Rap legend in … The Butte?

BUTTE — The Matanuska Cannabis Company hosted Wu-Tang affiliated rap artist Killah Priest on Thursday night for a meet and greet. Fellow Mat-Su Canna-business owners Josh Hunter of Frontier Farmers and Johnathon Guest of Guest Services were there to showcase product and talk to consumers. Priest spoke with fans and spoke highly of the beauty of the Alaskan wilderness.

Killah Priest released his first album, “Heavy Mental” in 1998 after taking a sabbatical from rapping to educate himself on history and religion. The education shows through in his deeply spiritual and introspective lyrics. After contributing the song “B.I.B.L.E.” (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth) on GZA’s Liquid Swords in 1995, Priest continued his religious themes into his debut solo album.

On 2013’s “The Psychic World of Walter Reed”, Priest raps about an Alaskan, if unintentionally.

“birthed the giants from space they were hurled to earth, 2000 year curse, Sarah Palin pagans,” Priest says in Peace God.

In “Shadow Landz”, Priest mentions an ATV, even though his first ride on a four-wheeler took place on Thursday.

“My pen's the goggle lens, rap is ATVs; Hopping over sand dunes of mans' dooms” raps Priest. “Come snowboard with the Ghost Lord; This what I wrote for, this what the horoscope saw”

Priest came up to the Last Frontier to perform two shows, one in Anchorage and one in Juneau. His long-standing relationship with Ryan McKee of the Matanuska Cannabis Company dating back to his days in Washington led Priest’s manager to reach out to McKee and set up the meet and greet.

“I was trying to see bears, owls and stuff like that I don’t think anybody from the clan ever been here, I’m the first one. It’s my first time first time on an ATV, it was crazy!,” Priest said.

McKee is good friends with Priest and Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan. McKee even had the scoop that Method Man and Red Man would not be making their scheduled appearance when their flight out of Seattle was postponed.

“He’s never been here, never experienced anything like this before. He’s lived in Denver I think he said but it’s like its nothing like this. Colorado doesn’t have anything on Alaska. So like last night when he got here he’s just standing here looking at Pioneer Peak and Matanuska and he’s like wow I think this might be one of the prettiest place I’ve ever seen in my entire life, this is pretty amazing what you’ve got going on here,” Matanuska Cannabis Company Co-Owner Chad Ragsdale said.

Along with Priest, who sold out of merchandise almost instantly, Dana Spitzer began work on a stoner totem pole featuring Willie Nelson, Cheech and Chong, and Bob Marley in front of the shop. ‘CJ Stoned and Eric Weed’ recorded an episode of the Grow Green podcast inside of the cultivation room at MCC during the meet and greet.

“I’m bout to tell the whole clan to come back out here. I’m from Brooklyn. I’ve been to Denver, that’s cool, but this is like mountain city, where the mountains live,” Priest said. “I saw a bald mountain, a snow mountain with snow on it, right next to each other with trees, all these various types of mountains every type of mountain you want to see, I always dreamed about it now I’m there. It’s been great in Alaska everybody that’s here too, I see it they got love out here.”

Priest was laid back and had conversations with fans and the gathered members of the industry. He sold out of his merchandise within about an hour.

“He’s like super available with whoever and they all absolutely love him,” Ragsdale said.

Priest played a show Saturday night in Juneau, and will perform with members of the Wu-Tang Clan next week.