For years, former Roc-A-Fella Records partners Dame Dash and Jay-Z have been on shaky, uneven footing stemming from the label’s contentious split in 2005 when Jay-Z walked away from the partnership for a position as President of Def Jam. However, it seems that Jay holds less ill will toward his former partners than many of them hold toward him, as he gave a series of shout-outs during his Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction speech, including to third Roc founder Kareem “Biggs” Burke as well as Dame.
“Shout-out to Dame,” he said. “I know we don’t see eye to eye, but I can never erase your accomplishments. And I appreciate you and I thank you for that.”
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That proverbial olive branch has apparently prompted Dame to consider reconciliation according to Page Six, which he told, “I’m glad he said it for the culture. We need to squash everything. So hopefully if that was an extended [olive branch], I’ll spin one back.”
However, the feisty mogul did set one condition for a possible reunion. “I have no beef with [him] if [he has] no beef with me,” he elaborated. “Let’s get the lawyers out of it then. Let’s talk like men, but I definitely appreciate it.”
Of course, the lawyers were introduced to the mix earlier this year when Dame reportedly attempted to sell Jay’s debut album Reasonable Doubt — the point of contention in the initial Roc split (although Dame blames other factors) — as an NFT. However, as it turned out, Dame was more interested in off-loading his stake in the now-defunct brand, which Jay tried to buy at a price Dame “deemed unacceptable.” Jay still sued to stop the sale, saying in court records, “Dash can’t sell what he doesn’t own. By attempting such a sale, Dash has converted a corporate asset and has breached his fiduciary duties.
The original trio of founders met over the summer to try and hash out their differences after a judge denied Dame’s request to block the meeting, but as yet, it appears they still haven’t buried their respective hatchets. Jay’s shout-out could be the first step toward getting the brash Harlem hustler back to the negotiating table.
