From 'Sticky Icky' to Caffeine Kick: Snoop Dogg Launches Premium Coffee Brand

Courtesy Photo 

Snoop Dogg, the undisputed king of all things weed, threw the world a curveball with the announcement of his latest business venture on Tuesday.

The rap icon, who has built an empire around his love for the "sticky icky," has now turned his attention to a new type of buzz: caffeine.

That's right, folks, Snoop has traded in his joint for a cup of joe and launched his very own premium lifestyle coffee brand called INDOxyz.

While some may be shocked at this unexpected turn, Snoop's love for coffee has apparently been brewing for a long time.

"My relationship with coffee goes way back. During the many long nights in the studio making hit after hit, coffee provided the fuel that kept us going," he said in a statement.

"Today marks the launch of a new company I created along with my partner Michael, who introduced me to the best-tasting Indonesian coffee. Indo is going to change the industry, I can promise you that."

The coffee is a joint venture between Snoop and INDOxyz co-founder Michael Riady, an Indonesian entrepreneur. A chance meeting between the duo during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the birth of the product, which the company says was motivated by their shared passion for fueling the people and ideas that move the culture forward, by creating a brand inspired by the creative risk-takers and innovators of the world.

"I want to make coffee fun and cool, and having Snoop as a partner gives us that edge. Beyond being a fan of his music, I've long admired Snoop for his hard work and business acumen," Riady said.

The coffee is sourced directly from Riady's homeland and grown by collective farmers on the islands of Sumatra, Java, Bali and Sulawesi. The green coffee beans are intentionally selected before being shipped to Los Angeles, where they are prepared by a master roaster in-house, then brewed and packaged into the brand's exclusive line of cold brew and whole bean coffee.

INDOxyz will launch with an exclusive and limited rollout starting in Snoop's home state of California, followed by Las Vegas, and then a national retail expansion. The cold brew beverage will retail starting at $5.99, and the whole bean will cost $17.99.

All products will be available at the online store www.indo.xyz, BevMo, GoPuff, Resorts World Casinos in Las Vegas, and will be rolled out in the upcoming months at the following retailers: Erewhon, Vons, Pavilions, Albertsons, Safeway, Sprouts, and Amazon.

Deadly Stampede Breaks Out at GloRilla Concert

Rochester Mayor Malik Evan called the incident a "tragedy of epic proportions." 

One woman is dead and two others are in critical condition after tragedy struck the Main Street Armory in Rochester, New York on Sunday night, as a stampede broke out during a concert featuring popular hip-hop artists GloRilla and Finesse2tymes.

In the wake of the tragedy, Grammy-nominated rapper GloRilla, who performed at the concert, expressed her condolences on Twitter. "I'm just now hearing about what happened wtf," she wrote. "Praying everybody is ok."

I’m just now hearing about what happened wtf 😢😢😢praying everybody is ok 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

— GloRilla 🦍 (@GloTheofficial) March 6, 2023

According to Rochester police, the crowd surge occurred as concertgoers were leaving the venue after the show and was sparked by false rumors of a shooting.

At a press conference on Monday, Rochester Police Chief David Smith revealed that the injuries sustained by the victims were not caused by gunfire or other weapons, but rather by the chaos of the stampede itself.

"Preliminary reports from people at the scene indicate that these injuries were caused from people being trampled," said Police Chief David Smith, adding that they have not found any evidence of gunshots or stabbings at the scene.

#viralvdoz#WATCH: 1 dead, 9 hurt in stampede at GloRilla concert in New York#NewYork #stampede #GloRillaconcert #US pic.twitter.com/B3mdBwlj2U

— ViralVdoz (@viralvdoz) March 6, 2023

In addition to the three injured women found by the officers when they entered the building, seven other victims were hospitalized for non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

Rochester Mayor Malik Evan called the incident a "tragedy of epic proportions." He pledged to hold those responsible accountable and urged anyone with information or footage of the event to come forward.

"We are nowhere near completing this investigation," he said.

Watch the entire press conference below:

 

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Michael B. Jordan Celebrates Double Triumph with 'Creed III' Release and Walk of Fame Honor

Michael B. Jordan achieved a major milestone in his career on Wednesday (March 1), as he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The timing couldn't have been better as the event took place just two days before tonight's release of "Creed III," a film where the actor not only reprises his role as heavyweight boxing champion Adonis Creed but also makes his directorial debut.

The event was held in front of the Funko Hollywood toy store at 6201 Hollywood Blvd and was attended by his co-star in the film, Jonathan Majors, and Ryan Coogler, who directed the first "Creed" film and received a "story by" credit for "Creed III."

During the ceremony, Jordan expressed his gratitude for the honor and acknowledged the significance of the moment.

"To be amongst artists who received this honor previously — Sidney Poitier, Cicely Tyson, Sam Cooke... I know it's not a small achievement," he said. "And it's not lost on me how special this moment is and what this represents to our community."

"So, from the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you," he added.

Majors compared Jordan's career to the 12 labors of Hercules while describing his time on set with his co-star.

"When it's hot, we're tired, his empathetic agility is being pushed to its Nth degree," Majors said. "He's gotta deal with my crazy ass, everybody pulling on him, and I'm giving him hell in [the ring], but he's dealing with it with a mythic effort, with god-like integrity."

At Michael B. Jordan's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony, Jonathan Majors calls Jordan "Michael B. Handsome" and says that "Creed I" inspired him to get an Equinox membership. https://t.co/79wWzRmXHd pic.twitter.com/i2US6JgLN4

— Variety (@Variety) March 1, 2023

Majors added, "Today, brother, you go from man to god. You sit among Olympians."

Born in Santa Ana, California, on Feb. 9th, 1987, Jordan made his acting debut in a 1999 episode of "The Sopranos" and went on to star in various television shows such as "The Wire," "Friday Night Lights" and "All My Children."

His big break came with his portrayal of Oscar Grant in the 2013 biographical drama "Fruitvale Station," which was directed by Coogler. He also starred in blockbuster films like "Black Panther" and "Just Mercy."

Coogler, who has collaborated with Jordan on several films, added that he knew he was watching "something special" when seeing Jordan and late "Black Panther" actor Chadwick Boseman battle on set.

Ryan Coogler gives a speech at Michael B. Jordan's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony: "I love you, bro. Proud of you, man." https://t.co/JPXJaScKpm pic.twitter.com/qjRSY4NV8Z

— Variety (@Variety) March 1, 2023

"I felt like I was looking at, like, Denzel [Washington] and Will [Smith] or Wesley [Snipes] in their prime and in the same movie in a way that we never got to see them," he said. "I felt like the luckiest director on the planet every day on that set."

Jordan also reflected on the rare opportunity the ceremony provided him to pause and appreciate the moment. "I very rarely stop and smell the roses and take in moments. I'm always moving on to the next thing," he said. "For the first time in a really long time, I'm taking this moment in."

Jordan's star is the 2,751st since the Walk of Fame's completion in 1961.