P-Funk Legend George Clinton And Wiz Khalifa Bring The Funk To Weed: Here's What That Means

Forbes

07-05-2025

Wiz Khalifa and George Clinton at the concert celebrating the premiere of "Spinning Gold" held at ... More Avalon on March 29, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images) Variety via Getty Images
George Clinton, the visionary bandleader behind Parliament-Funkadelic and a pioneer of psychedelic funk, has spent six decades reshaping the boundaries of music, culture and consciousness. Now, at 83, he's entering an industry he's long championed from the sidelines: cannabis.
Clinton recently launched The Funk, a new cannabis brand created in partnership with Wiz Khalifa's Khalifa Kush, at a time when the U.S. market is projected to generate over $35.3 billion in legal sales in 2025 . The product debuted at Planet 13, the 112,000-square-foot Las Vegas dispensary that has become a launchpad for celebrity brands and immersive cannabis experiences.
And while dozens of entertainers have entered the space in recent years, Clinton arrives with a different kind of credibility. His relationship with cannabis dates back to the early 1960s—long before legalization—and has been inseparable from his music, worldview and public identity.
'I wanted it to match the music,' Clinton said in an exclusive interview. 'When you sit down, put on something funky and get your head right, you should think of The Funk.'
Clinton's history with cannabis began in the days of Acapulco Gold and unregulated Northern California grows. 'In the early '60s, it was all about whatever you could get,' he said. 'But it was always for the mind. That part never changed.' Forbes Carmelo Anthony's Cannabis Mission Comes Home: 'I Know The Door I Hold Open' By Javier Hasse
From doo-wop and Motown to the cosmic theatrics of Funkadelic, Clinton says cannabis was a constant presence; not just as a social lubricant but as creative fuel. 'We stayed lit to do all those albums,' he said. 'That was the atmosphere. It was part of the process.'
That process, he explains, wasn't about escape. It was about alignment—tuning into something deeper. Even before formal medical research caught up, Clinton says musicians intuitively understood the plant's power.
'I heard about the medical side back in the '60s. Stress, anxiety, chilling out—we knew,' he said. 'But America made more money pretending to stop it than selling it.'
He's blunt about the politics that kept cannabis underground: a mix of control, stigma and pharmaceutical interests.
'They sell you all kinds of drugs you can't pronounce, then give you another one to get off the first one,' he said. 'Cannabis could've handled a lot of it, if they'd just let it.' The Funk: From Studio To Shelf
Building on that personal legacy, Clinton's new cannabis line is more than a co-branded product: it's an extension of his artistic vision. The Funk launched with infused pre-rolls that combine Motorbreath flower and Daily Grape live resin, designed to deliver a heavy, unmistakable flavor profile.
'I wanted uncut funk,' Clinton said. 'The kind of stuff you light up and it tells you a story.'
The name, The Funk, nods to Clinton's lifelong mythology, but also references a track by his granddaughter titled 'Something Stank (And I Want Some)'—a generational echo that ties scent and sound together. The packaging draws from his signature cosmic visuals, echoed in a custom shoe collaboration with John Fluevog.
Clinton credits his wife with pushing the collaboration forward. 'She made sure we got it done,' he said. Forbes Ice-T Says He Doesn't Get High—So Why Did He Open A Cannabis Dispensary With A Playboy Playmate? By Javier Hasse
Clinton saw Planet 13, the massive Las Vegas dispensary where The Funk debuted, as more than just a storefront. 'It felt like the right place to lift off,' he said.
The infused pre-roll format is a strategic choice. In California, infused joints now account for more than 66% of all pre-roll sales, according to RollPros and BDSA data . Market leaders like Jeeter and STIIIZY have turned infused pre-rolls into high-volume, high-margin products—with Jeeter alone generating $26.7 million in California sales in a single quarter. Clinton and Khalifa are betting that authenticity—and funk—can carve out space in a category that's no longer an afterthought but the main event. Industry, Equity And The Long Road To Legalization
Clinton is not trying to become a cannabis policy advocate, but he has plenty to say about the contradictions he's seen.
'I'm not the one to stand in front of Congress and try to convince anybody,' he said. 'They'll just know I like it.'
For him, cannabis reform in the U.S. hasn't been about justice; it's been about economics. Institutions that once punished cannabis culture now profit from it. And the communities that built that culture are still waiting for equity.
According to the ACLU , Black Americans remain nearly four times more likely to be arrested for cannabis-related offenses than white Americans, despite similar usage rates. Meanwhile, the legal industry remains disproportionately white and male. Forbes Why Ice Cube Ditched Alcohol—And Built A Cannabis Brand Instead: 'Once I Found Good Weed, That Was It' By Javier Hasse
Clinton doesn't offer a policy roadmap, but he's clear about who belongs at the table: artists, legacy growers and anyone who helped normalize cannabis long before tax revenue justified it.
'Cannabis has always been good,' he said. 'They just finally figured out how to profit off of it without getting in trouble.' Music, Memory And A Multi-Generational Legacy
Clinton's entry into cannabis isn't a pivot; it's a natural continuation of the universe he's built over decades. From Parliament's space-age funk to the psychedelic undercurrents of Funkadelic, cannabis has always been part of the sound, not a side note.
Now, that legacy is being carried forward. Clinton is on tour with his children and grandchildren, celebrating the 50th anniversary of landmark albums—and passing the torch in real time. The Funk, too, reflects that handoff: its name is partly inspired by a track from Clinton's granddaughter and its packaging echoes the cosmic visuals that defined his mythos.
Meanwhile, a biopic directed by Eddie Murphy is in the works. Clinton doesn't know which parts of his story will make the cut, but he's confident the right ones will. Forbes Inside Snoop Dogg's 7-Brand Cannabis Beverage Empire: 'I'm Giving People Choices…You Sip, You Feel It, Nice And Easy' By Javier Hasse
'We weren't trying to top the charts. We were building characters people would want to talk about later,' he said.
With The Funk, he's adding one more chapter to that mythology. This time, in smoke. A Brand Built On Legacy, Not Hype
Celebrity cannabis brands are everywhere. What makes The Funk different is its source material: a lifetime lived inside the culture, not around it.
Clinton didn't enter the space for trend points. He's been here. And in a crowded market chasing volume and shelf space, The Funk leans into what made weed sacred in the first place: taste, timing, feel.
He's not chasing politics or influence. He's just doing what he's always done: building worlds you can step into.
As for the name—and the smell—Clinton put it simply: 'Something's stankin'—and they want some.'