28 grams of game: GUMBO’s Luka Brazi breaks down his NYC come-up
Mr. GUMBO invited us inside ‘the House that GUMBO built’ to learn how he made it to the top of New York’s budding weed industry.
‘Do I call it The House of GUMBO, The GUMBO mansion, or the GUMBO castle?’ That’s what I was thinking as I approached Luka Brazi’s 20,000 square-foot New York property. When I was finally inside, the home owners explained that they simply call it “The House that GUMBO Built.”
For the past two decades and change, Karim “Luka Brazi” Butler has laid a powerful foundation across NYC. Building brick by brick, between many colliding markets prepared him to lead New York’s billion dollar legal weed industry into uncharted territory.
Music fans remember Luka as the muscle and talent scout in New York’s iconic Dipset rap crew. Fashion lovers cherish the custom shirts, jackets, and mixtapes he used to sell in Harlem. And mob movie lovers have to appreciate his name’s nod to mob enforcer Luca Brasi, who served on behalf of the boss Don in the classic Godfather film.
But since 2019, designer weed lovers have made up the majority of Mr. GUMBO’s six-figure follower count. That’s because the multi-state licensed FlyTrap brand has taken off globally. But Luka’s home state of New York has been slow to get its adult-use market off the ground.
Luka didn’t wait around for The Empire State to get it together. Which is why he’s got a pot full of GUMBO varieties available or coming soon to Cookies stores worldwide.
With New York dispensary licenses opening up to original market operators like Luka later this month, the future looks green for the GUMBO gang. Recently, I sat down with Luka and his wife Alexis Major and took a tour of their GUMBO abode. Along the way, the pot power couple shared exactly how they cooked up a worldwide buzz from scratch.
Here’s the recipe Bronx native Luka Brazi used to build NYC’s hottest weed brand from the ground up.
1. Stick to the script
Luka and Alexis are quick to call a new business play on the fly. But their core brand, FlyTrap, always comes first. The company got its sticky name from legendary New York lyricist Jadakiss, who once said Luka’s weed had him stuck like a trapped insect.
This was long before GUMBO was born, which is why FlyTrap remains the foundation for the GUMBO family’s rapid rise. As Luka frequently reminds fans, “FlyTrap is the brand, GUMBO is the strain.”
2. Diverse-is-fly
The FlyTrap brand is a solid vehicle for non-GUMBO moves that Luka and Alexis freestyle in the field. That includes merch, content, and packaging. The structure gives GUMBO space to bubble without spilling over into everything they do.
With the strain’s name going global so quickly, it’d be easy for most to get lost in the sauce. But Luka’s diverse background in music, fashion, and New York’s original cannabis market makes him uniquely qualified to work multiple flames at one time.
3. Trust the OGs
Runtz’ co-founder Yung LB and Detroit rapper GT helped Luka come up with the strain name GUMBO during a studio session in the motor city.
We were just sitting there for hours. They’re artists, they’re rappers, so they wanted to name it something spectacular for me. They said: “We gotta think out the box. ‘Cause you are animated, you’re a character. So it’s gotta be funky. Then GT said, “I got it!…Gumbo.” Me and LB, we looked at each other and said, “Yeah, bro.”
Luka Brazi on the origin of the GUMBO strain name
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Other OGs like Dipset’s Jim Jones and Cookies CEO Berner have also added secret ingredients to help GUMBO go global. One reason things bubbled so quickly: Luka is never too proud to take advice and run with it.
4. Stay legit
“Berner made us legitimate, (he) had us go legal,” Luka explained. The Cookies founder once told him, “Luka you’re not a street hustler. You’re more of a corporate guy. You know how to take what you learned from the street and incorporate it into a business.”
Then last year, Berner approached Luka with a deal to place GUMBO in Cookies stores across the globe. Luka remembers: “At the time he came and got us, he was fighting cancer, bro. He didn’t even know what tomorrow would bring. So that shit touched me… That someone could reach out to you at a time like that to wonder about you and your family?”
“We’re so thankful for Berner. Because without him, it wouldn’t even be a platform like this for people like us… We just have a lot of gratitude.”
Luka Brazi on Berner’s influence
5. All gas no brakes
Every month or so, creative new GUMBO packages hit the streets filled with fresh batches of the brand’s funky flower. The product’s secret recipe is constantly being tweaked, so the presentation has to keep pace with the evolving flavors. The process has led to dozens of hilarious bud bags that many buyers cherish as collector’s items.
One underground bag of “Madison Square GUMBO” Leafly grabbed this spring depicts Spike Lee repping his beloved New York Knicks. Another bag features NY Islanders hockey players on the ice at the famous Madison Square Garden arena.
My personal favorite animation showed Radio Raheem from Spike’s summertime classic Do The Right Thing. And yes, the weed was just as loud as Raheem’s monster boom box in the 1989 film.
With NY’s growing demand for more batches of GUMBO, and an endless supply of graphic designers scattered around the city, the only thing that may slow down the brand’s brilliant marketing is New York’s strict packaging laws.
Popular packs like Garbage Pail Kids GUMBO feature characters including “Shmokel Urkel” and a peach-shaped version of “Iron Mike Tyson” might not get past regulators. But New York’s active gray market should keep the bags in rotation for the foreseeable future whether the state approves or not.
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6. Embrace the bootleggers
As a former street vendor who sold everything from CDs to socks, Luka never knocks a good hustle. But he had to take his wife’s advice before overreacting to counterfeiters knocking off his product.
“We get a lot of bootleg stuff, but my wife had to bring this point to my attention. She said, “Babe, they knocked off Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Christian Louboutin. So when they knock (GUMBO) off, that means we did something good.”
Alexis added, “If you buy fake GUMBO, it’s because you want to be affiliated with GUMBO, and we’re not mad at that. We would like you to have the real GUMBO experience one day. But I know people that used to wear fake Louis, and they faked it til they made it.”
7. Feed the soul
“GUMBO’s good for your soul,” Luka explained when I asked why a New York brand named its top weed strain after a Louisiana dish. GUMBO seduces users with its funky flavor and clean taste. The founders ensure all products are organic, meaning GMO and pesticide free.
And after a day of smoking through a variety of flavors, including a mix of hearty, gassy, and fruity terps. The soft, dense buds break down effortlessly, like smoked BBQ that falls off the bone.
8. Beat the odds
As a survivor the failed War on Drugs, Luka went from victim to victor before our eyes. Along the way, he served time and saw things he never wants to revisit. “It was bad,” he remembers of his time in the illicit market. “I wasn’t supposed to make it. I don’t have a GED, or a high school diploma. So I’m living proof that anything you put your mind to, you can obtain.”
9. Influence the influencers
A key hack in modern marketing is influencers. Why spend millions on traditional ads when you can get a few celebrities to post your product directly to millions of followers?
Recently, Luka has harvested organic support from rising stars like Detroit’s 42 Dugg, Atlanta’s Takeoff and actor Demetrius “Lil Meech” Flenory Jr. who currently plays the role of his own father, Black Mafia Family kingpin Big Meech on the STARZ series BMF.
“What you smoking on?,” he asked Lil Meech on an Instagram live meet-up earlier this year. And Luka’s social impact has even caught the attention of mega-influencers like Diddy and JAY-Z. With celebrities from every field looking to jump into the legal pot business, Luka’s knack for leading the leaders will come in handy for years to come.
10. Don’t forget where you came from
Luka is quick to remind you that he grew up on 63rd Street and 10th Avenue in the Bronx, New York.
The Forest Houses projects that he called home also produced Hip-Hop pioneers like Fat Joe, Diamond D and Lord Finesse. But after seeing murder and machine guns in his youth, Luka’s mother sent him away to a private school. Even with the option to choose books, Luka gravitated to the entrepreneurial lifestyle he saw his grandparents living as Harlem street vendors.
More game from big Berner
11. Go where the action is
Luka migrated to Harlem around 1999, and instantly left a mark. He came to support his cousin’s CD hustle, which made decent money off the foot traffic passing through 145th and Broadway’s infamous drug and fashion markets.
“You can step on any block in Harlem, and everybody knows who Luka Brazi is, guaranteed,” he said in a 2008 interview.
After connecting with Harlem’s Diplomats rap crew circa 2000, he began influencing members like Cam’Ron, Jim Jones, and Shiest Bubz with his wits, charm, and loyal network.
12. Leverage your strengths
When Cam’Ron was trying to get out of a bad record deal with Sony, Luka’s legend was truly born. After lawyers and agents failed to remedy the situation, Luka showed up to the Sony offices with over 100 individuals from Harlem who demanded Cam’s freedom.
The power move worked, and set the table for Cam’s Dipset crew to take off. The Harlem group rose to new heights after joining JAY-Z’s Roc-A-Fella recording label, which released 2004’s stoner staple Purple Haze. The projects was named for both Jimi Hendrix, and the famous weed strain that took New York by storm in the early 2000s.
13. Keep a million-dollar smile
“I’m always smiling. Not only ’cause I got good teeth. But because I remember all the days that I had to eat shit. So I had to buy new teeth to smile. And to let y’all know this is Black-owned. This is not someone saying that they own it and someone else co-owns it or they’re the secret partner. No. I own GUMBO. It’s mine, and my wife’s. It’s a joint venture.”
14. Shine bright like a diamond
A key element of GUMBO’s viral appeal: The diamond-flooded chains that Luka likes to stack on his neck, or give away to fans.
Most financial advisors wouldn’t approve of the bling, especially as we trend towards a recession. But the jewels serve as a marketing vehicle in every room Luka enters; Turning heads and starting conversations about his recent success.
The diamonds are also inspiration to kids fighting the same odds that Luka beat. He wants them to know they don’t have to chase careers in entertainment or illicit dealings to shine like the stars they are.
15. Cultivate your charisma
Luka’s natural charm has helped him grow and maintain a massive network of true supporters. Even when he was known mostly as a henchman for rappers, fans couldn’t help but appreciate his humor when he appeared in songs, videos, and interviews.
Back then, it would have been hard for even Luka to imagine then that he was destined to be one legal weed’s biggest bosses. But even before he found his highest purpose, he did his best to treat himself and others with love and respect at all times.
16. Choose your partners wisely
One part of Mr. and Mrs. GUMBO’s recipe for success is balance. “I have two Associates degrees and one Bachelors degree,” said Mrs. GUMBO, a Connecticut native who perfectly complements Luka’s NYC grit. “I ran a $150 million business as a retail buyer before this,” she told me.
“I guess it’s a balance,” Luka chimed in.
The couple endured being dead broke together before really hitting it big with GUMBO. So they have ultimate trust and faith in one another’s skills sets.
“He’s a big picture person,” Alexis explains. “So we took his hustle and my strategies for being able to scale a business.” The rest is history.
17. Putting people before things will take you places
A lot of famous hustlers are famous, but they’re no longer with us,” Alexis pointed out. “But Luka is also a people person.” His gift of gab and social IQ helped him escape countless situations that would have ended the GUMBO fairy tale before it began. By putting people before profits, Luka’s brand has travelled to places he hasn’t even been. “We’re in 15 countries now, including Turkey,” Alexis added.
New locations serving GUMBO include Israel, New Jersey, and Florida (via the brand new Cookies Miami store). There’s also established markets like California, where GUMBO is a frequent top-seller. And in September, GUMBO will help make history as one of the first legal weed offerings to debut in Asia at the Cookies Thailand grand opening.
18. Keep a hustler’s spirit
Luka grew up with grandparents who were vendors in New York. When he was 7 years old, he remembers joining them on the block to flip items and barter within their community. The early business lesson gave Luka instincts that he still uses to this day. Even when he wakes up in the GUMBO mansion, his passion for solving problems and connecting people continues to keep him supremely motivated.
19. Legacy over everything
It’s not easy to think 100 steps ahead. So Luka focuses on keeping a solid reputation one day at a time. It would have been impossible to predict that his work in music, fashion, and the illicit market would one day make him the poster child for NYC’s legacy weed scene. Turns out that taking the time to build a solid reputation can pay off way more than investing in get-rich quick schemes. Remind yourself that every day is a new chance to build your legacy with integrity and honor.
20. Take a good thing and run with it
“Sometimes in life people don’t understand your mission or what you’re going to achieve. So I just took (my opportunity) and I ran with it. And here we are now, three years later, damn near the biggest black-owned cannabis company in the world… I just didn’t stop.”
Luka Brazi on his marathon to the top
21. Say ‘no’ to boof
“This is why we’re so successful: Because we are consistent. We have quality control over everything we do. So we cannot serve you guys boof. If you’re looking for cheap weed, we do not have it. If you’re looking for quality and great pot that you can smoke, white ash every time guaranteed, we’re here for you.”
Luka Brazi on GUMBO’s dedication to quality
22. Don’t wait, innovate
GUMBO is currently developing regulated, strain-specific carts with terps that translate the rich taste of GUMBO flower into concentrate. The move should increase customer access to the brand in the states and countries that haven’t fully legalized.
I got to hit a prototype GUMBO pen during my visit. The toke was smooth with a fruity after taste. So smooth in fact, I thought I might have hit a hookah. Within a few seconds, the GUMBO effect hit me like a mack truck.
New York’s latest legal weed updates
23. Always do the right thing
“We’re big on integrity,” Luka told me. “So we’re always doing the right thing.” With a chance to make millions the legit way, that means avoiding old traps at all costs.
“The black market was an everyday struggle,” he remembers. “You gotta be around certain things and people that you didn’t want to be around,” which is why he never intends on going back.
“I’m not going to jail. So I’m not doing nothing illegal… I had my exposure to that market, but I transitioned over to it being legal. Thank God.”
24. Map out your vision
“Have a goal, have an idea. Make a goal sheet, a vision board. Put it out there. Say, ‘I want to contact the GUMBO’s,’ and we will fund what you want to do. But it has to be legal, legit, and it has to make sense. You can’t just come to me and say, ‘Yo I want to buy some land and I want to just grow weed on it.’ Bruh, I told you I’m not going to jail. That’s illegal. I’m sorry.”
25. Do for self
“A lot of people call me or message me like, ‘Yo I got a license here, let’s do this!’ I’m thinking: ‘OK, do your thing. You don’t need me. I don’t need anybody to do this. I had my wife. I had God. And we put our brains together, we stayed down ’til we came up.’”
26. Rise above the hate
On your journey to the top, distractions can do you in. During GUMBO’s fast ascent, unfounded rumors that their products were contaminated forced Luka to tune out the hate.
“People tarnished our name,” he remembers. “They said, ‘Yo, they got fentanyl in GUMBO!’”
The myth of fentanyl-laced weed has been disproven by Leafly and countless lab tests. But the reality of others trying to bring you down with BS will never completely disappear. So stay focused, and don’t let it knock you off your game.
27. Give because you have
“We give, because we have, and we have because we give,” Luka told me. “Therefore, we will never be without.”
Luka sees many people struggling to figure out the secret to his success. But he feels the answer should be obvious: Generosity and gratitude are the G’s he puts first. And as a result, he and his wife are living on acres of gorgeous real estate, while sitting on endless grams of New York’s hottest weed brand.
Paying it forward clearly pays off.
28. Don’t stop believing
Luka insists that hard work without faith is aimless.
Instead of rushing to keep up with trends, or breaking your neck to impress others, Luka suggests focusing on the things you truly believe in. Building your own value system and sticking to it through ups and downs will make you a mogul among mortals in a weed industry full of shady dealings.
Mikhail Harrison
Trinidad-born, New Jersey-raised content producer Mikhail Harrison has been a cannabis advocate and influencer for over a decade, working both on camera and behind the scenes to normalize the plant for all.
View Mikhail Harrison’s articles
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