Rapper and entrepreneur
Berner made a slow rise from the mixtape underground in the 2000s, later signing with
Wiz Khalifa's Taylor Gang Records in 2012 for the release of his fourth set, Urban Farmer. In addition to his solo work,
Berner is also a prolific collaborator, issuing over a dozen collaborations with the likes of
the Jacka,
B-Real,
Cam'ron,
Styles P,
Young Dolph, and
Mozzy. A vocal proponent of marijuana,
Berner co-founded Cookies, a shop selling weed and weed-associated clothing and lifestyle accessory items that grew into a franchise. He continued prolifically releasing new music as the Cookies empire grew, collaborating with rappers like
Larry June and
Curren$y on upwards of four projects a year and releasing solo efforts like the 2021 studio album
Gotti.
Born
Gilbert Milam, Jr. in San Francisco, he began rapping while still in high school in the mid-2000s, and it wasn’t long before he self-produced and released his debut mixtape, Dirty Sneakers…Plenty of Ways to Get It, in 2007. An avid marijuana enthusiast,
Milam spent a lot of time working in cannabis dispensaries while he was building his hip-hop career. It was through his fame in weed circles that he eventually met and became friends with stoner rap icon
Wiz Khalifa.
Berner was signed to
Khalifa's Taylor Gang Records in 2012, touring with the label's family of artists before the release of his first set for the label (and fourth overall), Urban Farmer. Along with consistent musical output,
Milam branched out to other business pursuits including fashion lines and even his own genetically engineered original strains of medical marijuana.
In the 2010s,
Berner issued a handful of solo efforts, including the Billboard-charting
20 Lights EP and
Hempire. He also collaborated with a number of fellow rappers, including
B-Real (the Prohibition trilogy),
Cam'ron (Contraband),
Styles P (Vibes),
Young Dolph (Tracking Numbers), and
Mozzy (Slimey Individualz).
Berner released the album El Chivo in May 2019, which included the single "Wassup" (featuring
Wiz Khalifa and
Chevy Woods). The 2020s brought a rush of new material, as
Berner collaborated with
Larry June on the
Cooks & Orange Juice EP and then with
Cozmo on the full-length mixtape
Respect the Connect, both released in 2020. The following year a series of gangster-themed releases included the Paulie Cicero mixtape and the studio album
Gotti. Both were heavy on features, and
Gotti featured the song "Too Many Goats," a group track that included appearances from
Rick Ross,
Nas,
Kevin Cossom, and
Jadakiss. The album also featured guest spots from
Rod Wave,
Future, and familiar
Berner counterparts
Cozmo and
Wiz Khalifa. In 2022,
Berner released "Bomb Bay on My Back" and "Cookies Forever." ~ Fred Thomas