When it comes to cannabis, there aren’t many rappers who are as knowledgeable as the Funk Doc a.k.a. Redman. In his prime, the Newark, New Jersey native popularized the plant alongside his brother-in-arms, Method Man, after taking the mantle from pioneers such as Cypress Hill and Snoop Dogg, who introduced it in the early ’90s.
Today, cannabis has become one of the most popular products in Hip Hop culture and Redman is inserting himself at the front of the line. He was recently announced as the new executive producer and director of The Dab Roast, a show where celebrities take dab hits while answering questions, and Red is looking to educate the people with his work in the upcoming new season.
However, not everyone is like Red and instead, most are looking to profit off cannabis by launching strains or opening dispensaries. It would make sense for Redman to release his own cannabis-inspired products, but that would’ve been too easy for him. According to Doc, he has bigger plans for his National Cannabis Party (NCP) to work in conjunction with The Dab Roast.
“The reason why you never seen a Redman product, a Redman vape pen, a Redman strain, anything, because I’ve been holding my brand for the bigger purpose, which is NCP, the National Cannabis Party,” Redman tells HipHopDX. “And what we are doing is, we are about giving the plant back to the people. We are about the structure of this cannabis industry. We are about education for our people. Don’t matter who it is, black, white, or green. If you an alien and you need education, we are about having the right platform to deliver that to you.”
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Redman launched the National Cannabis Party in 2021 alongside his sister Sephida Artis-Mills — who also serves as the organization’s president — to help educate the masses and let people know there’s more to marijuana than just the recreational side. They’ve already started meeting with politicians and created a bill regarding the rules and regulations of cannabis in New York, and the state accepted it.
Redman asserts the NCP is making history, especially after their bill was accepted, which fuels the rapper to hit politicians even harder with this cause. The government has a long and complicated history with cannabis to the point that certain politicians have made empty promises on the legalization of the plant. Red wants to stop that ongoing trend, and he’s not afraid to go up against the big guns to make it happen.
“Honestly, I love it,” Redman says confidently about going up against the government’s archaic laws and knowledge of cannabis. “Because here’s the thing, if you’re standing on the sidelines complaining and not doing anything, then you’re going to be pissed at it all the time. I am a part of a platform that is registered with the Federal Elections Commission, the FEC, meaning we’re federally approved.”
He adds, “So, we’re very clear here, there’s the Republican Party, there’s the Democratic Party, and there’s the first of its kind ever in history, the National Cannabis Party, meaning I could put someone in the president’s chair.”
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Redman and the NCP aren’t funded by anyone but themselves, making it a proper grassroots organization looking to make a change. They do accept donations and packages on their website, but the organization is still fairly new, and everything that they’re doing is for the purpose, not the profit. And when it comes to competition, it’s more so a challenge than a fight.
“They know we are not afraid, because here’s the thing, we are not in competition with anyone,” Doc says. “We’re not in competition with your dispensary, CBD line or your grower. We do not deal with the plant directly or get financial backing from the plant. But what we can do is challenge the government on why they got a patent on a plant that’s supposed to be free to the world. We can challenge why is cannabis still a Schedule I drug? We want it off of there.”
He continues, “When we see politicians that promise what they’re going to do about the cannabis industry and when they get in the chair, they don’t do it, we hold them accountable. We about holding everybody accountable. Everyone is going to know about equity and empowerment and expungement clinics.”
Redman Will Educate The Masses As New Executive Producer & Director Of 'The Dab Roast'
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Redman and the NCP can literally put someone from their organization in the White House, a groundbreaking vision for the cannabis industry. When asked if he would consider running for office since he’s the face of the organization, Redman joked he would, but clarified the cause is not about him and more so about helping put people in those positions to make the change the country needs regarding cannabis.
“I’m running for president in four years [laughs], but honestly, no, I wouldn’t want to take that job and be in office,” Redman tells HipHopDX. “Like I said, I’m in the business of helping people. I love to help people and I want to be behind the gun. We want to be the ones quietly pushing the buttons and put someone in the seat that deserves it. We want to put a president in a seat that has smoked cannabis.”
He continues, “We need a president that has smoked. We need a president that has indulged before. We need a president that’s transparent about themself. We need to put them in the seat, so they can understand what’s really needed with this cannabis industry.”
Stay tuned for more of our conversation with Redman.
