JAY-Z appears on a lot of Top Five rapper lists, but according to his former business partner Dame Dash, he isn’t even the best rapper to come from Roc-A-Fella.
Appearing on Podcast and Chill With Mac G on Thursday (August 25), Dame was asked who he thought the greatest artist to represent the Roc was. After a long pause, Dame went with Kanye West.
“If it’s a choice between Jay and Kanye, I’m going with Kanye all day every day,” he said just shy of the 27-minute mark.
Explaining the reason for his decision, Dame added: “He’s more creative… Kanye is a true artist and he does it for the art and JAY-Z does it for the money. It’s two different things.”
Dame Dash then recalled Kanye’s chaining day, when he took the Roc-A-Fella chain off his neck because Jay wouldn’t give up his and he blessed Yeezy in front of his hometown Chicago crowd on Hov’s Dynasty Tour.
“That’s cus Jay wouldn’t take it off his,” he explained. “If you look at it, I’m talking to Jay like, ‘Give him the chain.’ He supposed to give that shit back but I never got that back. I was gonna replace it but I never got to.”
In a separate interview earlier this week, Dame revisited the mid-2000s Roc-A-Fella Records split from JAY-Z and explained that he felt betrayed by him over money.
“Yeah, all that, but we were friends,” he said. “Like, how would you feel if your brother just betrayed you for money? Would it hurt?”
Dame Dash Ready To Squash JAY-Z Beef Following Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Shoutout
The 51-year-old executive believed there were higher powers in play that pushed for the Jay-Dame split to make them weaker while the dynasty was shaking up the Hip Hop industry in the early 2000s.
“That’s the algorithm. It wasn’t surprising ’cause that’s what always happens,” he continued. “We were breaking the algorithm, we were doing it a different way and sticking together, but that’s what always happens. They make one sell out the other, their friend, divide and conquer, that’s a normal story.”
Dame didn’t see the divorce coming from Hov’s side either. “That was my n-gga, like we never argued, nothing,” he said. “That’s why I didn’t know it was coming. That was some real slick shit. I was like, ‘That n-gga’s cold.'”
Dame saying more dumb shit because Jay-Z doesn’t take his calls anymore.
100% Jay-Z on the basis that he was the pillar that other artists got to stand with for exposure. Kanye came in and had the advantage of Roc-a-fella already having brand recognition and a slew of artists like Cam’ron, Jay and Sigel that he could associate with on tracks to cast a wider net of exposure. In all fairness West had no features on his first wave of singles like Jesus Walks but especially in the early 2000s having the brand of a hot label mattered. Just ask Obie Trice, D12, Xzibit, Ashanti and others.
Kanye can’t even rap. He doesn’t even write his own raps. His claim to fame is that he sampled soul songs that somebody else made, lol. What the fuck are we talking about here?
I mean the greatest hiphop album of alltime, dre 2001 is all sampled from older songs. Most of eminems hit songs are all sampled from older songs. Most of pacs, biggies, snoops, ice cube. They all sampled from older songs. So whats your point??
I’m glad you brought up Dre, because I’ve knocked dummies who call him a genius too for putting drums on Parliament songs and other old music. That shit ain’t the greatest album of all time either. Need to get your ears checked.
Ok whitey, whatever you say. Hows your culture going by the way?
Lol. You might want to look in the mirror. Only the white boys worship Kanye, and I’m not one of them. The blacker the berry….
Just give it up bro, you’re trying way to hard. Its obvious to everyone you’re a white vulture. Go fuckin drop dead somewhere you scumbag.
Translation= since Kanye now employs me and pays my bills I’m siding with him. Jay-Z made me over 100 million but I spent all I’ve that, and now have amnesia
I bet Jay-Z had a bunch of small hats whispering in his ear, promising him shekels to get rid of Dame.
Dame’s still alive, so he didn’t actually get rid off him…
^of him
Nah if jay wanted him gone hed be gone. I mean jay shot his own brother.
As an artist Kanye is better than Jay-Z but Jay-Z is the better rapper.
Artist how? The best things he did was sample old soul songs. He doesn’t write his own rhymes. Those soul songs somebody else made. Some of you are just dazzled by his crazy ass personality that is manic depressive, so it’s entertaining to watch if you’re watching it from over there and not dealing with it in real life. Good that dude got his hustle on, but some of you people are weird with what you call art.
Silent partner huh? Very silent you are!
Pac, biggie, dre, doc, eminem, nwa, snoop, ice cube, jay z, 50 cent and the list goes on. THEY ALL sampled from older music dumb ass. Wake the fuck up.
Look at this dummy thinking no one knows other rappers sample. Operative word, rappers. They also could rhyme, and that wasn’t what they were famous for dumbass. Because you look up to this weirdo doesn’t mean anyone with a brain does.
Go cry somewhere else bro. You got made to look like an idiot, learn and move on. Dont cry on the internet.
I got made to look like an idiot because your stupid ass thinks no one else samples music to make rap songs. Next thing you’re going to tell me is that DJs used turntables. It’s kind of why the 90s was called the Golden era because that’s all they sampled was good soul music, but yep, I’m the idiot because I’m pointing out that Kanye’s whole claim to fame is that he sampled soul songs and doesn’t write his own shit nor has any kind of clever delivery. He’s the first of the personalities that your weird generation worshiped despite them having no real skills.
Ok whitey, whatever you say
Dame sounds bitter. Why not join nas and work with him instead of hating on hov’s success?
KANYE SUCCESS OPENED THE DOOR FOR ALL THE NERDS AND SQUARES YOU SEE TODAY. NEVER LIKED HIS MUSIC LIKE THAT.
I highly doubt kanye gives a fuck if you like his music or not. Oh by the way, using all caps wont make your little white dick any bigger.
It lowers the value of your words, when you say you love him, then you come right back and throw stones at “your brother”. The truth is, Jigga played you as far as friendship, but everybody knows Jigga values business/money and has a extremely small circle of loyalists (they better watch their backs, too). But to continuously contradict yourself desensitizes people’s feelings about everything. AKA, move on, stfu
Ok whitey, whatever you say
This dude can’t keep Jay name out of his mouth. Sound like Irv talking about Ashanti…
Hey kev. Hows your culture going bro? I always see you shitting on black culture, but yet you can’t leave. Hows your culture going bro? You need some healing? Its allgood that you’re white bro, embrace your culture.
The real rockerfella family are just laughing at those peasants.
Kanye has a waaaaay better discography than Jay. First 5 albums are certified classics and next 6 are all solid. Not sure how anyone considers Reasonable Doubt a classic when it isn’t a top 25 rap album from 94-96 so he didnt get a classic until his 6th the Blueprint which had many Ye beats. The guy releases one more classic in 03, “retires”, and hasn’t made a classic since. His music is decent at best. And don’t give me Vol 2 or any of that trash… DMX and Ja were way hotter, the smartest move Hov ever made was not being the 3rd link in Murder Inc