Dame Dash says he's disappointed with Jay-Z

By: Yves Erwin Salomon

Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder Damon Dash hasn't said much since he and Jay-Z went their separate ways but with the release of Jay-Z's new album, Kingdom Come, and the song "Lost Ones," Dash has felt the need to address the situation. In the song, "Lost Ones," Jay-Z raps that "N***as wasn't on they day job," as well as "I heard muthaf***ers saying they made Hov/ Made Hov say, 'OK, so make another Hov'/ N***as wasn't playing they day role/ So we parted ways like Ben and J. Lo."

When asked about the song, Dash said he also thought the song was about him and Kareem "Biggs" Burke. He said, "Me and Jay did too much together for me to have beef with him. If he was talking about me, I would be disappointed. I wish he would take me aside and tell me. That's what grown men do. We done so much, for me to have beef with him would be crazy. It would make everything I did look corny. ... Guys like us don't talk about other guys on a track. We pull each other to the side and speak."

Dash, who hasn't spoken to Jay-Z in some time, added, "I was just a little disappointed. I don't feel nothing against him. I think it was a bad decision on his part. I would never air my laundry like that. It damages the history that we made. I got nothing bad to say about that man, just that scenario. Could you imagine 10 years ago that Jay would be making a record about Dame Dash? I used to eat at his house for Thanksgiving. I know his mother, his whole family. I got no beef. We made way too much money together. I almost felt sorry for him. It's like he made an excuse for what he did. We used to have a lot of fun. The absence of Dame Dash is critical."

Jay-Z publicly addressed the situation in Complex magazine. He said, "At the end of the day, when I look around and I know I'm on the side of right or what I believe is right in my heart ... sometimes you think you're doing right but you're not. But what you believe to be right in your heart, that's your truths. Then certain things happen that go even further then that, and you know you was right. The way people carry themselves after, it's like, 'Wow.'I wouldn't have did that. He laughs. A true friend wouldn't have done that."

Since the Roc-A-Fella Records split, Dash has turned his attention to fashion and launching his online community, BlockSavvy.com. He said, "I don't wanna be yelling all my life. How loud did I have to yell to say that Jay-Z was the man and the best rapper of all time? Nobody believed me until it happened 10 years later. You saw what happened when I brought Kanye over. ... I love music, but the people in the music don't wanna work. I know this. I'm in the fashion industry. I haven't had to shout for two years."