Roc-A-Fella Records

Dame Dash Says Drake Ghosted a $6M Bid for His Third of Roc-A-Fella Records

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Dame Dash Says He Was Hyped to Hear His Name on "Ether"

Damon Dash is giving details on the auction of his stake in Roc-A-Fella Records. No one showed up for the auction, and the state of New York ended up making the bid for $1,000,000. But there was a potential buyer: Drake.

Drake has been buying up hip-hop history for a while and has focused on the third of the Roc. Dash stated that at one point, Drake bid for $6 million. “Drake put in a bid for $6 million, but then he disappeared.”

You can hear it from Dash below.

The post Dame Dash Says Drake Ghosted a $6M Bid for His Third of Roc-A-Fella Records appeared first on .

Today In Hip-Hop History: Jay-Z Dropped His ‘American Gangster’ Soundtrack 17 Years Ago

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On this date in 2007, Jay-Z released his American Gangster album, which also served as the soundtrack to the movie of the same name with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe.

It was a conceptual album that was inspired by the film of the same name. The album spawned hits like “I Know”, “Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)”, and “Blue Magic”. Guest features include Idris Elba, Lil Wayne, Beanie Sigel, and Nas. The album features production from Diddy, The Neptunes, Just Blaze, and The Hitmen.

American Gangster debuted at number one on Billboard 200, selling 425,861 copies in the first week. This album tied Jigga with Elvis Presley for second-most number one albums. It was a commercial success and viewed as a good follow-up from Hov’s 2006 album Kingdom Come.

What was your favorite song from the album?

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Today In Hip-Hop History: Jay-Z Dropped His ‘The Dynasty: Roc La Familia’ LP 24 Years Ago

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On this date at the turn of the millennium, Jay-Z and his Rocafella cohorts released the only crew album of his career, The Dynasty: Roc La Familia.

Along with Memphis Bleek and the State Property clan from Philly, including Peedi Crack, Beanie Sigel, Oschino, Sparks, Freeway, and others, Hov brought the supergroup energy to this album that was seen as the pinnacle of Jay’s career; right before his Blueprint metamorphosis, which was the beginning of the mogul he is today.

Even with all of the star power on the album, there were still some stand-out tracks on the LP exclusively released on the infamous Rocafella imprint, including the Neptunes-produced ‘I Just Want To Love U(Give It To Me)”, the controversial “Guilty Until Proven Innocent” featuring the trouble-ridden R. Kelly and the old Kanye-produced “This Can’t Be Life” featuring Beanie and Geto Boys’ Scarface. With additional production from the likes of Just Blaze, Rockwilder, Rick Rock, and others, this album is one of Jigga’s standout projects of his illustrious career.

Salute to Jay, Biggs, Dame, Bleek, and the rest of the Roc for this piece of Hip-Hop History!!

The post Today In Hip-Hop History: Jay-Z Dropped His ‘The Dynasty: Roc La Familia’ LP 24 Years Ago appeared first on .

Today In Hip Hop History: Jay-Z Dropped His Third LP ‘Vol.2…Hard Knock Life’ 26 Years Ago

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On this date in 1998, Jay-Z and his Roc cohorts dropped his third album Vol.2…Hard Knock Life on their independent Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam imprint.

Recorded in some of NYC’s most coveted studio spaces, Vol. 2…Hard Knock Life featured some of the games best producers, including Jermaine Dupri, Swizz Beatz, and Timbaland, Hov’s third album was the proof that Jigga had found the formula to produce the most successful full-length project of his career at that time.

Debuting at number 1 on the Billboard 200 and selling 350K in its first week, Vol.2 …Hard Knock Life was certified 5x platinum within two years of its release, setting Hov’s album bar so hight that it won a Golden Phonograph for Best Rap Album at the 41st Grammy Awards. Some of the top singles from the 14 track gem include “Nigga What, Nigga Who(Originator 99)”, “Hard Knock Life,” “Can I Get A…” and “Money Ain’t A Thang” featuring Jermaine Dupri.

Salute to Jigga, Dame, Biggs, Memphis Bleek, Sauce Money, and the rest of the Roc for putting out such a timeless piece of Hip Hop history!

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Jay-Z Dropped His Third LP ‘Vol.2…Hard Knock Life’ 26 Years Ago first appeared on .

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Can Dame Dash Actually Sell His Share Of Jay-Z’s ‘Reasonable Doubt?’

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For years, Dame Dash has led both a public and legal battle with his former business partner Jay-Z. Recently, Dame claimed to have made headway in offloading a piece of hip-hop history.

According to Dame Dash, his plan to sell his share of Jay-Z’s highly acclaimed debut album, Reasonable Doubt. During a recent appearance on America Nu Network (viewable here), Dame even claimed that Drake expressed interest in purchasing his stake. However, there appears to be some confusion over who actually owns the shares. Continue below for more information.

Can Dame Dash Actually Sell His Share Of Jay-Z’s ‘Reasonable Doubt?’

Based on an investigative piece conducted by Rolling Stone‘s Andre Gee (viewable here), Dame Dash doesn’t appear to be the rightful owner of the stake. Technically speaking, Dame Dash can not sell his stakes. According to the outlet, in order to “satisfy an $823K judgment” in his Josh Webber and Muddy Waters Films lawsuit, Dame was ordered to turn over his shares of Roc-A-Fella Inc (which own stake in Jay-Z’s album) over to the US Marshals.

Now, Christopher Brown, the attorney of Webber seemingly controls the stakes as in an effort to recoup the judgment on behalf of his client. So, it appears that the reports of an auction supposedly held on August 29 might have been true. But, Dame Dash having a deciding factor is allegedly a fallacy.

Today in Hip-Hop History: Jay-Z Dropped Debut Album ‘Reasonable Doubt’ 28 Years Ago

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On June 25, 1996, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, Dame Dash and Kareem “Biggs” Burke embarked on a creative journey that has morphed into a billion-dollar movement today with the release of the Reasonable Doubt LP.

Released courtesy of their independent Roc-A-Fella imprint, Jay’s premier album was promoted and sanctioned by the streets, with previews of the album via sampler cassettes hitting the streets in the winter of 1995. The album’s first single, “Ain’t No Nigga”, featuring a then-teenage Foxy Brown, was the introduction of “Jigga” to the industry that would eventually put him in the pole position of the rap game.

Other unforgettable tracks from one of the prototype LPs of the “mafia rap” era include, “Dead Presidents II,” “Can’t Knock The Hustle,” which features Mary J. Blige, “Brooklyn’s Finest” with the late Notorious B.I.G. and the introduction of Marcy young gun Memphis Bleek on “Coming Of Age”.

All-star production from the likes of DJ Premier, Irv Gotti, Ski and Clark Kent propelled the album along with Jay’s common street ethics surgically placed melodically on the beats.

Salute to Jay, Biggs, Dame, Pain In Da Ass and the rest of the old Roc-A-Fella staff for this timeless classic!

The post Today in Hip-Hop History: Jay-Z Dropped Debut Album ‘Reasonable Doubt’ 28 Years Ago first appeared on The Source.

The post Today in Hip-Hop History: Jay-Z Dropped Debut Album ‘Reasonable Doubt’ 28 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

[WATCH] Dame Dash Said He Almost Started Rapping On Roc-A-Fella Due To The Label Being “In Trouble”

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Dame Dash Launches his Streaming Service

In an exclusive interview on the Moguls in the Making podcast earlier this week, former Roc-A-Fella Records label head Dame Dash revealed that he almost became a rapper when his independent imprint was at risk of folding before the success of the UGK/Jay-Z single “Big Pimpin’”.

Dash claims that he almost grabbed the mic himself during the production of the song and claims that the song was about him and his lifestyle and not Jay-Z.

“In that moment, Roc-A-Fella was in trouble and if that ‘Big Pimpin” didn’t work, I was gon’ start rapping. [I don’t got bars, but] I would have just did it for the company.”

Dash also delved into the beef between Ja-Z and Nas, saying that he had “no fear” of violence between the two crews despite the bitter rivalry between the two.

“There was no fear of us getting hurt when it came to Nas. I’m telling you right now, there was no fear of any violence when it came to that,” he said. “There was no fear when it came to us of any battle that we had when it came to violence. We were never worried about that.”

He also added, “Now, ‘Pac and Biggie, n-ggas got killed. But n-ggas get killed in Hip Hop now. They be battling and then they end up dead. It’s a little more serious now.”

The post [WATCH] Dame Dash Said He Almost Started Rapping On Roc-A-Fella Due To The Label Being “In Trouble” first appeared on The Source.

The post [WATCH] Dame Dash Said He Almost Started Rapping On Roc-A-Fella Due To The Label Being “In Trouble” appeared first on The Source.

Today in Hip Hop History: The Diplomats Released Their Debut Album ‘Diplomatic Immunity’ 21 Years Ago

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On this date in 2003, Cam’ron’s crew from Harlem, The Diplomats, dropped their debut album Diplomatic Immunity on the Roc A Fella Records/Def Jam imprint during the pivotal time when Dame Dash appointed Cam’ron as the President of Roc-A-Fella Records.

Coming on the heels of the release of Cam’s Come Home With Me LP, Diplomatic Immunity introduced the entire Dipset squad, including Juelz Santana, Jim Jones, Freekey Zeekey, Un Kasa, and Hell Rell. With production from the likes of Heatmakerz, DR Period, and a then virtually unknown Kanye West, the trailblazing sound of old soul samples pushed Dipset to the forefront of the creative curve of Hip Hop, which offered the Blood-affiliated crew from Uptown an almost cult-like following. Rell was incarcerated by the time the album was available for purchase.

The album was saturated with longstanding hits such as “I Really Mean It,” the infectious “Dipset Anthem,” the female-friendly “Hey Ma,” and the Master P assisted “Bout It Bout It…Part I “. Commercially, the album was considered average, debuting at #8 on the Billboard 200 and selling 92,000 copies in its first week, but the album was certified Gold by the RIAA in 2005.

Salute to Cam, Juelz, Jim Jones, Freekey, and Hell Rell for this classic piece of Hip Hop history!

The post Today in Hip Hop History: The Diplomats Released Their Debut Album ‘Diplomatic Immunity’ 21 Years Ago first appeared on The Source.

The post Today in Hip Hop History: The Diplomats Released Their Debut Album ‘Diplomatic Immunity’ 21 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Happy 50th Birthday To Philly Legend Beanie Sigel!

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Born on this date in 1974 in the City of Brotherly Love, Dwight Grant, aka Beanie Sigel, aka Beans, morphed into an icon in the Philly Hip Hop scene as the leader of the now-defunct Roc-A-Fella Records’ State Property. Even with all of his legal troubles and the untimely split of the Roc, Beanie is still regarded as one of the best emcees of his era and one of the very few who lives what he speaks in the booth.

With six solo albums, three State Property collabos, and four silver screen blockbuster appearances, it’s difficult to argue that Beans has not had a successful career. Anyone who could hold Hova’s attention for more than one album has some obvious skills to match his street bravado.

Happy born day to Beans and many more in the future!

The post Happy 50th Birthday To Philly Legend Beanie Sigel! first appeared on The Source.

The post Happy 50th Birthday To Philly Legend Beanie Sigel! appeared first on The Source.

Today In Hip Hop History: Cam’Ron Dropped His ‘Purple Haze’ Album 19 Years Ago

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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!

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Cam’Ron Dropped His ‘Purple Haze’ Album 19 Years Ago first appeared on The Source.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Cam’Ron Dropped His ‘Purple Haze’ Album 19 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.