On this date in 2004, Cam’Ron released his fourth solo album entitled ‘Purple Haze’ released on the Diplomats, Roc-A-Fella, and Def Jam imprints.
This was the first solo album from the Dipset capo following the Dipset craze, where he switched from his obsession with the color pink to the more regal purple. Songs such as the anthemic “Down And Out” featuring a fairly new artist named Kanye West and Syleena Johnson, “Bubble Music” and “Adrenaline” featuring Twista and Psycho Drama help to popularize the highly anticipated album that took about a year to be released following several label delays during the Roc-A-Fella break up.
The album was propelled by samples from old soul and reggae music, which only helped to add to the LP’s popularity.
Salute to Cam, Dipset, and everyone involved with this timeless Hip Hop gem!
In a recent Instagram Live session, Houston rapper Slim Thug stirred up controversy with bold statements. He expressed his dissatisfaction with the current state of the hip-hop industry. The artist discussed a contentious topic, asserting that Jewish people should not be owners of Black music. “Jewish people should own Drake — Drake is Jewish,” he said. “Jewish people should own Jewish music,” he said. “I don’t like that Jewish people own Black music, I don’t want Jewish people who are not a part of the culture to own the culture. I want only Black people to own Black music.” He went on to elaborate on his stance, advocating for exclusive Black ownership of Black music and urging a shift away from non-Black individuals holding the reins of the culture.
The rapper expressed a desire to reclaim control over the industry. He emphasized that only those who are deeply ingrained in the culture should be its custodians. “We need to take the culture back, he continued. “While these Black people broke, we need to own our music.” Slim Thug passionately declared. Slim Thug’s perspective, however, doesn’t stop at Black music. He expanded his argument to include other racial and ethnic categories. “It should be that for every race. If you Jewish, you should own Jewish music. If you white, you should own white music, country music,” he asserted. The rapper believes that this approach is not discriminatory but rather a call for equality in ownership across different musical genres.
While Slim Thug didn’t call out specific individuals, he expressed support for Dame Dash, a figure known for his confrontations with non-Black music executives during his tenure at Roc-A-Fella Records. Thug commended Dash for standing up against what he perceives as “culture vultures” in the industry. “We don’t want people culture vulturing us,” he says. “We going at all the culture vultures. That’s why tried to push Dame Dash to the side. Dame Dash was right — he was standing on business.”
The rapper’s perspective supports his call for ownership rights among ethnic groups. This undoubtedly sparks a discussion around cultural appropriation and representation. In fact, Slim Thug’s remarks add fuel to the ongoing debate about who should hold the keys to the kingdom of Black music. This isn’t the first time Thug has called out the topic of race. In fact, he went on a rant just last month about DJ Vlad and accused him of being a culture vulture. Let us know your thoughts on HNHH!
Dame Dash continues to pull the curtains back on the dealings of Roc-a-Fella Records. Speaking in an Instagram Live Session, Dash revealed he had to get a vote and “fight” to get Kanye West on the label. Who did he have this battle with? Lyor Cohen and JAY-Z.
“I almost couldn’t sign Kanye. I had to get a vote. I had to fight to put Kanye out. I had to fight Lyor and JAY-Z,” Dame said. “They didn’t want that man to come out.”
Figures like Benzino and Dame Dash were at the top of their game decades ago, but as time has passed, so have the ways of the music industry. Now, the landscape looks completely different, and the men responsible for running The Source and Roc-a-Fella have unfortunately fallen on hard financial times. Both have been open about their struggles in the past, with Dash recently speaking his truth on an episode of The CEO Show. During his interview, the 52-year-old confirmed that he’s been watching his bank account balance dwindle for years, despite all that he previously accomplished as an executive and entrepreneur.
“I’ve had to start [a] new company from scratch, without any money to start it with,” the guest told host Dr. Taje Moreno. “I had to do it [by] rubbing two sticks together. So I can’t pay out three or four hundred thousand a year in child support, ‘cause I ain’t making that. But I’m not ashamed of that because I have things to show for it, but it hasn’t profited yet,” he confidently continued. Though he’s “broke,” Dash is still “proud,” he explains past the 11:30 mark in the video below.
In addition to that, the New Yorker clarified that the ownership stake in his ex-wife Rachel Roy’s fashion line was taken into consideration when the payments were determined. She presently controls that equity, which Dash believes should supplement Roy for the missing child support. “You can’t be mad at me and make me feel bad if the money that I had to give the kids, you got, and you still expecting me to pay that while I’m investing and losing money for years,” the father of three vented.
Elsewhere on The CEO Show, Dame Dash was asked about the nature of his relationship with Jay-Z, which has obviously had its ups and downs. Despite everything they’ve been through, the former still believes he and Hov “can always talk out” their differences. Read more about that at the link below, and tap back in with HNHH later for more pop culture/news updates.
Dame Dash’s shares in Roc-A-Fella are reportedly at risk of hitting auction, according to court documents obtained by AllHipHop. Dash helped launch the label alongside JAY-Z and Kareem “Biggs” Burke back in 1995. The situation revolves around a lawsuit regarding Dash’s dismissal as a co-director on the movie Dear Frank.
After being ousted from the project for allegedly being high on the set, Dash promoted himself to a producer on the project and changed its title to The List. An ensuing lawsuit resulted in a jury ruling against Dash and directed him to pay $805,000 in damages to filmmaker Josh Webber and Muddy Water Pictures. In order to complete the deal, Webber’s lawyer, Christopher Brown, wants Dash’s one-third interest in Roc-A-Fella to be sold at a live, in-person public auction.
Damon Dash and Jay-Z during Damon Dash’s Birthday Party – May 4, 2004 at La Bodega in N.Y.C. New York, United States. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
JAY-Z’s attorney, Alex Spiro, has since jumped into the dispute. He argues that Dash can’t do so due to the company’s by-laws forbidding any such transfer or sale. “Neither [ Brown or Webber] nor Dash have obtained (or even sought) permission to auction Dash’s 1/3rd interest in [Roc-A-Fella Records]. As a result, any purported transfer of Dash’s 1/3rd interest in [Roc-A-Fella Records] at the public auction [Brown and Webber] seek would be ‘void and ineffectual’ and would ‘not operate’ to transfer Dash’s interest. And the [Roc-A-Fella ] board is entitled to decide whether to approve any transfer of Dash’s interest,” Shapiro explained, as noted by AllHipHop. The judge has yet to issue a final ruling.
JAY-Z and Roc-A-Fella Records previously sued Dash for allegedly attempting to sell his shares of the label as a Reasonable Doubt NFT. The lawsuit concluded with both parties agreeing that no individual shareholder could mint an NFT of the album. Be on the lookout for further updates on the latest legal dilemma for Dame Dash and Roc-A-Fella on HotNewHipHop.
Dame Dash says that he wasn’t happy when JAY-Z apologized to Nas following their iconic feud. He reflected on the beef during a recent appearance on The CEO Show, while also admitting that he has deep respect for Nas. The conversation began with Dame recalling his response to being name-dropped on Nas’ “Ether.”
“I was in shock but I was happy. I wasn’t hurt,” he said. “I’ma tell you right now what happened. I was hyped that he said my name but also I knew what homie was doing and I thought it was a distraction. I’m like, ‘This is bubblegum shit.’ I go to do a fucking Rocawear campaign in Arizona, with Freeway I think, he was there. I land and this d*mb shit is on the radio and we took an L because he got in this man’s emotions.”
INDIO, CA – APRIL 12: Rappers Nas (L) and Jay Z perform onstage during day 2 of the 2014 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club on April 12, 2014 in Indio, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella)
From there, Dame admitted that Nas is “one of the cooler ones,” explaining that the way an artist ages is a true sign of who they are as a person. He continued: “But he’s one of the dudes that I consider straight vinyl – pure Hip Hop, unadulterated. I haven’t seen him do nothing corny, so I have a respect for him. And plus, he got at homie. He was the only person I ever seen really rattle him like that. Yo, bro, I couldn’t even talk to this dude, for three weeks I didn’t talk to Jay about any of that shit.”
Dame Dash On JAY-Z & Nas’ Relationship
Dame also put the blame for JAY-Z’s apology on Irv Gotti, whom he’s since fallen out with. “When he apologized and shit, I was like, ‘No!’” he said. “I was hitting him from the thing like, ‘Get off the radio! We looking cr*zy!’ And Irv did that shit. A Queens n***a, he gave him — pause — the banana in the tailpipe. That was a Queens thing — he didn’t even see that. Yo Irv, stay out my business.” Check out Dame Dash’s full comments above.
Arguably one of the saddest stories in hip-hop history is the downfall of Benzino at The Source. The 58-year-old no longer holds his post on the publication’s masthead. Still, he remains a celebrated figure in pop culture history – though he has faced his share of disrespect from the industry and beyond. For his most recent interview, Zino joined the We In Miami podcast to chat about his tenure working at the outlet. At the time, he was raking in some serious dough.
“In our peak we was making a couple of million dollars a month, cash,” the Boston native told the show’s host. “At one point, I had more money than Jay-Z, Diddy, everyone in New York,” Benzino recalled. When he was asked about any troubling experiences with artists at The Source, Hov immediately came to mind. “This one time, Jay and Dame [Dash] was complaining about a cover situation, and they came up to ‘The Source’ on some rah-rah s**t,” his story began.
Benzino said that he had “ni**as strapped up in different rooms,” which his angry guests weren’t aware of. “Sure enough, it starts getting loud. Ni**as start coming out them rooms, and they had to get up out of there. There was a few of them, I think maybe three or four. But there was at least seven of guns up in ‘The Source,’” the embattled media mogul admitted.
Aside from reflecting on the days he spent running things at The Source, Benzino also spoke candidly about his relationship with his daughter, Coi Leray, on the We In Miami podcast. At the time, he was overwhelmed with emotion while talking about the “dead-beat dad” comments he’s seen online over the years. Read everything Benzino had to say at the link below, and check back later for more hip-hop/pop culture news updates.
On one of the most recent episodes of We In Miami podcast, Former owner of The Source Magazine and reality star Ray Benzino talked about a potentially dangerous run-in with Jay-Z and Dame Dash over a cover story involving weapons at The Source office.
Benzino said, “This one time, Jay and Dame was complaining about a cover situation, and they came up to The Source on some rah-rah sh*t. So I had n***as strapped up in different rooms — they didn’t know that. So they up there and started getting loud, because we just wanted them to think that Dave [Mays, co-founder of The Source] was up there with just one person.”
He added, “Sure enough, it starts getting loud. N***as start coming out them rooms, and they had to get up out of there. There was a few of them, I think maybe three or four. But there was at least seven of us. There was at least seven guns up in The Source.”
Dame Dash is not holding back how he feels about R. Kelly. Speaking on the That’s F***ed Up Podcast, Dash revealed that he knows what the incarcerated singer did to Aaliyah and he is “where he belongs.”
Dash added, “I can’t be objective about that, you know what I’m saying? But he definitely seemed like he needed some help.”
Adding on to the history of Roc-A-Fella Records, Dash blasted JAY-Z saying, “I couldn’t believe he did a project with R. Kelly knowing that he had raped my girl.”
The legacy of Roc-A-Fella is set in stone, although its demise remains a point of conversation. Dame Dash, Jay-Z and Biggs Burke formed one of the greatest labels of all time that soundtracked an era in music and set the blueprint for artists moving forward. Although the company would later dissolve as Hov branched off to create Roc Nation, the imprint they left within music, film, fashion, and culture as a whole remains unseen. However, if there’s one thing for sure, it’s that the internal friction between the executives ultimately led to its demise.
To this day, Jay-Z and Dame Dash continue to detail the stories behind Roc-A-Fella during interviews. However, in a recent appearance on Math Hoffa’s My Expert Appearance that dropped last month, Dash detailed the exact moment when he knew Roc-A-Fella would no longer sustain its position at the top. Apparently, it was a moment when one person, in particular, refused to play “pause” that indicated Roc-A-Fella would be no more.
Without mentioning names, Dame Dash suggested that he knew when the label was “over” once Jay-Z pushed back against playing juvenile games. “I knew that Roc-A-Fella was over when they stopped playing ‘pause,’” he said. “The other side was kinda like, nah, we don’t play that no more. We grown, you know? And I was like, ‘it’s over.’” The room erupted with laughter as they suggested “the other side” Dame referred to was Jay-Z.
Still, Dame Dash continues to praise the efforts of Roc-A-Fella during their time together. As we celebrate hip-hop’s 50th birthday, Dash explained that the label’s legacy remains discussed in rap circles, despite not working on Roc-A-Fella for 20 years. “During Roc-A-Fella, I never looked at another crew and thought they were having more fun than me,” he explained. “I’m 52. We talking about 25 years ago. I haven’t even touched Roc-A-Fella, pause, in 20 years and they still talk about it like it was yesterday. I gotta be the best that ever did it!” Check out the snippet from the interview above and sound off with your thoughts in the comments below. Is Roc-A-Fella the greatest rap crew of all time?
