Dipset and Roc-A-Fella’s infamous rift all stemmed from Jim Jones slapping JAY-Z‘s longtime A&R Lenny Santiago, according to Freekey Zekey.
Speaking to The Art of Dialogue, the Dipset rapper discussed the tension between the two camps, who formed a successful yet turbulent partnership in the early 2000s.
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“What really separated us was when the tensions were high — it was me, Jim and Snagz. We called Lenny S. saying we needed studio time. We went up there, I think it was a Sunday, to the studio and we called Lenny S like, ‘What’s going on?’ And he was like, ‘Kiss my ass, it’s Sunday!'” Zeke recalled.
“Next day, we up in Roc-A-Fella like, ‘Where the fuck this n-gga at?’ We couldn’t find him. So I got on the elevator and then I got pushed in the elevator by my man Snagz and Jim [Jones], and they pressing the button like, ‘Hurry up, let’s go downstairs!’
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“I don’t know what happened, but I’m pretty sure somebody got slapped or something physical happened to Lenny S.”
As the trio made a quick exit out of the label’s offices, Dame Dash pulled up and attempted to broker a fight between Jim and Lenny to settle any differences, according to Zekey.
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“We get downstairs and Jim shoots out the gate, he’s running. I’m a little fatter so I’m running slow. Dame pulls up. ‘What the fuck’s going on, man?!'” he continued.
“Dame brought Lenny S. down and they got Jim and Snagz there, and [Dame] was like, ‘We’re gonna fight. ‘Cause none of this stupid is gonna go on. If there’s a problem, let’s just fight it out. Lenny S., go over there and fight Jim.'”
However, Freekey Zekey claimed that the proposed scuffle reached a standstill after the sudden arrival of one of Memphis Bleek‘s relatives.
“That’s when the diamond started to break. Because it was like, ‘Hold on, this is Bleek’s people with Lenny S. and y’all n-ggas gonna ride?’ That’s where the divide came from,” he said.
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“It was supposed to be just a Lenny S. and Jim Jones fight, but I guess Lenny S. called somebody from Bleek’s family. So now it was like, ‘Word?’ And that’s what caused the tension right there. Nobody got it on that day; everybody ended up separating.”
Juelz Santana has also previously spoken about the riction between Dipset and Roc-A-Fella, claiming that the Harlem crew were not made to feel welcome by the label due to issues between JAY-Z and Cam’ron.
He told VladTV in 2022: “Jay and Cam never really — I’m not gonna say never got along because that’s a weird word, we not kids. But they had a funny relationship. They never really clicked and meshed to where it felt like we were truly Roc-A-Fella artists.
“Dame always showed us that love and we were cool with State Property, but we just never felt like we were like truly welcome over there. We felt like the outcasts of the family, like we gotta fucking knock the cake over to be seen and heard.”
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It has long been rumored that Cam and Hov’s relationship soured after Dame Dash offered the “Hey Ma” rapper the role of vice-president at Roc-A-Fella without Jay’s approval.
The two would then exchange disses before eventually burying the hatchet in 2019.
