roc a fella

Jim Jones Discusses Roc-A-Fella Breakup’s Impact On New York Hip-Hop

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During a recent conversation on DJ Self’s Apt. 5H show, Jim Jones spoke candidly of the Roc-A-Fella breakup and how it impacted New York hip-hop. Moreover, he also shared some thoughts alongside Hitmaka, with whom he just made a collaborative album, Back In My Prime. As Jones reveals, the dissolution of the legendary label led to a void within East Coast rap, specifically in NYC, where its artists scrambled to find a new home. Furthermore, the collective had an iron grip on the region that also led it through its arguable commercial and artistic peaks.

However, as impactful as their rise to the top was, their breakup dealt a similarly deep and lasting blow to the scene. Of course, it’s by no means dead, dying, or even close to it, but one can’t help but think back on the glory days. “The confusion at the Roc-A-Fella breakup did a lot of damage for New York music,” Jones remarked. “Remember, Roc-A-Fella had so many different types of music. They had The Diplomats, they had State Property, they had Brooklyn s**t. They really had a strong hold on East Coast music, so when that s**t started to happen…“

Jim Jones Speaks On Roc-A-Fella Breakup

Not only that, but producer Hitmaka brought up that they also tapped into the reggaetón market through their Roc-La-Familia sub label. If you’re interested in what that would result in, check out N.O.R.E.’s 2006 fusion of both worlds, N.O.R.E. y la Familia…Ya Tú Sabe. Not only did they experiment and keep an eye on what was next up, but they established a superstar discography, roster, and business in just a couple of years. After Jay-Z teased retirement, moved onto Def Jam, and he and cofounders Dame Dash and Biggs Burke sold their stake in Roc-A-Fella, the group was no more, splintered into different parts. However, Jay kept most of the money in the pot as CEO and president of Def Jam, which left his cofounders blindsided.

“Yeah, all that, but we were friends,” Dame Dash expressed on The Art Of Dialogue in August of last year. “Like, how would you feel if your brother just betrayed you for money? Would it hurt? That’s the algorithm. It wasn’t surprising ’cause that’s what always happens. 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. That was my n***a, like we never argued, nothing. That’s why I didn’t know it was coming. That was some real slick s**t. I was like, ‘That n***a’s cold.’” Regardless of your take, stick around on HNHH for the latest on Jim Jones and the Roc-A-Fella camp.

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Young Chris Explains Signing With Jay-Z Over Dame Dash

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Young Chris of the Young Gunz recently explained why he signed with Jay-Z over Dame Dash during the infamous Roc-A-Fella split in the mid-2000s. Appearing on Math Hoffa’s My Expert Opinion podcast, Young Chris recalled how Jay-Z pitched himself to him and Freeway while the two were on the road. The legendary rapper told the two that this “shit about to be over.”

“I remember Dame was telling me to do a solo project,” the State Property MC recalled. “That’s kind of why I went with Jay, you know? My loyalty to Neef [Buck]. We already did the first album and I’ma follow up, you feel me? That was my situation. I think back on it sometimes ’cause I never looked at it as being the Bobby of the group. Dame was probably looking at the shit, but we went with Jay and we did what we did.”

Young Chris On “My Expert Opinion”

Young Chris joined Roc-A-Fella as one-half of the Young Gunz alongside Neef Buck. At the time, Jay-Z was publically planning to retire following the release of The Blueprint 2 in 2002. In the wake of that decision, Damon Dash was trying to bring in tons of talent to the Roc-A-Fella roster. The label already boasted Kanye West, The Diplomats, Beanie Sigel, and more. Jay-Z then accepted a position as the CEO and president of Def Jam Recordings. Dame and fellow co-founder Kareem “Biggs” Burke eventually gave in and sold their stake in the label to Island Def Jam, before forming their own label.

Young Gunz later released their second and final album Brothers from Another with Jay-Z in 2005. The album peaked at number fifteen on the Billboard 200, while selling 138,000 units in the US. It features guest appearances from Pooda Brown, 112, Daz Dillinger, John Legend, Kanye West, and Memphis Bleek. The lead single from the album, “Set It Off,” was produced by Swizz Beatz and peaked at number 52 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. They also worked with producers Chad Hamilton, Boola, Bangladesh, and more across the tracklist. In the years since, Chris has continued releasing his own solo music.

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Dame Dash Says Jay-Z Offered Him $1.5M For Interest In Roc-A-Fella Inc.: “Disrespectful Sh*t”

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Dame Dash explained the loophole that led him to trying to sell his stake in Roc-A-Fella prior to Jay-Z’s lawsuit.

During a recent appearance on VEUIT TV, Dash opened up about his decision to leap into the world of NFTs. If you recall, the Roc-A-Fella co-founder tried to sell his stake in the company including his shares in Reasonable Doubt. Ultimately, Jay-Z wasn’t having it and sued Dame Dash.

Damon Dash and Jay-Z during Jay-Z “The Black Album Tour” Live at Madison Square Garden – Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by KMazur/WireImage for New York Post)

Dash explained that Jay actually offered him a sum of money before he tried to leap into the NFT space.

“I was offered a certain amount of money for my interest in Roc-A-Fella Inc., which owns Reasonable Doubt. They offered me like $1.5M – Jay-Z. And I was like, ‘That’s some disrespectful shit. So, I guess I gotta sell it someplace else.’”

At this point, Dame reached out to his cousin who linked him up with attorney Ronald Sweeney. Both of them suggested that Dame look at other options, such as Non-Fungible Tokens, which could lead to a bigger payout than whatever Jay-Z offered.

Jay-Z, Damon Dash during Rocawear and Maxim Magazine Host In-Store Event at Bloomingdale’s at Bloomingdale’s in New York, New York, United States. (Photo by Sylvain Gaboury/FilmMagic)

“I got the lawsuit – ‘cause again, I got accused of doing something I didn’t to stop me from doing it, and then everybody just went missing. So I had to deal with the lawsuit on my own,” he added. He described the situation as “f*cked up.”

Despite the friction between the two, Jay-Z applauded Dame Dash during his Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame speech. In response, Dash said he wants to end their feud with each other.

“It was beautiful,” he said, expressing gratitude that Jay did it “for the culture.” “We need to squash everything. So hopefully if that was an extended [olive branch] I’ll spin one back. I have no beef with [him] if [he has] no beef with me … let’s get the lawyers out of it then. Let’s talk like men.”

The two have since reached a settlement in the case.

Check out the clip below and sound off in the comments with your thoughts on Dame Dash’s Roc-A-Fella Inc NFT venture.

Jay-Z Turned Down The Beat For Big Pun’s “Still Not A Player,” Hip Hop Says

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Jay-Z once turned down the beat for Big Pun’s “Still Not A Player,” according to Joshua “Hip Hop” Kyambo.

The former Roc-A-Fella A&R recently appeared on the R.O.A.D podcast where he delved into his history with the legendary label, working with Jay-Z, and defining the label’s distinct production style. Hip Hop deserves the credit for some of the biggest records in Jay’s catalog since the signature sound of the label heavily depended on his ear for production.

LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 25: (L-R) Kareem Biggs Burke, Jay Z, and Kyambo “Hip Hop” Joshua at Fourth of November presents 20th Anniversary of Reasonable Doubt on June 25, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Bezjian/WireImage)

While he shared some tales of Jay’s studio sessions, he also dived into a few songs that he turned down. Some of them included massive records that have withstood the test of time.

Hip-Hop presented the beat for “Still Not A Player” before it ultimately landed in Big Pun’s lap. He also tried to get Jay-Z on “Whoa!” which wound up becoming Black Rob’s biggest hit. Finally, he revealed that he tried to get Jay-Z to rap on the beat for Mr. Cheeks’ “Lights, Camera, Action.”

“He said it was too slow,” Hip-Hop recalled of Jay’s reaction to “Lights, Camera, Action.” “I was like ‘Whatchu mean it’s too slow?’”

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 01: Jay-Z is seen out and about in Manhattan on August 01, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Robert Kamau/GC Images)

The hosts then asked how he felt about the success of the song. He explained that he didn’t feel any way about Jay turning the beat down.

“Nah, it’s like whatever is best for the record,” he said. And I know that a record just got to motivate [Jay-Z].”

Check out the clip below and let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

Tony Yayo Says 50 Cent Has Done More For Uncle Murda Than Jay-Z

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Tony Yayo argued that 50 Cent has done more to help Uncle Murda’s career than Jay-Z. Yayo explained his position while speaking with Murda on Thisis50. Murda signed with Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella in 2007 but later moved over to G-Unit with 50 Cent in 2016.

“That’s why I respect him because we have more of an assist,” Yayo said. “We have 50 Cent so I knew I was okay. He sold 11 million records I’m gonna get a percentage of his fans. I’m good. [Uncle Murda] had to kind of more do it on his own. He had deals with Jay-Z and them but Jay-Z ain’t gonna never… I always tell them all the time Jay-Z ain’t treating you like this n***a.”

NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 30: Tony Yayo attends the XXL Freshmen Live 2015 concert at Best Buy on June 30, 2015, in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

From there, Murda reflected on Jay-Z giving him his first six-figure check and thanked him for the support. He also joked about Yayo being quick to call out Jay-Z by recalling his response to a party they recently attended. Several high-profile celebrities, including the Kardashians and Serena Williams, were in attendance.

“We just finished performing, great time, right,” Murda said. “First thing my man wanna say, ‘Yeah shit lit, Jay-Z will never take you to a party like this.”

Yayo then continued: “I’m just telling you how we get treated. I’m quite sure Hov and a lot of artists they treat some of their artists maybe good, maybe not. I’m just telling you how we get treated. I don’t know [if] Jay-Z ever had him in the Armani Hotel.”

Elsewhere in the interview, the two discuss Tory Lanez’s recent trial regarding the shooting of Megan Thee Stallion, “Rap-Up 2022,” and more.

Check out Tony Yayo and Uncle Murda’s conversation on Thisis50 below.

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