The cannabis dispensary owned by Wu-Tang Clan rapper Raekwon has gone to pot. An eviction notice was posted on the front door of HashStoria on Broad Street in Newark last month after failing to pay rent for two straight years.
HashStoria, according to court documents, fell behind on rent payments, late fees, and other contractual agreements to the tune of nearly $500,000.
Newark has seen a number of dispensaries open across the city. But what made this one garner so much attention in the media was a roster of celebrities who backed it financially. Raekwon, one of the cofounders of the dispensary chain, brought on board radio host Charlamagne and former U.S. congressman Bakari Sellers to invest in a venture that had proven successful in three other locations in Oregon, including Astoria, where the company was founded and derives its name.
“I was stunned,” said Robert Mejia, professor of cannabis studies at Stockton University, about the eviction news. “They also had a consumption lounge they were going to open up.”…