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.