When you walked into the medical marijuana dispensary on Santa Monica Blvd. in Los Angeles for Jhene Aiko’s last-minute pop-up show, there was no trace of the organic flowers – no hypnotizing smell and no greenery, except for the posters on the wall. A couple were no-frills computer printouts that announced cannabis strains like “Platinum Blue Dream /$15.00” and “Banana OG Crush,” which also cost $15. Other than that, nada. Empty display cases. Nothing. The operation was legit this way; as long as the dispensary wasn’t selling it, this was the answer to a fresh take on seeing someone perform live in an intimate environment. It was, perhaps, only a little disappointing for those coming to feed their already-glazed eyes with a bigger body buzz.
A couple of hours before her all-too-short 3-song set at The Farmacy aka The Farm, Aiko sent out a hint over Twitter. Later tweets gave the exact time and location to where the 26-year-old would be getting her ethereal hippy on and performing tracks — “The Pressure,” “Spotless Mind” and “The Worst” — off her Def Jam debut ‘Souled Out.’
Unplugged, barefoot and equipped only with her longtime acoustic guitarist Jeff (perhaps one of the best ways to enjoy Aiko’s music, along with a little puff of cannabis as well) the neo-R&B singer paused mid-set of her underground gig to wave to fans outside the storefront window that arrived too late. Inside she asked if anyone came high, and was met with affirmative cheers.
We got the 411 on some of the go-to strains of medical marijuana at The Farm, which prides itself on its organic nature, customer service and having some of the best cases in the business. Here we pair Aiko’s dreamy, toker-friendly R&B to some of the finest medical marijuana out there.
Check out the best Jhene Aiko songs to blow trees to over on VIBE