Check Out Tyler Rae Edwards’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyler Rae Edwards.

Hi Tyler Rae, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am an actress and music artist. I have been trained in acting since 1st grade. I went to Performing Arts Schools my whole life of schooling. I performed on broadway when I was a Senior in high school and from there, I thought I’d really go after my acting career. I used to go out on auditions all the time. I was an extra in quite a few movies and music videos.

I moved on from that scene because I felt like I was getting stuck and I wasn’t landing major roles like I imagined so I took some time to revamp my game plan. During that time, I found comfort and inspiration in Cannabis. I officially stepped into the Cannabis Space back in 2012 as a Medical Marijuana Licensed User. My mother got me my Medical License for my 18th birthday and that’s when my journey began. From there, I would get familiar with cannabis and all of its glorious benefits as a patient and ultimately fell in love with the plant. I grew fascinated with the Dispensary as well and figured since I was going to make Cannabis apart of my lifestyle then it wouldn’t hurt to work in the field either if you know what I mean. I applied as a Bud Tender to work at Wonderland LA Caregivers, in which, at the time was a Pre-ICO shop, which basically means that the dispensary was allowed to legally operate because they were registered with the city of LA before the year 2007 before the interim control ordinance (ICO) went into effect. So in other words, the city couldn’t shut them down like they were shutting other shops down everywhere. Which is why I took the job there because you were a bit more “secure” as a Bud Tender at a Pre-ICO shop. My time at Wonderland fell short because I didn’t enjoy the atmosphere after a while, and I was putting way too much effort into my job, working extremely long shifts, and receiving little pay.

However, I was very fortunate to meet great people at that shop and build relationships with my patients. They really trusted me, so much so that they followed me to whatever shop I worked at from that point on. I took my experience to another Pre-ICO Dispensary called Delta 9 THC closer to Long Beach where I stayed. I worked there for quite some time but I grew unhappy because I started to notice that there was no elevation for me there. I was a great worker but I was unfulfilled. Also, the dispensary life is not all that’s cracked up to be. The conditions of which you work vs. the pay you get and then on top of that, it’s so much drama. LOL I couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted more, I wanted a chance, and they would not give it to me. So I took a job as a Manager at another Dispensary in Gardena. Yes, my patients followed me there too. This shop I don’t even have to name because they are not even running anymore. And it serves them right! I did not enjoy my experience working there whatsoever. Once again, I put a lot of time and effort into their shop, and on most occasions, even my own money. The owners were really clueless on how to run a Dispensary and they definitely were not culturally aware. Not when it came to Cannabis Culture nor the people who worked for them. Because it was a white-owned business and only black employees in a predominately black geographic.

So they basically ended up using us to build up their whole store for about six months just to fire us all and in a sense, gentrify all of our work, especially mine. Replaced us all with a predominately white staff and that’s when I realized that there was a huge issue in the Cannabis Industry when it came to Black &. Brown people being discriminated against, not being included in the mainstream cannabis advertisements, not having a chance to tap into the new Legal Cannabis Rush, and much much more! That was the very first sign. After that I realized I didn’t want to work for anyone anymore. I wasn’t about to be taken advantage of any further. I wasn’t about to have my expertise and years of experience shot down by the likes of White Male Owners. Because on top of this industry being slightly racist, it’s male-driven. Imagine being a Black Person, and then on top of that being a BLACK WOMAN in a space that is mostly White Male Driven in an industry that was in fact built by black and brown people? All I wanted was a CHANCE, and I realized that no one was going to give it to me but myself.

So I took a chance, and I set out to start my own licensed delivery service back in 2017 called Plateau Patients Group. This was owned and operated by my family and we established a great business until the laws changed once again and we didn’t have the funds to change alongside those laws let alone the backing as a black family. It was all for the best anyway because I soon found out shortly afterwards that I was pregnant with my son and could no longer partake in the family business or consume cannabis for that matter. Or, so I thought… My Dad carried our business by transferring it towards the Sesh Game, meanwhile, I studied other elements and components of Cannabis such as CBD and CBN, etc. I started to do a balance for my consumption of CBD and THC because I didn’t want to send my body into shock since I had been medicating with Cannabis now at this point for about seven years straight with no tolerance breaks. I was studying how to be a CannaMom and a Productive Plant Parent because once again, I knew that this plant would remain as apart of my lifestyle. I spoke with other CannaMoms who were supportive of my journey and even shared their own. I found groups online like Mother’s Mary who advocates for mothers who medicate during pregnancy and turn to natural plant-based medicine versus the pharmaceuticals that were prescribed to me for instance. I was so inspired by this group of women!

However, since I was a first-time mother, I was very nervous about CPS cases and how to go about quitting completely. So my anxiety took over and I just stopped consuming all together. My whole pregnancy was going great up until that point. Suddenly, I got preeclampsia and had to be rushed to the emergency room where I underwent an emergency C-section. My son was born at 30 weeks and I almost lost my life. When I woke up from that situation, I was very grateful for life in a whole new way! From almost losing mine to birthing a new! I was elated that both me and my son were alive. He showed me how resilient he was and how strong I could be. He stayed in the hospital for two months and during that time, I was battling postpartum depression and a gang of ideas for my new journey as a Cannabis Entrepreneur! I created a Canna Mom OG Movement that brought awareness to my story and other mothers alike, who also medicate at any stage of motherhood. I found more support with other CannaMoms and Moms to Be. I then began to feel more comfortable sharing myself online that I went further and began to showcase my many talents on social media.

I started to act and create content! I was so tired of not seeing Black Women in these spaces. I was tired of not seeing Black Women in consumer’s faces. I was tired of the same old mediocre, overconsumption style content that the Cannabis space kept shoving down our feeds. I created my own Cannabis Media Series called The Puff Tv that derived from The Puff Show in which I created platforms for Black People and especially Black Woman and Black Mothers to be seen and heard. I wanted to put purpose behind what Cannabis Consumers are doing and do my part in breaking the stigma against no just mothers who medicate but people in general. I wanted to show that we are not all just “low-life stoners” and that Cannabis in fact inspires everything that I do. Which as you can tell is a whole lot! And I wanted these companies to know that it’s not just white people who use their products. Black people are out here spending our black dollars on their products too, yet they don’t have black faces or black influencers advertising their products, yet all of their marketing is inspired by urban and black/brown culture.

So along with creating spaces for black people I was also fighting for equality and inclusivity long before anyone ever threw up a black square on their profiles. When I stepped into influencer life, I quickly noticed that black influencers got paid less or in most cases not at all for promotion, and we were putting out the best content. I was definitely amongst those creators who were once again taken advantage of. Until I decided enough was enough. I started to help other POC in the space and just upcoming influencers period to make sure that no one who follows me has to go through what I went through. There are some gatekeeping companies who still don’t like the fact that I call them out on their lack of accountability. But with all of this experience, I took it into building my own brand and alter ego BAD MUTHAPUFFA. I wanted to create a brand that definitely resonates with Black People as we celebrate our natural afro puffs and then serves as a statement for any BAD MUTHAPUFFA who loves to smoke cannabis just as much as I do! BAD MUTHAPPUFFA is also my Music Artist name. It fuels me to tap into my alter ego and flow effortlessly on the mic. All of my music is catered to a Cannabis Lifestyle and feeling Confident in your mind, body, and soul.

I am currently working on an album and have released three singles from the album. “PUFFIN TUFF”, “PARK SESH”, “CAN’T PUFF WITH THAT”… I am mostly known for my Commercial Style Jingles that I like to call “Review Bops” where I produce a catchy song to Cannabis Products. One of these jingles landed me a seat next to the legendary Tommy Chong where I demonstrated product usage for a Christmas Segment he was doing. In between time, I threw some pretty iconic Sesh Events all 2019 and the beginning of 2020. I got to connect with a lot of my followers this way and perform numerous times for my fans, friends, and family. My following grew tremendously this year despite the Pandemic. I went viral on TikTok as one of the first Cannabis Creators to do so, which is extremely hard to do on TikTok due to all of the ridiculously harsh guidelines. I went even harder on my content since we were stuck in the house.

And then the BLM movement strikes and suddenly all the recognition I was fighting for the whole time comes flying in because suddenly everyone cares about black creators that BEEN THERE CREATING! It was sort of a slap in the face but I was ultimately grateful. I took it more as this is my time to really shine. And I did! And my following skyrocketed again! ONLY TO HAVE INSTAGRAM DISABLE MY ACCOUNT and I was down for a whole month without any notice! I was definitely sad because this was my first shut down and I truly thought I lost my whole page. the app wasn’t allowing me to appeal or anything. So I created a backup account. I then realized that Cannabis itself is always going to be discriminated against despite all the law changes, despite the fact that we all know it’s not a dangerous drug. Social Media will always censor cannabis and target its users. It’s sad that we can’t PUFF in PEACE! But I still plan to walk in my purpose and serve this industry as a PROUD BLACK WOMAN IN CANNABIS.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been a smooth ride. I have to deal with discrimination on a daily and a constant reminder that I am a Black Woman within the Cannabis Industry.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Right now, I am a Content Creator/Influencer. I am an Actress. I am a Music Artist. I am mostly known for my creative commercial-style content. Most in which I do Jingles or what I like to call “Review Bops” that describe and demo Cannabis Products. I am mostly proud of my jingles since it is the very thing that landed me the opportunity to work with Tommy Chong. The thing that sets me apart from others is my years of experience in all avenues of this space as well as the fact that I am a real actress and highly creative so I put tremendous effort into my content and I set trends.

Any big plans?
Right now, I am planning on furthering my business BAD MUTHAPUFFA by elevating my merch and business strategies. I am looking forward to new opportunities that will open more doors for me as a Content Creator as well and build my following even more so.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: badmuthapuffa.com badmuthapuffashop.com
• Instagram: @tylertherapy @badmuthapuffa
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0WxBONzerTeYQ3uFYIoM4Q?view_as=subscriber
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/babiegal
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@tylertherapy?source=h5_m