Damon Dash founded Roc-A-Fella Records in 1995 with Jay-Z, and they’ve feuded since the label was sold in 2004. Now, after being praised by Hova during his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction speech on Saturday, Dash wants to finally squash their beef.
“Shout out to Dame,” the Roc Nation owner said during the ceremony at Rocket Mortgage Field House in Cleveland, “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.”
“It was beautiful,” Dash told Page Six. “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.”
“Congratulations to him and thank you [to him] for keep working so hard to where he got to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” Dash continued. “Anything he can do to make me great, so thank you for even continuing to strive. He keeps my name alive.”
In 2004, Roc-A-Fella Records was sold to Def Jam Recordings, and Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, was named Def Jam President and CEO. Dash felt betrayed and formed his own label, Roc4Life. The feud intensified in 2005 when Jay bought out Dash’s share of their Rocawear fashion company.
When Dash recently attempted to sell Rock-A-Fella’s first release, Jay-Z’s 1997 debut solo album, Reasonable Doubt, as an NFT, Carter sued him.
“I have no beef with [him] if [he has] no beef with me,” Damon added. “Let’s get the lawyers out of it then. Let’s talk like men.”
Dash hopes that now the bitterness between him and Hova will end, declaring, “We should not be divided. We have accomplished too much to be beefing.”
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