Author: Urban Empire

In October Seattle became the largest U.S. city to decriminalize psychedelic substances. Other cities that have decriminalized some or all entheogens include Oakland and Santa Cruz, California; Denver, Colorado and Ann Arbor, Michigan. California made headlines several times this year concerning its psychedelics decriminalization bill, which has already passed several committees. Filament Health To Launch First U.S. Trial Using Plant-derived Psychedelics Read More

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Underground group City Morgue, consisting of ZillaKami and São Paulo rapper SosMula, began their rise to prominence a few years ago. They took the edgiest attributes of contemporary rap and amplified them by incorporating elements of rock and metal. While Zilla was always considered the one with a more viable path to solo success, it remained to be seen what the 22-year-old was capable of on a full length album. On “DOG BOY,” he takes everything unique about his previous music and turns it up to 11, giving longtime fans everything they’ve wanted and a good deal more. Read More

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6ix9ine went above and beyond for his girlfriend Jade’s 25th birthday. Photos and videos from the night show the rapper giving the model multiple Birkin bags for her birthday, as well as thousands in cash, which he stowed in the purses themselves. Jade posted a series of images on Instagram, showing off her presents and a Rolls Royce. “Wow!!!! All I can say is wow. I’m so thankful, blessed & grateful,” she wrote in an IG post. “I wanna thank everyone for coming and celebrating my birthday with me. I wanna thank you baby @6ix9ine you really outdid yourself.” Read…

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His expansive approach to design inspired comparisons to artists including Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons. For him, clothes were totems of identity.Virgil Abloh, the barrier-breaking Black designer whose ascent to the heights of the traditional luxury industry changed what was possible in fashion, died on Sunday in Chicago after a two-year battle with cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare cancer. He was 41. His death was confirmed by his family. The artistic director of Louis Vuitton men’s wear as well as the founder of his own brand, Off-White, Mr. Abloh was a prolific collaborator with outside brands from Nike to Evian, and…

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Last summer, during the protests following George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer, legal cannabis businesses in San Francisco and Oakland, California were repeatedly burglarized by what victims as well as authorities described as organized break-in crews. Though police did make some arrests, a year and a half later, instead of deterred, thieves appear emboldened. In the past two weeks, at least 25 cannabis businesses—including retail storefronts as well as cultivation and distribution centers— in Oakland alone have been burglarized, with damages in excess of $5 million. Read More

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Half a million dollars and nearly four years into his Los Angeles-based cannabis venture, Donnie Anderson had no shop, no prospects and a mountain of debt. With financial help from family and friends, Anderson rented a $6,000-a-month space in January 2018 for his new cannabis retail shop. He kept paying the rent as the city’s permitting process dragged on. He bought cabinets and other equipment as he waited. And waited. Read More

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Fresh off of news that California is set to raise the cannabis cultivation tax despite projections of a $31 billion surplus, one marijuana entrepreneur is calling for a potential tax revolt this summer. Michael “Mikey” Steinmetz, co-founder of the company that makes the Flow Kana cannabis brand, is threatening to withhold his taxes unless Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature adjust state marijuana regulations July 1, 2022. He is calling on other CEOs to join him in this effort. Read More

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Tesla TSLA billionaire Elon Musk, a controversial figure among the cryptocurrency community, has once again endorsed the somewhat satirical bitcoin rival dogecoin—sending its price slightly higher. The price of bitcoin, ethereum and other major cryptocurrencies are meanwhile struggling, with the bitcoin price failing to regain ground over $60,000 per bitcoin and ethereum’s ether dropping back from around its all-time highs. Read more

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Cooking prime rib can be intimidating–it’s such a big piece of meat and you’re usually making it for a special occasion, like Christmas or a formal dinner, so you want to get it just right. But it needn’t be stressful: This easy prime rib recipe calls for just a handful of ingredients and lays out how to cook prime rib so it’s juicy, tender and full of flavor, without a lot of fuss. Cooking the prime rib low and slow safeguards the meat from cooking unevenly. See the Tips section below for more advice on making the perfect prime rib.…

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Though turkey is the centerpiece of many Thanksgiving meals, the dinner wouldn’t be complete without dessert. Traditionally, that means pie, be that pumpkin, sweet potato, pecan … do we need to go on? For those of you inclined to bake, knock yourselves out! For those of you who’d rather pick up a little something sweet in advance of the big meal, here’s a roundup of local pie bakers that will more than fit the bill. Read More

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