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West Coast Weed Legend Berner Shares His Secrets To The Perfect Joint

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Cookies/Uproxx

West coast rapper and weed legend Berner went from spitting on tracks with other California weed rap icons like Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, and B-Real to founding one of the world’s biggest cannabis brands and retail spaces, Cookies. Now, the rapper-turned-entrepreneur has his sights set on developing the best cannabis rolling papers that a stoner could ever long for. Developed over a three-year process, Berner “put a lot of shit in my lungs to find the right paper.” That dedication shows with his newly released VIBES.

Available in four varieties — including Organic Hemp, Hemp, Ultra-Thin, and Rice — VIBES presents different rolling papers geared towards specific needs. That level of care and attention to detail ensures your joint comes out a bit better than it would with your standard zags.

“It just compliments the herb,” Berner says, “and that’s what our whole mission is. We want to make the ultimate experience when it comes to blazing. We took our time to find the right resources, to find the right materials, to find the right paper… it’s stuff not in the market.”

You might not think all that’s totally necessary, and if you’re a casual smoker you’re unlikely to notice a major difference in the experience. But if your preferred smoking method is the classic joint, you’re going to want that fine attention to detail. I’ve tried out both the Rice and Organic Hemp VIBE papers and the Rice has quickly become my go-to, anytime I’m rolling a joint. I don’t use a roller, I grind up my weed and roll it myself and the texture of the Rice VIBE keeps the stickiest weed from becoming a hassle to roll. It’s a hack I didn’t know I needed!

This week, I linked up with Berner to talk about VIBES’ new products, how bud-tending has changed for the worse, and his secrets to rolling a perfect joint.

Cookies

Why do we need a better rolling paper at all?

I’ve been smoking cannabis for over 22 years, maybe as long as 25 years. In that time, people like Raw came to the table and brought quality rolling papers and educated the market on the difference between materials in the paper, what makes paper special, and what compliments the flavor of herb. All that time, being a connoisseur, understanding what was in the market gave me a chance to understand what wasn’t in the market.

When we came out with the Ultra-Thin VIBES and now with the Organic Hemp VIBES, that quality of paper is just next level. How thin it is, how clean it is, how pure it is. We took our time to find the right resources, to find the right materials, to find the right paper, and also come up with some innovative SKUs like the Cubano; the Cali, which we are dropping soon — it’s stuff not in the market and that’s what we’re working focusing on right now.

What makes a rolling paper perfect?

My thinking is it all starts with what you’re smoking. What makes a perfect paper to me is pairing it with the perfect herb. Certain bud I’ll get that’s extremely flavorful, it’s perfectly cured, I’ll put it in a Hemp VIBE knowing it’s not tough to roll. That’s the biggest thing, how is your rolling experience going to be? That’s why we have our different SKUs.

For instance, our rice paper is for that stickier, thicker, crazier herb that’s just gonna be a problematic roll. The paper is just a little thicker, it burns a little better with a stickier bud. And Ultra-Thin and the Organic Hemp is perfect for that connoisseur head sesh that you tuck away and hide for yourself. For me, it’s all about pairing.

COOKIES

I know you have your history as a Bay Area bud tender. Has bud tending changed for the better or worse? These days there is a lot less interaction because of prepackaged products.

For the most part, it’s changed for the worse — because everything is on a screen. You wait in line, you look on a menu, and pick what you want. But at the Cookies store we tried to implement some of that old school 215 vibe, that’s why when you come into our stores you have a dedicated budtender that sits with you through the whole experience, helps you look at things, that’s why we have the jars on top of the table, we’ve designed those custom for you to pick up and smell the bud and look at it. Fully transparent, not like some of those square jars out there.

When you’re done with the experience they send you to the cashier, and the cashier’s sole purpose is to ring you up, but that personal experience with the budtender, we try and keep that there. And its cool to be able to implement that in all our stores around the world because we don’t want that shit to go away.

As a budtender, you use to be able to open up a jar, let people smell it, even give them a bong hit if they weren’t sure they wanted to buy it and that’s missing big time. It’s changed for the worse but we’re trying to keep that vibe alive.

Walk us through the steps for how to roll the perfect joint

First step is you need the best bud possible. You need something you like and enjoy, if you’re gonna smoke you might as well do it right, start off with the best bud you can find that fits you and your body.

Second, you’ll need a tool like our Santa Cruz Shredder — the teeth are designed by a NASA engineer, it’s next level, it’s produced here in the US. I’ve been using our hemp shredders and that gives you the perfect fluff. You need to grind it right, you don’t want to be left with chunks or dust, there is a fine balance. You get the perfect bud, shred it to give it the perfect fluff.

I take a tip and put it in a cylinder, I take an Ultra-Thin VIBE or my Organic Hemp VIBE and I roll that bitch nice and loose. I like it nice and loose for air flow, I hate a pregnant joint. A tight joint that you have to hit hella hard is a bad joint. I want to pull on it softly and get nice rips, so a perfect joint is all about airflow!

Cookies

Waka Flocka Concert Canceled In Solidarity With Indigenous Tribe In Canada

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Waka Flocka, who was slated to perform in the village of Oka in Quebec, has decided to skip the party and cancel the show in order to stand in solidarity with the First Nations of Kanehsatake Indigenous people of Canada.

The Atlanta-bred rapper was originally set to perform at the Oka Kanehsatake Music and DJ Festival on July 31, but most recently revealed that he will choose to respect the Natives’ desire to keep non-natives off their land.

“Waka Flocka is canceled due to the Natives not wanting non-Natives on their territory because of the hurting they are going through. We decided to side with them in solidarity,” Waka’s team announced on Ricky D Event’s Instagram.

The decision came as First Nation people across Canada deal with newly-discovered atrocities suffered at the hands of settlers

Notably, the bodies of 1000 indigenous children have been found in mass grave sites on the grounds of former residential schools once funded by the federal government.

“The discovery of these types of graves was something my colleagues and I had talked about for years. But it was still a shock,” forensic pathologist, Kona Williams, said. “These are my people. Some of those children could be my relatives.”

The history of these gravesites is traced back to the forced assimilation of at least 150,000 Indigenous children who were sent to residential schools to be stripped of their identities. While the existence of these graves has long been known within Indigenous communities, these discoveries this summer have introduced many more to the harsh history of The First Nations.

Denzel Curry & Cordae Reflect On Major Album Anniversaries

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When it comes to quote-unquote new rappers, there are several names that continuously earn praise as key innovators in the culture. Denzel Curry and Cordae are both widely regarded in that esteemed group, and today, the pair of talented rappers took a moment to celebrate a few milestone anniversaries.

For Denzel, today marks three years of TA13OO, a three-part project that many still consider to be his magnum opus — at least, so far. Boasting songs like “Clout Cobain,” “Sirens” with J.I.D. and Billie Eilish, the GoldLink-assisted “Black Balloons,” and many more, Denzel’s conceptual voyage through Lights, Gray, and Dark featured some of his most impressive songwriting to date. “Happy birthday to my 3-year-old,” captions Zel, alongside the project’s cover art. “Album I was going say child but a ni**a don’t got kids. Happy birthday TA13OO.” 

Yesterday, Cordae’s The Lost Boy also gained a year of experience, officially turning two. It’s no secret that the project was a major success for the young lyricist, who earned himself a Best Rap Album Grammy nomination shortly after its release. Like Denzel, he also spoke of his album as if a child, beaming with pride as a proud father would.

“My first born turns 2 today,” he captions. “Oh how the time flys. I always knew The Lost Boy would be special. More importantly I knew the lives it would touch, and how many people it would help through dark times. Oh, and new music is OTW!” By that, he’s of course referring to the upcoming From A Bird’s Eye View, presumably dropping later this year. 

Congratulations to both Denzel Curry and Cordae on their latest anniversaries — two albums that are certainly worthy of a spin or two. 

Ts Madison Blasts DaBaby Over Rolling Loud Comments

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DaBaby‘s controversial comments during his set in Miami for Rolling Loud continues to make headlines. Everyone from T.I., Amber Rose, to Lil Nas X’s father has weighed in on the matter. While celebrity opinion remains divided on the embattled rapper’s performance, Ts Madison, who is openly transgender, also weighed in to make her stance on the subject known. 

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

If you’re not up to speed on the drama that has been following DaBaby (drama of his own making, mind you), the rapper has been heavily criticized after he decided to banter on the RL stage about HIV/AIDS, resulting in homophobic comments. 

In response to DaBaby’s problematic statements, Ts Madison tweeted “What was the Reason???? Do you kno how many Gays truly BUY and stream your Music &do you the amount of people who are living with HIV/AIDS that you attacked for nothing ?” She continued to say, “Then The Gays break they necks to be at events like that to be completely disrespected.”

Ts Madison did not stop there. In a following tweet, she referenced a Cardi B meme and said “I asked simply WHAT WAS THE REASON…….” Madison ended the tweet by comparing DaBaby’s homophobic remarks to the public’s reaction of the newest details behind R.Kelly’s pedophilia related crimes. “You found so many reasons to show your nasty rhetoric and justify so much stuff from #DaBaby I honestly expected nothing different, a lot of you are the same ones that loved R KELLY and was on his side till A BOY came forward,” Madison concluded. 

Check out Ts Madison’s tweets below, as she certainly won’t be the last celebrity to speak on DaBaby’s homophobic rant. 

Charles Barkley Says Unvaccinated People Are “A**holes”

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NBA legend Charles Barkley spoke his mind recently, against those who refuse to take the COVID-19 vaccine, an increasingly controversial topic, so it seems. After clarifying that he is in fact vaccinated, Barkley reportedly stated to CNBC, “everybody should be vaccinated. Period.” He went on to say, “The only people who are not vaccinated are just assholes.”

Charles Barkley’s comments were made in response to the reports of the climbing COVID-19 infections, due to the Delta variant. While making his concerns known, the Hall of Famer went on to speak about the guidelines that professional sports leagues have put in place to ensure a safe and responsible season. 

Scott Halleran/Getty Images

The former Houston Rockets player remained vocal that sports leagues are professional workplaces as well, which is why the COVID-19 vaccines should be mandatory. “There’s sh-t you can’t do at work and there’s sh-t that you have to do at work,” Barkley said. “So every workplace has rules and I think one of the rules [should be] that guys have to be vaccinated,” he stated.

Presently, each sports association has different rules when it comes to COVID-19 safety measures. The NFL’s regulations required vaccination for all Tier 1 staff, including coaches, front-office executives, equipment managers, and scouts. The NFL players are exempt from those rules, while the MLB and NBA have not made Coronavirus vaccines mandatory either. 

Charles Barkley concluded his statements with saying, “Can you imagine if one of these guys that are not vaccinated, if they get one of these players’ kids, wives, girlfriends, moms and dads sick and they die over some unnecessary conspiracy bulls–t? I think that would be tragic.”

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Tyler The Creator Used To Mock BET As ‘A Defense Mechanism’ Before Peforming At The BET Awards

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Of all the standout performances at this year’s BET Awards, one of the most surprising and impressive was Tyler The Creator’s — not just because of the scale and production, but also because BET was the last place you’d catch Tyler The Creator during Odd Future’s precipitous rise. In fact, the crew used to rail against the network, among other outlets, as an example of the establishment that didn’t accept them.

Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20, though. In a new interview with Complex, Tyler explained how the mockery was a “defensive mechanism” that allowed him to pre-emptively reject outlets that he thought might reject him. “I was so hype to perform at the BET Awards,” he admitted. “I just never felt like my style of music would ever have been, not even appreciated, but allowed on there. And because of that, I would mock it.”

He continued, “It was like a defense mechanism because I felt like I wasn’t accepted by that audience. But when they asked me this year, man I was enthralled. I was so happy.” He also explained the deeper meaning BET holds for him, recalling, “That channel taught me how to rap. It taught me about just all the stuff I know.”

He also breaks down why he hates making merch, why he just got into watches, and explains his creative process behind the hilarious Converse ad he just directed featuring Tim Meadows, Bill Walton, and Vince Staples.

On ‘We’re All Alone In This Together,’ Dave Finds A Happy Medium Between Sympathy And Empathy

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Getty Image/Ralph Ordaz/Neighbourhood Recordings

The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.

“I tell my fans we’re all alone in this together.” These words arrive from Dave towards the end of the intro track on his sophomore album. They’re delivered on a plate that presents equal parts blunt honesty and comforting, yet unorthodox reassurance. It’s a unique way for the British rapper to console those who wake up every morning to take a swing at life with the hope that they can return to bed with things less broken than they were at sunrise. “We’re all in this together” is already reassuring in itself, but the addition of “alone” uncovers something many of us hope to avoid amid life’s greatest qualms: reality.

On We’re All Alone In This Together, Dave reminds us that rap hasn’t exempted him from life struggles. The things that money can’t solve still affect the British rapper daily and he alludes to it on “We’re Alone.” “You can trust me, all the sh*t that you been feelin’, you’re feelin’ with me,” he candidly raps. “We all the took the wrong turns in different streets / We all cry the same tears on different cheeks.” There’s a fine line between sympathy and empathy and Dave is very much aware of it. He creates a middle ground between the two in order to support his fans and quite frankly, anyone who takes a moment to hear his words. Dave may not be able to walk in your shoes but he faintly recognizes them as they’re not too different from the pair that cover his feet.

Dave does so much with cut-throat intention. Not in the sense of placing the necessary piece into a puzzle he aims to solve. The London native is responsible for the landscape that the intricate pieces unveil when connected. He’s the puppetmaster and the puppet at the same time. Dave knows what he’s trying to tell his fans and exactly how to tell it. Take this for example: the first song on the album is titled “We’re All Alone” and the last words Dave utters on it are “in this together.” Through the various topics he touches on throughout We’re All Alone In This Together, it’s clear that the rapper wants to make sure the album title is understood to the fullest capacity by the last time he says it.

In a profile with Ciaran Thapar for GQ, Dave points out that as his 2019 debut Psychodrama was centered around the element of fire, We’re All Alone In This Together shifts its attention to water through the visual representation of the sea on it’s cover. “I’ll probably go wind and then earth and then I don’t know if I’ll go anywhere from there,” he says, speaking about future albums. This is Dave’s world, and while he knows what it looks like in his mind, we as listeners slowly watch it come together with the very things that make it move.

So what is it that Dave feels like we’re alone in together? Long story short, it’s a culmination of everything. There’s the destruction of love far beyond repair on “Both Sides Of A Smile” with James Blake or the frustration with a system that operates with a racist lens on “Three Rivers.” Brighter moments arrive on “System” with Wizkid, an afro-fusion effort that sees the acts showering their partners with equal amounts of love and expensive treatments. “Clash,” the laser-sharp lead single from We’re All Alone In This Together, finds Dave calling on good friend Stormzy to ride beside him and flaunt their top-notch confidence. Lastly, the recruitment of UK rappers Fredo, Meekz Manny, Ghetts (who tears through his verse), and Giggs for a captivating posse cut on “In The Fire” provides fiery raps that render the passion the quintet have while leaving their egos unchecked for a moment. All in all, the album presents emotions and feelings that — at their simplest levels — are relatable to us as listeners as we too have experienced them in our own lives.

The word “alone” presents a negative connotation more often than it does a positive one, but Dave successfully uses both on his second album. He acknowledges and accepts the idea of being a nomad on We’re All Alone In This Together. At the same time, the London native reminds us that while we all have our own nomadic experiences, the loneliness we feel isn’t because no one cares. More times than not it’s because we all have our issues to solve, with most requiring our full attention to complete. On “In The Fire,” Giggs raps, “Can’t walk in my shoes / You could be riskin’ a bunion.” Our shoes are only our shoes to walk in as no one else can live life for us. This is the solo expedition Dave speaks about on his second album, We’re All Alone In This Together. Our hardships may be unique, but the London native reminds us that we all have our own to deal with.

We’re All Alone In This Together is out 7/23 via Dave/Neighbourhood Recordings. Get it here.

Tory Lanez Doesn’t Believe In Cancel Culture & Neither Does T.I.

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Tory Lanez has been doing this best to defy the effects of cancel culture. Following the 2020 shooting incident involving Megan Thee Stallion, he’s faced backlash after the Houston rapper accused him of being the triggerman. He’s gone on to deny it, even putting it in a few of his songs. However, the rapper has continued to carry out his rapper duties without fearing the impact that those allegations will have on him when it comes to public perception.


Frazer Harrison/Getty Images 

Clearly, there are enough people out there who are still listening to Tory Lanez’s music. He has a dedicated following who continues to run up the streams every time he drops. While the industry at large has shunned him, it looks like he’s still making a pretty penny off of his releases. 

On Sunday, the rapper made a controversial appearance at Rolling Loud during DaBaby’s set which took place immediately after Megan hit the stage. Though it was DaBaby who earned a significant amount of backlash for that, and misinformed and homophobic comments he made on stage, Tory Lanez appears to have come to a conclusion about cancel culture.

“Cancel culture doesn’t exist… it’s just a small group of n***a on TWITTER…. tweeting at the same time,” he wrote, adding, “Bunch a UGLY MF’s too.”

In a separate tweet, he addressed selective outrage on social media. “U can’t stand for something… and be selective on the times you stand for it,” he added. 

T.I., who’s been facing his own allegations of abuse, slid in the comment section of TheShadeRoom’s post with a bullseye emoji. 

 

Conway Gives Westside Gunn Some Griselda Birthday Love

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There are some who foolishly questioned whether or not the Griselda movement was solid, and it didn’t take long before rumors of the group’s demise began circulating. Yet those who truly rock with the Buffalo trifecta knew that the loyalty was never in doubt, and Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, and Benny The Butcher continue to keep it moving to this day.

Today marks an important day in Griselda history, as the group’s visionary orchestrator Westside Gunn officially turns thirty-nine years old. In honor of the milestone, his brother Conway took a moment to share a few heartfelt words, taking to Twitter to spread some love GXFR style. 

Conway Westside Gunn Benny

Amy Sussman/FilmMagic/Getty Images

“Happy birthday to my brother, my twin, my heart, the legend @westsidegunn,” writes Machine. “Love Gz.” For those eager to hear the pair collaborate on wax again, it seems that you might not have to wait much longer. Conway recently unveiled the tracklist to his upcoming album God Don’t Make Mistakes, and both Westside Gunn and Benny The Butcher are slated to appear on the Daringer-produced “John Woo Flick.”

We’d like to echo the sentiment and wish Westside Gunn an incredible birthday; he’s truly been instrumental in bringing new energy to hip-hop culture, and the foundation he has laid throughout his career will likely be followed for years to come. Happy birthday to the man with the best ad-libs in the game!