Dr. Dre and Xzibit have scored a major victory in a lawsuit against their own cannabis company, Brass Knuckles, reports HipHopDX.
The two West Coast rappers have won a four-year legal battle between them and their weed company Brass Knuckles after being sued for allegedly breaching a contract.
In 2018, Dr Dre (born Andre Young) and Xzibit (Alvin Joiner) were sued by three unnamed male individuals for breach of contract. The three claimed they helped the rappers launch Brass Knuckles and that they did major legwork and also made a deal to acquire a 14.5 percent stake in the business. But they accused Dr. Dre and Xzibit of then ghosting them.
The three people claim they reached an agreement with Dre, Xzibit and others in the company to pay $5 million to sell them their 14.5 percent for $5 million. The value of Brass Knuckles skyrocketed from $50 million to $170 million, according to legal docs obtained by the outlet.
The three men hoped a judge would grant them monetary compensation and a declaration as 14.5 percent owners. According to their attorney, Larry Ecoff, “this case is all about greed and weed.”
But the judge didn’t see it that way and ruled in favor of Dr. Dre and Xzibit. To celebrate the good news, Xzibit’s attorney Darren M. Richie, shared an old screenshot of TMZ’s report about the case with a red X over it. In the Instagram caption, he wrote, “The truth shall always prevail! Took about 4 years but defended @xzibit, et Al in this case and sued their a– back too. Plaintiff took ZERO not one penny.”
He continued, “We will never back down to BS. People can say whatever they want but be sure to stand up and fight back for what’s right! Case closed notice of settlement publicly filed!”
Xzibit reposted the same image and caption, adding his own two cents, “Man!! @dre_esquire_ you are the f——n’ man. Thank you for rockin’ with us the whole way. #Victory #MovingOn.”
The marijuana market is heavily booming, yet Black entrepreneurs have not been able to fully thrive, according to independent cannabis consultants who have spoken out on that topic. The burgeoning industry is expected to reach $43 billion by 2025, as previously noted by cannabis market research firm New Frontier Data.
It predicted that 96 percent of Americans are predicted to live in a state with access to legal cannabis by 2030. The report also states that the number of U.S. consumers will grow from 47 million in 2020, to 71 million by that same year.
California is the first U.S. state to legalize marijuana in 1996. But Colorado was the first state to legalize it for recreational use and sale in 2012. The industry has now reached mainstream status by legalizing medical marijuana in 37 states. In addition, 18 of the 50 states have been approved for recreational use.
Finurah spoke with cannibis consultants earlier this year who said the reason behind Black people not being as successful in this industry is partly a result of a lack of startup costs to open a dispensary, which requires thousands of dollars, a storefront, inventory, a staff and more. The professionals also noted that some may have difficulty obtaining a license because states have passed faculty legislation that can intersect the lines of who can sell.
Independent consultant Laura Herrera has done a mass amount of research on cannabis and for the University of California Berkeley. She said, “The two reasons that Black entrepreneurs are not just blowing up and starting cannabis businesses left and right is historical disadvantages and bureaucrat challenges on the local and state level.”
Herrera explained that it’s hard for Black people to obtain the needed capital to open their stores. She noted that some property owners were spending $45,000 a month to maintain a dispensary that has yet to open.
