt like you had to smoke. But now that weed is more plentiful, I think there’s no excuse not to take the time to roll 3, 6, 9 or even 20 joints. That will open the door to perfecting your craft and hopefully get you excited to try some more creative rolls, like I explore in my book.
Do you have any favorite historical facts about cannabis culture?
I think the word ganja, both its origins and proliferation is extremely interesting. Ganja is an ancient Hindi word to describe cannabis. The word, alongside the use of cannabis as a sacred and medicinal plant made its way to the west Indies and Jamaica with indentured servants from India, who worked side-by-side with laborers of African descent.
This cultural exchange almost 200 years ago and then later the explosion of Jamaican music culture around the world is why we all know about ganja, even if most people are totally aware of its origins.
Favorite artists to listen to when smoking…
Alone? Nature sounds
At a friend’s kickback? The Congos
At a big party? Anything from my brother Ezra’s label Fade to Mind
