Raekwon has called out his landlord after his cannabis dispensary, HashStoria, was forced to shut down its business in New Jersey after a recent dispute over rent. According to court documents, the legendary hip-hop artist had unpaid rent totaling $540,501.84. The owner of the property where he opened the Newark location is BMHC LLC.
“We were hoodwinked, and while it’s a very sad outcome, we will have our day in court,” Raekwon. Additionally, a representative for HashStoria said that they plan to counter-sue. They allegedly agreed to an initial deal with the landlord to have rent prorated while the building was under construction. Unfortunately, this took much longer than expected, and both sides allegedly agreed to halt rent payments while the building was under renovation. As this was going on, the rep. for HashStoria claims the landlord allowed an unlicensed dispensary to operate illegally next door.
BMHC LLC addressed the claim, they stand by the court’s decision and said they gave HashStoria plenty of time to pay the rent after the grand opening in 2024.
While his cannabis business may be in a rut, Raekwon’s music career is thriving. He just released his first project since 2017, The Emperor’s New Clothes, through Nas‘ Mass Appeal Records. It features collaborations with Ghostface Killah, Nas, Inspectah Deck, Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine, and Benny The Butcher, among others.
In an Instagram post on Saturday, he wrote: “This isn’t just a new ALBUM !!!!! It’s a BESPOKE Creation. Immaculate in Vision and resplendent in every layer. Precision Built. STAND WiT ME !!! support the legacy. – SHALLAH #EMPERORSNEWCLOTHES. album streaming. play in Quality stuff only. the tape will self-destruct if not so. enjoy and thank you. THE FIF FLOOR CLUB!”
Before releasing the new album, he performed with the rest of Wu-Tang Clan at their final-ever New York City concert. The show was part of their Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber tour.