Berner is one of the wealthiest artists in the music industry thanks to legal weed
How did an indie rapper from The Bay find himself among hip-hop’s money kings like JAY-Z and Dr. Dre again? Legal cannabis and lots of hassle.
This week, former Forbes entertainment editor Zack O’Malley Greenberg crowned the hip-hop kings of 2022, an annual list of top earners that began in 2006. The very first list was headlined by JAY-Z, who reportedly made $34 million at the time. That year, he grabbed the top spot with a much higher number ($1.5 billion) alongside Forbes games Diddy and Dr. dre back.
But one name on the 2022 list stands out like a green thumb: cookie cannabis mogul Berner, who rarely lands on Billboard and has said he’s not aiming for radio drama. Because Berner owes his fortune neither streams nor stadium shows. He made the majority of his half billy from legal bud.
According to O’Malley Greenberg’s new report on Hip Hop’s Richest Artists, the top five earners in rap are worth a combined $3.8 billion. Berner’s net worth is $410 million (just $10 million short of that magic number). Cookies’ CEO said he once turned down an $800 million offer in the company’s early days. Now, his estimated 30% stake in Cookies and equity in dozens of other cannabis companies make him one of his musical idols when it comes to wealth.
“Wow ! I am very honored to be recognized at this level by @rollingstone. Passion, patience, perseverance and determination has gotten me to where I am today. It feels good to motivate the Latino entrepreneurs out there .Top 5 Richest Hip-Hop Artists in 2022 1. Jay Z, 2. Diddy, 3. YE, 4. Berner, 5. Dr. Dre…. Hit the new 💿💿 album because it’s packed with GAME 💪 🏽”
– @Berner415 via Instagram
How did Berner rise to the top of the cannabis industry?
Berner remembers well when he was only known as an indie rapper. Before he got billion-dollar bids for cookies, he was a local artist who loved weed so much he got a day job as a budtender. Then he met Wiz Khalifa and signed to his record label.
Things have grown organically since then. And to close the spliff, Berner was instrumental in helping Wiz launch the critically acclaimed Khalifa Kush brand in 2021, and Cookies remains KK’s exclusive supplier in Nevada and California. Other key partners include rap giant Rick Ross and retired NBA star Gary Payton, whose self-titled strain remains a bestseller to this day.
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“Cookies have outgrown me,” Berner said proudly when asked about his multi-state operation on The Bootleg Kev Podcast last year. “People know what Cookies is and don’t know me. That is amazing.”
Without the mainstream platform of hit songs or airplay, Berner has still found a way to reach the precious intersection of pot and pop culture at the highest level. Even Curaleaf, the world’s largest cannabis company by market cap, can’t pull the boundaries or viral hype that Cookies is bringing to every market it debuts in.
while dr Dre, Cypress Hill, and Wiz know exactly how to top the charts with music about bombweed, Berner has mastered the art of growing and spreading Chronic that resonates with the most dedicated users in the industry.
Don’t fall asleep on Berner’s music, it’s more than just hustle
“I don’t want to make it big. I don’t want to be on f***ing radio bro,” Berner explained in 2021. His success with legal weed, he said, now protects his creative freedom as an artist. Berner seized the liberty and this week expanded his prolific music catalog by releasing a new album titled FromSeed To Sale ahead of Cookies’ big window debut in hip-hop mecca New York City.
Last year, with his family’s blessing, Berner’s Gotti album included unreleased audio of suspected New York crime boss John Gotti. Rap legends like Rick Ross, Future, Jadakiss and Styles P also featured. The collaborations are an indie rapper’s dream, but they’re also key to Cookies’ marketing strategy. With many artists calling themselves cannabis connoisseurs, the Cookies brand is both a status symbol and a great resource.
“All My Grass Is Cookies”
Lil Wayne, “You Only Live Twice”
Networking showcases Berner’s 2021 Spotify Wrapped Report with 8.2 million fans enjoying nearly 100 million streams from his prolific catalog. With over 40 independent albums and plans to release new Cookies genetics by 2080, Berner has a lot more to teach the world about growing green on your own terms.
“I like being an underground artist. Mainstream artists, as soon as they come off the radio, they say they fell off. But if you look at my music career, it’s gone (steadily increasing) every year. Nah, I’ve never shot up, never had a straight home run. But I’ve increased every year. So if I get a record that’s hits, hits… I have a 42-album catalog to back that up.”
Berner
In the 2000s, the advent of streaming data legitimized rap’s place in popular culture, turning leaders like JAY-Z and Dr. Three billionaires. Cannabis legalization is now spreading the plant in a similar fashion, with the weed now ranking as America’s fifth most valuable crop, employing half a million people. And moguls like JAY and Diddy’s son Justin are scrambling to break into the legal weed field with their own distinctively branded products.
The value of the platform for ancient cannabis culture
Berner’s cannabis pedigree includes Yung LB (chief marketer of Leafly 2020 Strain of the YearRuntz), Wiz Khalifa (whose Khalifa Kush brand was originally endorsed by Berner) and New York operators Harlem’s Branson and Luka Brazi, both of whom Berner will work closely with in the Big Apple licensed.
With ventures like Cookies U and partnerships with incumbent operators across the country, Berner is planting seeds that should yield huge returns for decades to come. He could have cashed out years ago if money had been his only motive. Instead, he maintains control of his operations and uses them to empower others while pushing the creative boundaries of the industry at every turn.
Cookies’ wins in 2022 count
Ad Age named Cookies one of the hottest brands of 2021 in any industry, making it the first cannabis brand to receive this accolade. And 2022 was arguably Cookies’ best year yet. Berner was the first cannabis owner to report on Forbes. And the Clio Awards even recognized the company’s pioneering marketing.
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Ahead of the store opening this Sunday in New York, Cookies cut the ribbon at a 10,000-square-foot pharmacy in Be’er Sheva, Israel, in June. The brand also launched in new markets such as Michigan, New Jersey and Florida and continued its multinational expansion by entering Thailand.
According to O’Malley’s report, Cookies “sells 70 strains of weed and 2,000 different marijuana-related products at its 48 stores in seven countries and 20 states.” The brand is the foundation of Berner’s fortune due to a unique business structure. The agreement could one day allow Berner to “buy out local partners and create a unified multi-billion dollar cannabis conglomerate,” according to O’Malley Greenberg.
“As it becomes legal in more and more states — and maybe eventually across the US — it’s uniquely positioned,” said O’Malley Greenberg. “When it goes federal and the market wants to see us with all these stores and manufacturing, then we’re going to roll them all up,” Berner told O’Malley Greenberg earlier this year. “So we’re doing what these other companies are doing without having to raise our own capital.”
But Berner’s biggest win this year was over colon cancer. He was diagnosed last fall but has since shared that he is in remission and says he wants to raise awareness about cancer while making medical resources more accessible.
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