ALBUM:

Dr. Octagonecologyst by Dr. Octagon (Bulk Recording, 1996)

PRODUCER:

Dan the Automator, Qbert, KutMasta Kurt

GENRE:

Psychedelic East Coast Hip-Hop

CANNABIS:

Green Crack aka Green Cush (3.5g)

CULTIVATED BY:

Organnabliss Farms for Humboldt Nation

EFFECTS:

Energetic, creative focus

AROMA:

Tropical candy, grape, licorice

Wait, so you’re telling me there is a techno DJ up in Humboldt producing old-school Green Crack? Could there possibly be a more perfect fit for this column?

Marjo Lak co-manages the Humboldt Nation brand and retail store along with Organnabliss Farms up in Eureka with her partner Andy B—that is, whenever she’s not setting the grooves at Northern Nights Music Festival or Oregon Eclipse. I first discovered Humboldt Nation and their Green Crack last year, as a joint was included in the “12 Jays of X-Mas” sampler box. I was so pleasantly surprised to see a cut of original Green Crack that I ended up saving it to be my final smoke, even over other stellar cultivars like Whitethorn Rose.

This Green Crack paired perfectly with a trip to a Clippers game, delivering a long-lasting burst of focused energy, a buzzy electric jolt that never overwhelmed, akin to a strong espresso or cold brew. The nose and dry hit are especially noteworthy, almost like a handful of tropical Hi-Chews with more subtle notes of licorice, lime soda, bitter rose, and grapefruit.

You just don’t see this one anymore, especially grown outdoors and pesticide-free. It’s a historic mix of a Super Sativa Seed Club seed from 1989 (essentially the world’s second seed bank, after Nevil’s in Amsterdam), Skunk #1, and an unknown Afghani landrace. If that’s still not enough to convince you, Humboldt Nation offers pre-rolls as low as $5, with $20 eighths.

While it was tempting to pair this with some techno, I’m going to shift it up and go with 1996’s Dr. Octagonecologyst by Dr. Octagon (better known as Kool Keith). Doc Oc’s flow is rapid and abstract, chock full of free-associations—which is how my mind tends to function after heady sativas like this one. It’ll help to open up the music, allowing you to tap into and appreciate its many sonic layers.

"Wild and Crazy” delivers exactly what it promises while “Real Raw” slows things down a bit, reminding me of Gang Starr, Mobb Deep, and Wu-Tang. Dan The Automator’s production rarely misses and this album is no exception. Life is just more interesting once you start listening to music told from the perspective of a “homicidal, extraterrestrial, time-traveling gynecologist and surgeon.”

ALBUM:

Betty Davis by Betty Davis (Just Sunshine Records, 1973)

PRODUCER:

Greg Errico

GENRE:

Funk, Soul, Rock

CANNABIS:

Alpine Sunrise (3.5g)

CULTIVATED BY:

A Golden State

EFFECTS:

Mood elevation, uplifting yet soothing energy

AROMA:

Creamy, herbaceous gas

With their Alpine Sunrise, A Golden State has created the ideal compliment for lounging by a rooftop pool (shades on, drink in hand). This is luxury cannabis: vertically integrated, carbon-neutral, and irrigated with glacial snowmelt from Mount Shasta. Once Erewhon begins selling weed, I’d wager this will be front and center. Its rose and gold box alone would look right at home in any high fashion boutique.

Look, $60/eighth isn’t cheap, but the quality and complexity is there to justify it. The jar pop is simultaneously creamy, gassy, woody, and herbaceous. Notes of scented baby powder with a light touch of citrus. The dry hit remains gassy but taking a few drags unlocks more of that sweet smoothness; assorted Tootsie Rolls, including the flavored ones. The nugs themselves—a gorgeous blend of pale green, purple, and orange—are positively riddled with trichomes.

While it leans sativa, effects will be distinctly different from the aforementioned Green Crack since it’s an OG cross (Paris OG x F1 Durban). It soothes without weighing you down or ever getting too speedy. It’s soft, light, and mood boosting with a physical, cerebral sensation not too dissimilar from that Headbanded I covered in last quarter’s column. If your friends are often intimidated by the cannabis you’re bringing around, this represents an ideal middle-ground. You’ll appreciate the complexity, and they’ll enjoy not feeling anxious or overly intoxicated.

I struggled with the pairing for this one. Cyndi Lauper? Madonna? Janelle Monáe?

It wasn’t until I threw on my copy of Betty Davis’s 1973 self-titled debut that I knew I had nailed it. This renowned funk diva, a former fashion student, model, and muse who found her initial footing in the folk scene of early-60s Greenwich Village, didn’t invent cool but she certainly evolved it. After her brief marriage to Miles Davis, one where she introduced him to the highlights of late-60s fashion and culture, including up-and-coming artists Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, her career started to take off. Her relationship with Sly and his band, including drummer Greg Errico who produced this album, clearly shines through in this funky-soul masterpiece. Just throw on “Game is My Middle Name.” It sounds like a female Sly has the mic.

She wrote every lyric on this album. Powerful, liberated, and sexually-charged tracks that were (at the time) pretty scary to much of middle America. Every decade has their own Betty Davis, be it Salt-N-Pepa, Lil’ Kim, Cardi B, or Doechii—but there is only one original.

ALBUM:

City Music by Kevin Morby (Dead Oceans, 2017)

PRODUCER:

Kevin Morby, Richard Swift

GENRE:

Hipster Indie Rock

CANNABIS:

Headhunter 1g live rosin badder

CULTIVATED BY:

Motley Terpz

WASHED AND PRESSED BY:

Natures Lab Extracts

EFFECTS:

Relaxing body high, mood regulation

AROMA:

Kushy pine, Vicks VapoRub, passion fruit, kiwi

If your company was established in 2003— congratulations, you’re a true OG in this industry!

Motley Terpz fits this bill. They’re now two decades deep into cultivating in living soil across multiple counties (Humboldt, Monterey, and Santa Barbara) with both greenhouse and outdoor farms. Coinciding with the emergence of solventless extracts (in 2016), they pivoted to focus on fresh-frozen, releasing rosin collabs with top players like Punch Extracts, Rosin Tech, BEAR Labs, and Master Makers. Transparently, I’ve kinda fallen in love with this brand after they slipped me a joint of some classic Chemdog at Hall of Flowers. Hey, bribery can work—as long as you’re able to bring the quality.

This particular release, a 1g jar of Headhunter, was washed by Nature’s Lab Extracts, who I’m sure you already know as they’re in multiple states and have racked up 70+ awards over the years. Headhunter is a mouth-watering mix of Legend OG x Gush Mints that is guaranteed to chill you out: mind, body, and soul. It meshes nicely with a bike ride or skate sesh, or if you’re a poser like me, a few rounds of Tony Hawkʼs Pro Skater.

When I first crack open the jar, I can feel the gassy, grassy fruit tickling my eyes and sinuses. As I let the rosin slick up with terpenes by letting it rise to room temperature, the nose evolves. The signature OG funk remains but it’s now accompanied by potent hits of Vicks VapoRub and rubber. A winning scent you don’t want to pass up—and at just $40, you won’t have to. Not much on the shelf at this price point will even come close.

I see parallels between Kevin Morby and Motley Terpz. Morby was a driving force behind bands Woods and The Babies before he moved to LA to kickoff his solo career. The man behind the curtain steps into the foreground to establish his own brand. I won’t claim that I’ve listened to everything he’s put out, but everything I have heard has been pretty damn good.

His lyrics are often delivered with a sort of lackadaisical energy, existing somewhere in the space between Lou Reed and 80s Bob Dylan. Unsurprisingly, City Music, his fourth album of music for vinyl-addicted hipsters, is a favorite of mine. The haunting “Dry Your Eyes” is probably being covered in a small bar in Silver Lake as we speak. “1234” is my go-to, but I’m a sucker for the Ramones references. You can catch him at The Greek in Berkeley this October on one of the rare occasions that he leaves his home in the Kansas City area, where he’s settled down with none other than Katie Crutchfield (better known as Waxahatchee). If that couple were any hipper, they’d spontaneously combust.

ALBUM:

The Most Lamentable Tragedy by Titus Andronicus (Merge Records, 2015)

PRODUCER:

Kevin McMahon, Adam Reich

GENRE:

Garage Punk Rock Opera

CANNABIS:

Maple Melts cannabis-infused maple sugar bites

MANUFACTURED BY:

Moca Humboldt

EFFECTS:

Long-lasting uplift, functional, and motivated

AROMA:

Maple Syrup candies

I had to look it up but Cracker Barrel seems to exist in nearly every state, so this reference shouldn’t be lost on anyone.

Have you ever had those maple sugar melt candies? They’re my Mom’s favorite, so no family road trip was complete without us stopping at a Cracker Barrel to snag a box.

Well, Moca Humboldt has officially taken the cake for producing the most unique and innovative edible I’ve seen all year with their Maple Melts; a vegan, gluten-free bite made with organic New Hampshire syrup and infused with 10mg (per piece) of Moca’s in-house made premium cold-water hash.

I muddled three cubes into my instant coffee at 9:35 a.m. Within a half hour, I started to feel the pleasantly uplifting buzz creep in. By 12:35 p.m., the buzz remained strong, along with some light tingling in my face. The biggest win here is it’s an extremely functional high. I remained fully motivated, creative, and completely de-stressed throughout my workday. It blended perfectly with my coffee both in flavor and effects, a “hippie speedball” for the new generation.

Is The Most Lamentable Tragedy the best Titus Andronicus album? Nope— but it is a fitting introduction to these New Jersey punks, with a little something for everyone, including covers of both Daniel Johnston and The Pogues. These candies will forever be associated with the holidays for me, so the fact that they’ve included “Auld Lang Syne” on this album felt kismet.

It’s a 90+ minute rock opera about manic depression told in five acts, so you may not want cannabis that’ll get you quickly zonked. Instead, reach for a maple cube that’ll have you covered even if you decide to throw the album on twice.

Expect some boisterous sing-along punk rock—very Jeff Rosenstock, if you liked my suggestion of his album WORRY. from the second issue of Hiii magazine. Some tracks are closer to Ted Leo & the Pharmacists or Neutral Milk Hotel while others are pure 80s punk. You can’t go wrong starting with the videos for “Dimed Out” or “No Future Part IV: No Future Triumphant“ to gauge if they’re going to resonate with you. If there was a crusty DIY “battle of the bands” all across America, they sound to me like the guys who’d win it.

Jake Kuczeruk is cannabis expert and writer for the Budist app. He’s worked with numerous brands, driven market expansion, and cultivated a deep product knowledge. He is passionate about old-school strains and landraces.