Celebrity Name: YG Marley
Brand Name: Young Gong Cannabis
Co-Founded With: Glenmere Farms Enterprises (Dr. Sha-Ron Pierre-Kovler)
Deal Type: Brand Co-Founder / Brand Ambassador
Announced: April 9, 2026
Impact: Positions YG Marley as an owner-level stakeholder in the legal cannabis space, going beyond celebrity licensing into full co-ownership, with science and wellness at the core
- YG Marley is entering cannabis as co-founder and brand ambassador of Young Gong, a joint venture with Glenmere Farms Enterprises, the New York-based company led by biomedical scientist Dr. Sha-Ron Pierre-Kovler, giving him a deeper stake than the typical celebrity licensing arrangement.
- The brand is built around the intersection of cannabis, music, and meditation, with the name “Young Gong” drawing on Marley’s identity and the idea of sound as a healing force.
- The debut product lineup: Harmon-E, K-Lab, Melody Makers, and Roads of Flames, launches in New York on April 19, 2026, with a New Jersey rollout expected in summer 2026, and packaging will include QR codes unlocking exclusive digital content from Marley.
- Pierre-Kovler is described as one of the few Black women operating at scale in legal cannabis, bringing a research and science-backed formulation approach to the brand.
YG Marley is officially in the cannabis business. The rising reggae star, grandson of Bob Marley and son of Lauryn Hill, has co-founded Young Gong Cannabis alongside Dr. Sha-Ron Pierre-Kovler of Glenmere Farms Enterprises, entering the market not as a celebrity figurehead but as a genuine co-owner.
The official launch is set for April 19 with a “Countdown to 4/20” event at Partake NYC in Long Island City, during the second day of NYC’s weekend-long Kanafest. This is his first known cannabis brand partnership.
On the endorsement front, YG Marley has previously signed with William Morris Endeavor (WME) to manage his brand and commercial agreements, and first entered the brand world with a modeling campaign for Urban Outfitters back in 2017.
Young Gong is framed not just as a cannabis line but as a broader lifestyle brand, leaning on the overlap between cannabinoids, sound, and wellness, with packaging QR codes linking buyers to exclusive Marley digital content.
Much like Claire Holt, who recently turned a genuine personal need into a fashion brand with Saint Sirène, Marley’s pitch here is rooted in authenticity rather than a quick celebrity cash-in.
For Dr. Pierre-Kovler, whose Glenmere Farms Enterprises is part of the joint venture, the role is to shape the science, formulation, and broader vision, making the brand feel grounded in more than just marketing language.
Marley’s rise has been rapid. His debut single “Praise Jah in the Moonlight” went viral on TikTok in late 2023, hit the Billboard Hot 100, and made him the sixth member of the Marley family to chart in the US.
He headlined Coachella 2024, dropped “Treasure & Gold” with Busta Rhymes in January 2025, released “Please Me” with Cliff Khawly in February 2026, and is already booked for BRT Weekend 2026 in Atlantic City this July.
Takeaways
Young Gong isn’t your typical “celebrity puts their name on a weed brand” story. YG Marley coming in as a co-founder, not just a face, signals that this is a long-term bet, and pairing that with a scientist-led co-founder in Dr. Pierre-Kovler gives the brand real credibility in a crowded market.
Timing the launch at Kanafest and tapping into 4/20 buzz is smart marketing; the QR-code-to-exclusive-content model is a genuinely clever way to make the physical product feel connected to Marley’s music universe.
And for Glenmere Farms, landing a co-founder with this kind of generational music cachet, in New York’s still-forming legal market, could be the move that puts them on the map.
Does being a “co-founder” rather than just a brand ambassador make you more likely to trust and buy into a celebrity cannabis brand? With his grandfather Bob Marley’s name synonymous with reggae and cannabis culture globally, does YG Marley have an unfair advantage?
