You may have noticed how, in the recent weeks approaching Record Store Day 2018 (this upcoming Saturday, April 21st), there appears to be a distinct increase in the number of new hip-hop releases arriving into Amoeba each Friday (new release day) with this most recent new releases day been no exception. Scroll down to see the full most recent Top Ten Hip-Hop Albums chart that includes in the number slot the recommended new collaboration of emcee Blu and producer Nottz; Gods In The Spirit, Titans In The Flesh that, in addition to CD format, has been released on CD, LP and cassette formats.

1: Jay-Z 4:44 (Roc Nation)

2: Logic Everybody (also avail on vinyl/LP)  (Def Jam)

3: Snoop Dogg Neva Left (Doggystyle)

4: Z-Ro No Love Boulevard (1 Deep Entertainment) 

5: Twista Crook Country (CMG)

 

That old adage "do what you love" is perfectly applicable to the weed loving, nationally acclaimed prolific Bay Area rapper Berner. For the past decade plus this rap artist, weed activist/entrepreneur born Gilbert Anthony Mano has crafted a unique and phenomenally lucrative and fun career, all the while balancing his two main life passions of weed and rap music. Having built a strong rep as rap recording and performing artist, to date Berner's rich back catalog boasts 14 albums including his most recent full-length release found at Amoeba,  Drought Season 3, which is just one of many dropped on his own prolific Bern One Ent. record label. Equally respected by rap fans and peers, Berner's countless studio collaborations over the years include full length releases with such fellow Bay Area artists as Messy Marv, Equipto and the late great rapper The Jacka with whom he recorded the three part aforementioned Drought Season trilogy. Others in the really long list of Berner collabs include B-Real, Snoop Dogg, Nipsey Hussle, Young Thug, and Too $hort. Perhaps even more widely known in hip-hop is his longstanding relationship and collaborative work with Wiz Khalifa. Having been down since day one with the Pittsburgh, PA based, fellow weed loving hip-hop star Wiz Khalifa, the Bay Area artist counts himself as among those part of Khalifa's elite Taylor Gang Ent. label crew along with such others as Project Pat, Chevy Woods, Ty Dolla $ign, and Tuki Carter.

Should we need further proof that weed's gone mainstream, as per The Hollywood Reporter, TV comedy super-producer Chuck Lorre is currently shopping his new Warner Bros. Television-backed weed comedy script to network television executives.  This latest from the creator of such successful TV comedies as The Big Bang Theory, Mike & Molly, Two and a Half Men, and his latest creation Mom on CBS, is a continuation in style of his previous shows. Co-written with David Javerbaum (The Daily Show), it is described as a situation comedy about a group of potheads in a legal marijuana dispensary in Colorado.  The as yet unnamed show inspires such potential potcom titles as The Big Bong Theory or Two and a Half Grams.  But not Buds. That stoner show title has already been snagged by NBC who, via a joint venture with Naomi Scott and husband Adam Scott (NBC's Parks and Recreation) are in development stages of their pot comedy Buds that's reportedly also set in a Colorado pot dispensary.  Another husband and wife pot comedy creative team are Ben Sinclair (Sisters) and Katja Blichfeld (30 Rock), who in 2012 unveiled the popular Vimeo web series High Maintenance about Brooklyn, New York marijuana deliveryman "The Guy" and all the characters he meets. HBO commissioned six episodes of High Maintenance to air in 2016.  Meanwhile Amazon Prime's streaming outlet will be producing the  "marijuana-themed family dramedy" starring Margaret Cho. Variety described it as about Cho, "who after court-ordered rehab gets a chance to start over, but has to move in with her dysfunctional family who now runs a pot dispensary."