Ever since rap’s inception, hip-hop and Christmas have gone together like bows and wrapping paper, but occasionally the combination can result in some unsettling pairings. After all, rap music often traffics in sexual or violent content that clashes horribly with the family-friendly environment the Yuletide season has come to represent. However, sometimes, it’s just really funny. Case in point: Jucee Froot‘s raunchy “Christmas List” video, in which she cosplays a sexy Grinch (I can’t believe I typed that either, gang), right down to the fuzzy fingers as her scantily-clad team of reindeer dancers frolics around a Christmas tree.
Her daughter’s also in the video, which lends another layer of heightened absurdism to the proceedings as Jucee reels off a Christmas list that will probably not only land her on the naughty list, but also send Santa to the doghouse for a week should Mrs. Claus peek over his shoulder while reading it. Imagine how bad Saint Nick’s back is going to hurt having to carry all those presents after sleeping on the couch. Shame on you, Jucee. Shaaame.
In all seriousness, though, fans of the unapologetic Memphis rapper have been patiently waiting for the follow-up to her debut album Black Sheep for over a year (just like kids on Christmas!), so this tidbit is a tantalizing appetizer that will hopefully presage some new music come the new year.
Watch Jucee Froot’s holiday-themed “Christmas List” video above.
The PDC World Darts Championship is back in full swing across the pond. Each year, 96 of the best darts players alive head to Alexandra Palace in London to earn the title of the world’s best, and while the best stuff usually happens later on in the tournament when the lesser-regarded players have been eliminated, an absolutely scintillating match between Scotland’s Willie Borland and England’s Bradley Brooks ended in the most dramatic way possible.
The pair of unseeded youngsters needed a fifth and final set in their first to 3 match to determine who would move on to play 15th seeded Ryan Searle. Both played well all game, and after Borland jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the leg, Brooks battled back to force a deciding fifth leg.
There, we got one of the coolest sports moments of 2021. Borland did not just register an ultra-rare nine-dart finish — which signifies that a player cleared the board in as few darts as possible in a game of 501 — he became the first player in the history of the tournament to have one in a match-winning situation.
𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗛𝗜𝗧𝗦 𝗔 𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗘-𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗥!
UNBELIEVABLE SCENES AS WILLIE BORLAND STRIKES PERFECTION TO WIN THE DECIDING LEG AND ALLY PALLY HAS ABSOLUTELY ERUPTED!
Again, nine-darters are darts’ version of a perfect inning in baseball, so to get one at any point in a match is as rare as it gets. But to get it in this fashion is legitimately unprecedented. As a result, the Ally Pally exploded, and Borland got to say he won the match of the tournament.
As she gears up for the release of her debut album in 2022, Coi Leray has been stacking up the singles in a very busy 2021. The New Jersey rapper has been living up to the “next up” moniker with cuts like the TikTok hit “No More Parties” remix with Lil Durk, “At The Top” with Kodak Black and Mustard, and even a holiday remix of “Twinnem.”
Now she’s dropped her final single of the year in “Medicine” and the accompanying video. Produced by Emrld, LeRay uses the quick-hitting 80-second song to open up about the anxiety and depression that she’s felt despite becoming incredibly successful in a short time. She slides into the frenetic beat and bares her emotions. Leray shared a personal statement with fans on her Instagram stories about the song:
“Kind of been a rough year, even though I made millions, it came with a lot of depression. “Medicine” is the last song ima drop this year. This song is strictly for my fans. When I go in the booth and vent, just know I’m speaking from the heart and I meant every word in the song. Hope everyone has a great holiday and gets everything they ever dreamed of. This new year is going to be one of the biggest years of my life. I feel it. My album is going to be one of the biggest female artist albums in the world, I can promise you that. Xoxo -Coi”
As the prison sentences for January 6 rioters continue to be handed out following the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol building in an insurrectionist effort to overturn the 2020 election, Robert Palmer of Tampa, Florida has officially landed the lengthiest jail term yet. After being picked up in March, Palmer was identified as one of the more aggressive rioters who repeatedly assaulted officers responding to the chaos that ensued from Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally. Palmer’s actions have earned him five years in prison.
Prosecutors said he threw a wooden plank the police, then picked up a fire extinguisher and sprayed its contents at a line of officers, throwing the canister at them after it was empty.
A few minutes later, prosecutors said, he picked up the fire extinguisher and threw it at them a second time and assaulted another group of officers with a metal pole, throwing it like a spear. He stopped the attack when an officer shot him in the abdomen with a rubber bullet.
Palmer was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkin, who according to Rolling Stone, has felt that sentencing for the Capitol rioters has been too lenient. “There have to be consequences for participating in an attempted violent overthrow of the government beyond sitting at home,” Chutkin said back in October.
However, if Palmer had a chance at a lighter sentence it went up in smoke after he reportedly claimed on his fundraising website that his actions during the January 6 riot were out of “self-defense.” He had previously taken responsibility for his actions and pleaded guilty in court. As the judge noted in Palmer’s sentencing, this called into question the sincerity of him saying he’s “really, really ashamed of what I did.”
Rolling Stone reports that in the wake of the Astroworld Festival tragedy earlier this year, concert promoter Live Nation strong-armed Astroworld’s staff into signing liability waivers or risk not getting paid. According to an email acquired by Rolling Stone, just hours after 9-year-old Ezra Blount, the youngest of the festival’s 10 victims, was reported dead from injuries sustained in the crowd crush during Travis Scott’s headlining set, Live Nation had sent part-time employees a revised employment contract promising not to sue Live Nation or its Scoremore subsidiary. However, two security guards have already done so, suggesting that not everyone signed the documents.
The original contract was the same one from the 2018 festival, even still bearing the year of the fest’s inauguration at the top. However, the new ones sent on November 15 amended the error, claiming that the employees would need it to receive their $7.50/hour paychecks for tasks like checking wristbands. The new contracts’ text was duplicated in Rolling Stone:
(Employee) assumes full responsibility for any injuries or damages that may occur to the (employee) in, on or about the festival and its premises and fully and forever releases and discharges the released parties from any and all claims, demands, damages, rights of action or causes of action resulting from or arising out of the (employee’s) attending and or providing services at the festival.
The amended contracts also denied employees medical coverage or other benefits, including workers’ compensation. According to the employee who brought the email to Rolling Stone‘s attention, “It was a free for all. I saw a girl trying to run through. She got crushed. I saw kids getting knocked out. It definitely felt like there wasn’t nearly enough security to contain the rush of the fans.” There’s also a pretty harrowing firsthand account of the chaos during Travis’ closing set that frankly, sounds terrifying.
Both Live Nation and Travis Scott have denied liability in the dozens of lawsuits filed by survivors and victims’ families, despite reports that Travis had continued performing long after the concert was declared a mass casualty event.
Photographer and director Lauren Dunn remembers the exact moment when she fell in love with film.
“One of the distinct memories I have of my childhood is sneaking downstairs to watch Titanic through the banisters of my staircase as my parents watched it,” she tells UPROXX. “I was six or seven.”
Too young, perhaps, to fully appreciate the classic romantic epic, but old enough to understand that the art form and the stories it could tell would always be a part of her life. “That movie just really captured my heart. My mom actually caught me and the next day allowed me to watch some of the scenes, anything that wasn’t too risqué. So I had a really fun upbringing, just surrounded by movies and stories.”
Dunn quickly fell in love with photography too, though that was more her grandmother’s doing. Dunn recalls always having a camera in her hand when she was young and snapping pics of anything that caught her eye.
“It’s where my love of film and story and photography kind of overlap,” she explains. “I felt like they sort of feed into each other and inspire different parts of my work.”
She started taking acting classes, thinking that was the traditional path into the moviemaking business, but soon realized she loved setting up scenes and directing her fellow actors more than she enjoyed reading lines. She took side gigs in college, assisting producers on set and helping friends pull together scrappy music video shoots. It wasn’t until a university professor suggested she go all in toward her filmmaking passion that her future career came into focus, though.
“I felt like a fish out of water,” Dunn says of that first year attending USC School of Cinematic Arts, noting that most of her fellow students had more experience and a surer idea of what form their art would take from an earlier age. “All these teachers must have known something I didn’t at the time,” she continues. “Seeing my passion, I think that’s at the heart of all — my passion for people and for story. Even the way I approach photography, I like to really get to know somebody through the image, whether that’s composing or staging it; whether it’s sort of a dreamy approach to getting to know them or a really raw documentary-style approach. Either way, it’s about getting to know somebody or getting to know a character.”
Dunn often felt like she was playing catch-up in those early years so she said “yes” to every opportunity that came her way — handling incoming pitches at an entertainment management company, and assisting showrunners on TV sets. Despite the full calendar, it was hard to shake the nagging feeling of imposter syndrome.
“Rather than trusting that I have an eye and an instinct, that I know what I’m doing, I was like, ‘I’m so lucky I got these,’” she says of her thinking back then. “So that fear of failure and having people recognize my eye before I could pushed me to really learn. That’s a really healthy part of my art practice — trying things, improvising, having a plan, and then also knowing when to not stick to it.”
Dunn’s worked with everyone, directing music videos and shooting campaigns for Billie Eilish, The Weeknd, Megan Thee Stallion, and more. She just wrapped her first short documentary with Amazon Music. More narrative-focused projects and high-profile photography campaigns might be on the horizon.
“It’s finding those bigger, inspiring projects, whether that be making a film or making another documentary or shooting an incredible meaningful fashion campaign,” she says of her career benchmarks. “Things that shift culture, that’s the goal. I have a lot of work to do to get to that place and I’m ready for it. I’m excited.”
When she thinks of where her directorial efforts might end up, she draws inspiration from “jack-of-all-trade” types that have an enviable amount of creative control over every project they sign up for.
“Those are the artists I aspire to be,” she confirms. “[They] never get put in a box. And I think that’s so cool. So that’s what I aspire to… making my own box.”
That drive to carve out her own niche within the industry is what solidified her spot as one of The Next 9 by Porsche, a line-up of rising talents putting their own stamp on their artistry, no matter the genre. Dunn says being recognized by the brand is just further confirmation that she’s on the right path.
“It’s truly humbling,” she says before joking, “My madness is paying off!”
Then, she goes quiet, pausing to offer up a deeper reflection of how the recognition feels, and how her creative drive matches the essence of a legacy steeped in innovation. If Porsche has crafted a reputation that rests on the balance between luxury and utility, Dunn is hoping to find a balance of her own in her filmmaking career.
“I aspire to find a beautiful balance of living and making art in a way that my experiences and my personal life can influence it,” she explains. “The travel I do can find a home in the stories I want to tell. I aspire to never let things cloud my life. It’s a hard balance to strike, especially when you’re constantly striving to reach another level, but that sort of unconventional approach is hopefully going to inspire other people to do the same.”
(WARNING: Spider-Man: No Way Home spoilers will be found below.)
(For real, you have been warned.)
Spider-Man: No Way Home has officially been in theaters for about 24 hours, and since it’s still the workweek for a lot of people, a lot of fans will undoubtedly wait until the weekend (although Thursday night previews were $50 million strong already). So, Twitter is currently a minefield even though Sony and a legion fans already banded together to beg people not to spoil this thing.
Since you’ve seen this movie already, you obviously know that there was some real fan service when it came to this meme:
All I want from Spider-Man No Way Home is for them to recreate this meme. You have no idea how peak that would be Please I’m begging you pic.twitter.com/NNlO8AKSYm
Yep, they did the thing with not only Tom Holland but Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire. And that’s something that fans should not have spoiled for them in any way. Sony was serious, too, when they tweeted, “NO SPOILERS. Don’t be that person,” Sony tweeted. “If you want to be extra safe, stop reading comments, mute keywords, and start staying off social media today! Watch #SpiderManNoWayHome to find out what happens for yourself when the movie hits theaters Thursday!”
So, it was kind-of awkward when The Academy tweeted, “Three generations of Peter Parker…our friendly neighborhood Spider-Men” with this visual aid. Granted, this is not truly a spoiler, and it will only look like a potential spoiler by people who have seen the movie. It’s not at all as though The Academy shouted, “Hey look, three Spideys in one multiverse-afflicted movie together!”
The Witcher: Season 2 (Netflix series) — It’s time to go on another swashbuckling rampage through destiny as Henry Cavill’s wig returns for more monster hunting on The Continent. The show’s got a lot to live up to, given that it defied expectations during its debut, and it’s still a banger. That is to say, the Humble Bard is cranking out his angst in song, Geralt has less time to be grumpy, and Ciri is in training mode. The monsters are better, the emotions run higher, and we’ve got two new kids on the block: Killing Eve‘s Kim Bodnia (as Geralt’s mentor, Vesemir) and Game Of Thrones‘ Kristofer Hivju (in highly unflattering prosthetics, and we’ll leave it at that).
1883: Season 1 (Netflix series) — This Yellowstone prequel follows up on Taylor Sheridan’s runaway sensation series. This series, however, stars Sam Elliot, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Billy Bob Thornton. The story goes back to the travels of the O.G. Dutton family moving through the wild west on the way to Montana. Basically, this is all about the search for America’s promised land, which will likely yield bittersweet discovery with welcome callbacks to the beloved series that brought those fans here in the first place.
Here’s some regularly scheduled programming:
Rolling Like Thunder (Friday, Showtime 8:00pm) — Freight train graffiti culture gets the spotlight here, going back to the days before street art took a mainstream turn. The art form’s rich history and mythical nature are only some of the facets explored in this documentary, but don’t forget about the inherent risk involved with putting one’s mark on the moving world.
How To With John Wilson (Friday, HBO 10:00pm) — The “anxious New Yorker” (as he refers to himself) and documentary filmmaker returns for more slice-of-life, refreshingly funny accounts of existing in the Big Apple. This season promises some unexpected moments with unyielding honesty at every turn. Don’t worry, you’re in good hands.
SNL (Saturday, NBC 11:30pm) — Host Paul Rudd and musical guest Charli XCX.
And Just Like That… (Sunday, HBO 8:30pm) — The first two episodes that already aired on HBO Max are coming your way. Get ready for plenty of emotions and complicated realities in life, along with still-ridiculous hats.
Dexter (Sunday, Showtime 9:00pm) — The new season is a bloody good time, and this week, Dexter’s working against another serial killer while transitioning from predator to protector. Weird!
Hightown (Starz 9:00pm) — Renee’s risking plenty in order to completely change her life while Alan goes about setting a trap.
Yellowjackets (Sunday, Showtime 10:00) — The birds and the bees are quite the obstacles for the Yellowjackets, all while DIY surgery is very much a thing. In the adult realm, there’s blackmail and bunnies afoot.
Insecure (Sunday, HBO 10:00pm) — Issa Dee and Molly are still cleaning up their lives while this series moves into wrap-up stages.
Curb Your Enthusiasm (Sunday, HBO 10:30pm) — “Igor, Gregor & Timor” is the episode title, so cast your grumpy-Larry David-involved guesses accordingly.
Here are some more streaming picks:
Swan Song (Apple TV+ film) — Mahershala Ali stars as Cameron, a husband and dad who receives a terminal diagnosis while expecting a second child with his wife, Poppy, portrayed by Naomie Harris. His doctor, played by Glenn Close, comes up with an alternative remedy for his family’s grief, which is unorthodox, to say the very least.
Mother/Android (Hulu film) — Chloë Grace Moretz plays Georgia, who’s attempting to survive a Terminator-esque war with A.I. She’s also pregnant while fleeing with her boyfriend, with whom she must travel through an A.I. stronghold known as No Man’s Land on the way to give birth. Yikes.
The Hand Of God (Netflix film) — Academy Award winner Paulo Sorrentino (The Young Pope) returns to HBO with this story of tragedy and unexpected joys, along with how fates intertwine. It’s a story about young Fabietto Schisa and the arrival of a football legend on the scene. Ultimately though, Sorerentino’s telling this story from his own hometown (Naples), so expect a deeply personal (and of course, achingly beautiful) experience.
MacGruber: Season 1 (Peacock series) — This past spring, Will Forte told us that he was patiently waiting for Peacock to officially greenlight the MacGruber TV show, and it’s happening, approximately 11 years after the MacGruber film, which was (of course) based upon Forte’s recurring SNL sketch. The raunchiness of the film, co-starring Kristen Wiig as MacGruber’s sidekick (Vicki St. Elmo), surpassed the network incarnation of the sketch, but sadly, the title character’s sitting in prison these days, and only he can save the world. It’s no wonder that Forte once promised fans that that this series (written by Forte) was too “filthy” for network TV.
Finding Magic Mike: Season 1 (HBO Max series) — Producers Steven Soderbergh and Channing Tatum bring their Magic Mike-themed reality series to life while zeroing in on a bunch of dudes who want to recapture their own mojo, so they go to a stripper bootcamp and let it all hang out. No word whether Ginuwine’s “Pony” will make an appearance or if we will see Tatum, but guest hosts will include Whitney Cummings, Nikki Glaser, and Nicole Scherzinger. Lighten up and enjoy this one from afar as these guys compete for a cash prize and notoriety aplenty.
Firebite: Season 1 (AMC+ series) — Finally, we’ve got a new vampire series, and this one looks highly original and stars Yael Stone from Orange is the New Black. The story goes down in Australia and follows indigenous hunters who want to take out the only remaining vampire colony in the South Australian desert, which sounds wild because, you know, sunlight.
Juice WRLD: Into the Abyss (HBO, 8:00pm) — This documentary film takes a verité approach to charting rapper Juice WRLD’s rise to superstardom, a ride that was cut short when he passed away only a few years after his breakout hit. Expect a dive into drug abuse and mental health, both of which complicated this artist’s raise to fame.
Station Eleven: Season 1 (HBO Max limited series) — This post-apocalyptic drama series revolves around survivors of a flu, and hopefully, their society is faring a lot better (at least in terms of cooperating with each other) than real life.
And Just Like That…: Season 1 (HBO Max series) — Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) are back, along with the Big Apple, y’all. No Samantha will be found, given that Kim Cattrall declined to return, but at least Samantha isn’t dead, unlike a certain other character who bit the dust in the premiere. *Cough*
Anne Boleyn (AMC+ limited series) — Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen & Slim) stars in this reimagining of Tutor England’s era of King Henry VIII, and history will tell us that Anne, his second wife, did not fare well, given that no male heir surfaced from the marriage. The story leans toward psychological thriller rather than period drama, and the patriarchal society gets a feminist twist here.
The cannabis industry loves a good origin story. A story like Wonderbrett’s. The brand is named for Brett Feldman, a grower whose flavorful indoor-grown weed inspired a phrase heard around Los Angeles weed circles during the late ’90s and early 2000s — “You got that Brett?”
Equally important to the brand’s foundation is Feldman’s collaborator, Cameron Damwijk, also a master cultivator. The duo formally launched Wonderbrett in 2014, back during the Prop 215 (medical-only) days in California. Before that, Feldman and Damwijk were legends in Los Angeles music, street, and weed culture.
The quick story goes a little something like this: Back in 1997, Feldman was given a cut of OG Kush by Josh D, who along with another storied grower, Bubba, first brought the now-iconic strain to California from Florida in 1992. This may seem quaint now, but back then, this was before OG Kush was a thing outside of very select circles. Feldman went back and forth from the Bay Area, re-upping his supply of the newly in-demand strain for the Los Angeles market. Eventually, it became clear that this wasn’t the most efficient way of getting poundage in the hands of buyers, so Josh D bestowed upon Feldman a clone and basically said “have at it.”
The Brand:
Wonderbrett
Recognizing he had something special, Feldman took time to learn how to properly grow the strain in order to “not fuck it up,” he said while we toured his now 80,000-square-foot indoor grow facility in Long Beach. “When Kush was given to me, I had to figure out how to grow weed immediately,” he says. “I couldn’t kill the plants!”
And learn to grow he did. Due to the surging demand of OG Kush in Los Angeles during the late ’90s, Feldman soon found himself in the company of hip-hop’s biggest stars: Xzibit, Snoop, B-Real, and Dr. Dre among them. He was even invited to come chill in the studio during recording for Dr. Dre’s album, 2001. B-Real confirmed to me in a separate interview that it was Feldman who introduced him to Kush way back when.
Today, that legacy has turned into Wonderbrett, a full-fledged cannabis and lifestyle brand that maintains roots in the music community — Poo Bear, who is a recording artist and producer for Justin Bieber, Lupe Fiasco, Skrillex, and many others, is one of the brand’s major investors. In fact, Feldman, who is also a visual artist and the man behind the weed’s packaging design, recently released a new album of his own, “Wonderbrett: Volume 2,” which is a vibey, ethereal mix of beats perfect for — what else — smoking weed.
Wonderbrett’s Long Beach indoor cultivation site is massive. The brand grows with a 22,000-square-feet canopy footprint across 36 individual grow rooms. Altogether, it’s about 30,000 plants. Even at his highest capacity back in the pre-legal days, Feldman says he could never have imagined producing at such scale, and that while scaling has gone well for them, it remains the number one challenge.
“On a small grow, it’s easy to have control,” he says. “You’re always going to be able to be the guy who is there all the time, who sleeps at the grow, right? This is different.”
Nowadays, they have 14 proprietary cultivars in rotation, which are selected according to a number of characteristics that make Wonderbrett weed what it is. The brand’s slogan is “flavors on flavors,” and all it takes is one whiff of a jar to see why — to paraphrase Darth Vader, the terps “are strong with this one.” The focus on this aspect of weed makes a strong point often lost in today’s shopping landscape: THC percentage is merely one part of the equation, and not necessarily the most important one.
Wonderbrett/Uproxx
“If you buy weed on THC alone, you’re a dummy,” Feldman says.
It’s also about the terpenes and flavonoids, which is why it’s been so damaging to consumers to not be able to smell the weed they’re considering purchasing. Smelling it tells a massive part of the story. That’s not to say Wonderbrett’s weed isn’t strong — I am puffing on a 34.06% THC sample of the brand’s Pineapple OG as I type — but it’s true that THC potency is skewed as being the dominant marker of quality.
Walking into a Wonderbrett grow room with towering fat buds mere days away from completion makes an even finer point. I was smacked with smell every time I opened a door, whether that be an actual Peach smell in the Peach OZ room or the straight gas emanating from Black Orchid. The vividness matches the brand’s marketing strategy, which is to match dominant terpenes and flavonoids with the strain name as much as it makes sense — making an actionable connection in the customer’s mind. If someone is buying a strain with the word “peach” in the name, might it be a good idea to then pheno hunt for a variety that displays those very characteristics? Feldman says, “Yes. I’m glad you noticed that.” He offers an intentionally cartoonish laugh. “It means my strategy is working.”
The Weed
Wonderbrett/Uproxx
Feldman told me early in my tour — and I can confirm, after seeing it firsthand — that at Wonderbrett they dry trim only, which preserves trichomes, most importantly. Those are the little crystals that contain the fun cannabinoids, like THC, that make us high. He dries and cures for two weeks only. In general, from the day the weed is harvested, then tested, then dried and cured and finally packaged, Wonderbrett’s turnaround is about one month from harvest to package.
Wonderbrett’s jarred eighths aren’t cheap — they average for about $60 — and because they are constantly churning out new buds from their stratified and well-timed grow rooms, their customers are getting as fresh bud as one can possibly get on the legal market. The smell that lingers in the jars confirms this, though the bud is sometimes a bit dry. That’s more of the fault of legalization than any one individual grower.
I walked away from Wonderbrett’s facility with my head swimming in flavor, which is their intent. But does the bud stack up? I tried six: Black Orchid, Pineapple OG, Cherry Trop, Grapes of Wrath, and Chomp, which is the brand’s collaboration with rapper Russ.
Easily considered a signature cultivar of the brand, Feldman told me Pineapple OG’s roots go back to 2008, though 2014 is the first time anyone could buy it legally. These are the buds Wonderbrett led with once they could sell in the medical market. He also said it’s been one of the most consistent producers of high THC — the batch I tried, which clocked in at 34%, was no exception.
It’s gassy, redolent of its OG roots, and boasts flavors of sweet and sour fruits, like pineapples, guavas, and passionfruit. It’s easy to see why people love it, and it’s would be a solid go-to in any experienced smoker’s repertoire. Feldman also mentioned it’s a “hardy” cultivar, ideal for breeding, which he has done for other Wonderbrett strains, like Orange Banana.
Another favorite of mine is Black Orchid, which is a much more functional smoke than Wonderbrett’s other options, owing to its more balanced cannabinoid profile and dense flowers. THC is registered at 22%, which is a “Goldilocks” percentage for me — not too much, not too little, but just right. There are higher percentages of CBG and CBGA, as well, which is said to aid in relaxation. Limonene, Caryophyllene, Linalool, and Humulene are the dominant terpenes, which means this cultivar has a little bit of everything I like: citrus, earth, flowers, and a hint of gas, which one would expect from an OG Kush and Gelato cross.
The buzz that results from a Peach OZ smoke is definitely suited for daytime, but 30% THC suggests a daytime activity like taking a leisurely stroll in a beautiful location or sitting on the beach rather than anything that requires serious motor skill function. The smell and flavor match up on this one: peach, sweet citrus and a hint of vanilla round out this cultivar, which was made by Peach Rings and OZ Kush, a pheno gifted from Cannabis by Corey, which originally came from Dying Breed Seeds.
We already reviewed Chomp, which is a collaboration with the rapper Russ timed to release alongside his EP by the same name. It’s a heady strain, much more suited for cerebral activities – like, say, recording a rap album — which I attribute to Limonene as the dominant terpene.
Put simply, this is pool weed, a hybrid of Jet Fuel Gelato and Grape Pie. The high is heavy, befitting 27.65% THC, but uplifting, owing to the strong Limonene and Linalool content. It’s euphoric, something that would be greatly aided by listening to music, especially. This sounds weird, but it tastes like grape cake.
I’m not exactly sure what that means in reality, but a strong grape flavor accompanied by a yeasty, bready undertone makes sense to me here. The genetics are from Compound Genetics, purveyors of some of the hypest fire California’s breeders have to offer.
One of the grow rooms that displayed some of the most beautiful bud, in my opinion, was Cherry Trop, which popped with deep purples and even reds, depending on the light. It’s a hybrid mix of Cherry Cookies and Trop Cookies, which came from a seed pack by Relentless. The overall flavor is fruit: stone fruits and citrus, redolent of a sunny day spent eating sour candies. At 26% THC, it’s strong, but it won’t knock you on your ass. This is a stimulating daytime smoker for any activity that requires movement and focus but not too much intellectual brainpower.
Wonderbrett’s music connection is still strong
Wonderbrett
In addition to trying some of Wonderbretts current cultivar offerings and palling around with Feldman, I also got to talk to Poo Bear, who puts his money where his mouth is, as far as Wonderbrett is concerned. He said he was initially drawn to the brand through its highly stylized packaging — the brand’s signature color-blocked boxes – which struck Poo Bear as “very professional” in an era when weed was anything but. In the end, it’s really all about the weed and the man behind it, though.
“Brett always had the best product, you know, so when the opportunity came about to come in as an investor, I was like, ‘I would love to.’ I was investing in Wonderbrett because I just believe in him so much,” Poo Bear says of Feldman.
Poo Bear is also a major believer in Los Angeles weed culture, which he says isn’t just having a moment now – it’s always been quietly dominant. It’s just that people are finally starting to understand and recognize its greatness.
“I think LA took over awhile ago,” Poo Bear says of California’s mostly friendly competition between regional cannabis cultures. “You know, the Bay always had their purps, the things they were famous for. But L.A. has always been pushing it with these different flavors. It was probably like five or six years ago, scientists and growers just really started pushing the envelope in L.A. and I started to hear less and less about the Bay and L.A. just started filling that gap with consistency and variety. You see it with all the cannabis cups — L.A. wins all the cups. It’s definitely the cannabis capital.”
It goes without saying that Poo Bear thinks Wonderbrett was instrumental in making that happen and that the brand will be a staple of L.A. cannabis culture to come. After seeing their operation firsthand and smoking through the line, I’m ready to say I agree.
Jack Harlow cut his teeth at Atherton High School. The Louisville native started rapping as a teenager and even filmed now viral videos of him rapping in the halls of the school. He’s been showing a lot of love to his hometown lately in the midst of the “No Place Like Home” Tour that takes place at five different venues in Louisville, and recently announced that he’ll be spreading his wealth by making contributions to five local non-profits.
But what he did this morning, by visiting his alma mater Atherton High School is just good vibes all around. The energy from the students as Harlow walked into the school is so pure as they welcome back one of their own. Harlow posted a couple clips of the moment on Instagram:
Talk about a hero’s welcome. The sea of cellphones and the dozens of huggers that immediately embrace Harlow is a reflection of the good spirits and positivity Harlow is letting flow back into his hometown. Good on you sir.
12/17/2021 — Louisville, KY @ Mercury Ballroom
12/18/2021 — Louisville, KY @ Old Forester’s Paristown Hall
01/07/2022 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo
01/09/2022 — Pomona, CA @ The Fox Theater
01/10/2022 — San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park
01/11/2022 — San Luis Obispo, CA @ Alex B. Madonna Events Center
01/13/2022 — San Jose, CA @ San Jose Civic Center Auditorium
01/14/2022 — Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
01/15/2022 — San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
01/16/2022 — Sacramento, CA @ Ace Of Spades
Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗛𝗜𝗧𝗦 𝗔 𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗘-𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗥! 
Please I’m begging you 
(@Mac_Flurrrry) 
(@mel_xzh) 
