Gather, earthlings. Leafly landed the world’s first look at the new strain collab between Erykah Badu’s Apple Trees and Cookies cannabis. See how ‘That Badu’ looks, how it smokes, and where to find it on March 8.
Erykah Badu’s history as a cannabis advocate is documented in songs like “On and On,” which was written and performed with the help of Mary Jane. This Women’s Month, Badu’s Apple Trees cannabis company will partner with Cookies cannabis to release “That Badu,” a strain packed with cannabinoids that Badu said cater to the needs of women. The drop will be available exclusively at all California Cookies and Lemonnade stores on March 8 to celebrate International Women’s Day. Eighths will be priced at $60 and pre-rolls will be priced at $12.
“The herb is for everybody, but we had women in mind,” Badu told Leafly in February. “(We want) to further the conversation on women’s studies in cannabinoids. (I’m) an advocate who uses the plant as medicine in my ritual work, my spiritual work, my art, my creativity. I also use it for my birth mothers as a doula. A doula is a person who helps babies to come through.”
Here’s what Badu and the Cookies team shared with Leafly about the exciting new drop.
About ‘That Badu’ cannabis strain by Erykah Badu and Cookies
“It’s a combination of cannabinoids in two different strains: Limoncello and Jet Fuel Gelato,” Badu told Leafly about the self-titled release. The strain was grown by Mad Cow Genetics, and Cookies CEO Berner said he’s been holding the genetics in anticipation of the right opportunity.
Limoncello 10 is a mix of the original Lemonnade and all-time great Cookies strain Cherry Pie. Berner said the Jet Fuel Gelato cross adds a one-of-a-kind punch to the wide-range of fruity flavors during a recent YouTube taste test of That Badu.
“It’s a very finicky plant. The cultivators didn’t really enjoy growing it as much as I enjoyed smoking it. It’s really something special. It’s different than everything that’s on the market right now. It’s got that Lemonnade, that Cherry Pie kind of smell.”
Berner
Berner continued: “This thing kicks your ass. It’s super funky, super strong. I’m actually really happy she picked this one. When we sat down and talked about a collaboration, she said she wanted something that stands out. Something euphoric, something special. I put in front of her about 4-5 things, and she picked this. This is something that I’ve been holding for a while.”
Badu recommends the strain to mothers and women looking to stay productive and alert. “It’s really nice and natural, sort of like a ballad,” Badu said in a clip promoting the strain. “It just makes you move light and it kind of gets you through your day and you’re not zooted.”
Erykah Badu on collaborating with Berner and the Cookies team
What made Erykah Badu choose Berner as her cannabis partner?
“First of all, he is a dope mc and I love his music. I’m part of his cult following. But it wasn’t that he was a B-Boy, (and) I’m a be girl. That wasn’t it. Then I tasted his weed and I saw his presentation in his labs and things, but that wasn’t it. It was the fact that he was so open kind to me about it. For someone who was getting into this field, and obviously a very competitive field, he was giving with his words, his studies, his contacts–he was just a plug completely. It created this comfort for me. He mentors me and guides me along the humble beginnings of my journey as a grower, as a connoisseur, as an advocate, as an activist, you know? So that’s what it was. It was his kindness and his beauty as a human.”
Erykah Badu
“Berner reached out years ago and I just wasn’t ready to do that yet,” she told The Breakfast Club last week. “He reached back out. And I said I think it’s time to do that. I noticed there was no area in the cannabinoid world where women were being focused on. So my focus is women’s studies in the body, in childbirth, in meditation, in religious studies, spirituality, casually, mothers, everyday people, and building a product line around their needs.”
Here’s what the Cookies team had to say about working with Erykah Badu:
“Erykah Badu is a woman that is shaping the world on her own terms. She is fearlessly herself, the consummate collaborator and soulfully breathes life into every effort she takes on whether it be through her music, fashion, bringing babies into the world as a doula, and now her new line of cannabis and wellness products. Badu is blazing yet another trail into the cannabis and wellness space where women too often feel unrepresented, unheard and unseen. Badu has been advancing the conversation on women’s wellness for years and is the female advocate cannabis businesses should take notes from. It felt right to bring the cultivar she curated with such care (“That Badu”) to market for all to enjoy in the month of March which is dedicated to the celebration of women that make a difference in our lives, and to those like Badu whose contributions make clear that a woman can pursue any dream while staying true to her inner voice.”
Crystal Millican, Head of Retail at Cookies