Jay-Z's Luxury Weed Brand In Reported Dire Financial Straits

BYZachary Horvath2.3K Views
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LANDOVER, MARYLAND - NOVEMBER 24: Rapper Jay-Z (C) looks on before a game between the Washington Commanders and the Dallas Cowboys at Northwest Stadium on November 24, 2024 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Timothy Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
One of Hov's many business endeavors is sinking fast.

Millionaires and billionaires are not going to flawlessly exceed at everything they put their minds to. You can tie that fact to Jay-Z, one of hip-hop's most successful entrepreneurs. According to HipHopNMore and SFGate, his luxury weed company, Monogram, is in serious peril financially speaking. Hov launched the brand in 2020 and was named the brand's Chief Brand Strategist. The California-based cannabis supplier was kickstarted in a big and flashy way. Magazines like GQ, Vogue, and Vanity Fair featuring it front and center really helped get the word out.

Moreover, some of the debut promotion included a lavish photoshoot at the Frank Sinatra house in Palm Springs helped get this target audience established pretty quickly. But it turns out that that over $500 million investment was a mistake on the part of its overseer, The Parent Company (ironic name). Both outlets have gathered that Monogram was supposed to make around $300 million in its inaugural year.

Will Jay-Z Have To Shut Down Monogram's Operations?

CLEVELAND, OHIO - OCTOBER 30: Inductee Jay-Z speaks onstage during the 36th Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on October 30, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame )

However, Jay-Z and his partners were nowhere near that mark. In fact, TPCO had a net loss of $587 million. Obviously, they had to move on from the New York rapping legend's project. They did, and Gold Flora decided to give Jay-Z a chance. However, that also backfired, as the newer parent company was also struggling mightily. They were also losing return on their investment, losing around $56 million.

Additionally, Gold Flora's debts were well over their assets at $60 million. Since Monogram's inception, they have accused of smuggling, allegedly failing to pay invoices, as well as allegedly owing a weed farm around $200,000. Overall, Monogram's faults were expected by those in the cannabis industry. Seth Yakatan, an investor in this field, told SFGate that general reviews are uninspiring. "Monogram was supposed to be an ultra-premium product, and I don’t know anyone who tried it and thought it was anything more than mid-tier."

About The Author
Zachary Horvath is one of the Music Freelance News Writers at HotNewHipHop and has held that title since August 2023. Prior to this position, he held another freelance gig covering local high school football, girls and boys varsity basketball, in addition to recapping Cleveland Cavaliers games remotely. He's taken the previous experience and used it to become a jack of all trades at HotNewHipHop. Zach has thoroughly enjoyed tackling some of the trending topics in sports, with a larger focus on hip-hop and pop culture. Some of those include Bronny James's draft stock, a multitude of angles swirling around the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef, as well as Diddy's arrest and lawsuits. Separate from the headlines that everyone wants to hear about, he was fortunate enough to help spread Zaytoven's current thoughts at the time around mid-December in 2023. Even though being able to give his expertise on these stories is fulfilling, being able to share his passion for releases trumps that ever so slightly. Having the chance to express his excitement indirectly about what he thinks our readers should be checking out/revisiting grows his passion for writing that much more.
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