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Common Citizen today announced BLVCKSHEEP, a Battle Creek-based music collaborative, is the recipient of the company’s For the Culture Microgrant. Common Citizen, which produces safe, high-quality cannabis products for patients and adult-use customers, created the grant program to reinvest in underserved communities across Michigan.

“Music and other fine arts help make up the fabric of our communities and play a critical role in our continuing efforts to reinvest in the communities which have been harmed by cannabis prohibition,” said Jessica Jackson, Common Citizen’s Director of External Affairs and Social Equity. “BLVCSHEEP and their events in Battle Creek and beyond represent the kinds of cultural programs that unite us all through the power of artistic expression.”

It is the second microgrant awarded as part of Common Citizen’s Principle community reinvestment program. Principle donates all net profits from sales of Principle cannabis, sold in single, 1-gram pre-rolls in a decorative tin, toward grants for arts and culture, and in early stage business and community impact projects in communities disproportionately impacted by obsolete cannabis laws. The first microgrant was dedicated toward statewide expungement efforts.

In addition to the microgrant, Common Citizen has offered BLVCKSHEEP the opportunity to participate in the Common Citizen Accelerator program, which provides 15 hours of professional coaching with Common Citizen’s executive leadership team. 

Battle Creek resident James McGee, a rap artist who goes by the stage name Allah, developed the concept for BLVCKSHEEP, a collective of musicians and artists committed to creating human connections through music, in 2011 while still in high school. The goal of the program is to  create opportunities for area artists  to participate in the music industry without having to move to Los Angeles or New York or spend tens of thousands of dollars in the recording studio. The collaborative also consists of the jazz fusion band Minor Element, rap artist Jaz, and vocalist and producer J.Cam.G.

BLVCKSHEEP partnered with First Congregational Church in Battle Creek to build a studio, rehearsal space and performance area for concerts at the church. The venue also provides a safe place for young people to celebrate the power of music, dance and socialize.

McGee hopes to expand BLVCKSHEEP to additional underserved communities.

“This grant will help BLVCKSHEEP continue to provide access to make and record music in our community by removing barriers to music creation, fostering artist development and connecting artists with our community,” he said. “We are excited to partner with Common Citizen in taking our project to the next level.”

“At Common Citizen, we are proud to help BLVCKSHEEP continue to grow and support its mission to help budding musicians in the Battle Creek area develop the skills to succeed in the music industry and beyond,” said Common Citizen CEO Michael Elias. “We hope to continue investing in cultural programs to inspire artists of all stripes and bring people together in the communities we call home.”

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