Green Renaissance x Zen & Kush: JM Balbuena and Lizzy Jeff Create for the Culture Through Music, History and Immersive Storytelling
Before cannabis became an industry, it was a medicine, a material, a ritual, a muse and a
source of human connection. It traveled through ancient civilizations. It inspired musicians and
artists. It became part of spiritual traditions, healing practices, resistance movements and
communities around the world.
That living history is at the center of a new creative collaboration between JM Balbuena, author
and filmmaker behind Green Renaissance, and Lizzy Jeff, artist and founder of Zen & Kush.
Balbuena is expanding Green Renaissance into a multimedia experience beginning with the
launch of its audiobook, featuring music by Palo Xanto and Rudi Fate, and an author-led AI
series that reimagines pivotal moments in cannabis history through a first-person historical
travel narrative.
The next chapter will include a Green Renaissance-inspired companion Spotify playlist
developed in collaboration with Jeff. The playlist will connect listeners with the sounds, artists,
cultural movements and historical eras surrounding cannabis, extending the experience beyond
the audiobook and giving the story a musical life of its own.
Elements of Green Renaissance will also be brought into select upcoming Zen & Kush events
through immersive, culture-centered programming. The collaboration is envisioned as a meeting
point between history, sound, visual storytelling, performance and community.
“We have spent years talking about cannabis through the language of prohibition, legalization,
regulation and business,” said Balbuena. “That work matters, and it continues. But cannabis also
has a cultural history that deserves to be protected, celebrated and experienced. Green
Renaissance encapsulates both elements. Zen & Kush gives it a space where people can come
together and feel it.”
Jeff’s Zen & Kush has long created environments in which music, wellness, sensuality, plant
medicine and creative community exist together. Balbuena’s work approaches cannabis through
historical research, film, literature and advocacy. Their collaboration connects those
perspectives without claiming ownership over a culture that existed long before either project.
“We are not trying to introduce cannabis as culture,” Balbuena said. “Cannabis has always been
a huge part of the culture. We are adding our voices to that ongoing story and creating a space
for people to engage with it.”
“Music holds memory, and intentional experiences allow people to reconnect with what those
memories mean,” said Jeff. “This collaboration creates space for history, sound, plant medicine
and community to speak to one another.”
The timing is intentional. As cannabis continues to evolve legally, socially and commercially,
Balbuena and Jeff believe cultural storytellers must be present in the conversations shaping
what comes next.
As cannabis enters a new era of public acceptance, Green Renaissance and Zen & Kush hope
to inspire a broader conversation, one that recognizes cannabis not simply as an industry, but
as a living thread woven throughout human civilization.
About Green Renaissance
Created by author and filmmaker JM Balbuena and published by Synergy Studios, Green
Renaissance is a book and multimedia storytelling platform exploring the history, culture,
prohibition, and reemergence of cannabis. Its growing creative universe spans literature, audio,
film, AI-assisted historical storytelling, education, and immersive experiences.
About Zen & Kush
Zen & Kush is an elevated lifestyle brand and immersive event series curated by artist Lizzy
Jeff. Through music, wellness, plant-based living, creative expression, and intentional
community, Zen & Kush creates spaces in which artists, healers, educators, and audiences can
connect.
