OK.  ITS BEEN A FEW YEARS SINCE THE BREAK UP OF THE ROC-A-FELLA CAMP WITH THE SPLIT BETWEEN DAME DASH, JAY-Z, BIGGS.  DAME PRODUCED A MOVIE BEFORE THE SPLIT CALLED THE DEATH OF A DYNASTY WHERE IT CHRONICALED THE BEEF BETWEEN CHARACTERS THAT BORE RESEMBELANCE TO JAY AND DAME.  IT WAS FOR THIS REASON THAT WHEN THE PUBLIC GOT WIND OF THE BREAKUP OF ROC-A-FELLA THAT IT WAS INITIALLY BELIEVED TO BE A PUBLICITY STUNT. 

BUT TO THE SURPRISE OF MANY THE SITUATION BETWEEN THE TWO TURNED OUT TO BE VERY TRUE.  THERE WERE SIDE TAKEN AND MANY OF THE ARTIST SIGNED TO LABEL THAT WERE ALL PRODUCTS OF DAME DASH'S BRASH BUT KEEN BUSINESS SENSE.  NO ONE CAN DENY THAT DAME WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR BRINGING IN THE BULK OF THE TALENT TO THE LABEL.  FROM ACTS LIKE BEENIE SIEGLE TO MR. KANYE WEST HIMSELF.  WHO INCIDENTALLY ENDED UP SIDING WITH JAY-Z EVEN AFTER SERVING MOST OF HIS TIME AS A PRODUCER AND THEN AN ARTIST UNDER THE WINGS OF DAME DASH. 

THERE WERE ALOT OF THINGS THAT GOT ROCKY BETWEEN THE TWO ALONG THE WAY LIKE JAY-Z ENDING UP OWNING THE FULL RIGHTS TO THE ROC-A-FELLA NAME AND BRAND AS WELL AS FULL RIGHTS TO THE ROC-A-WEAR BRAND AFTER DAME SOLD AND CASHED OUT HIS SHARE OF THE COMPANY FOR $30+ MILLION.  THERE WERE RUMORS THAT NEITHER OF THESE TWO FORMENTIONED SITUATION WERE WHAT DAME WANTED TO THERE WERE QUESTIONS LEFT UNANSWERED MOSTLY ABOUT HOW ALL OF THIS CAME ABOUT.

LONG BEFORE THE SPLIT THERE WERE RUMORS THAT LYOR COHEN, WHO WAS PRES. OF DEF JAM AT THE TIME WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN THE BREAK UP OF THE ROC-A-FELLA EMPIRE.  IT WAS RUMORED THAT LYOR WAS NOT TO PLEASED WITH THE FACT THAT HIS CASH COW, JAY-Z, WAS NOT AS ACCESSIBLE AS HE WOULD HAVE LIKED BECAUSE OF THE PROTECTION THAT DAME DASH PLACED AROUND HIM.  LYOR WAS SUPPOSEDLY WANTING TO GET JAY AWAY FROM UNDER DASH BECAUSE IT WAS SAID THAT DASH WAS DIFFICULT TO WORK WITH AND THAT JAY COULD MAKE MORE MONEY AND GO FURTHER WITHOUT DAME DASH AS A BUSINESS PARTNER.  SOME CLOSE TO THE CAMP SAY THAT COHEN WAS REPEATEDLY TEMPING JAY-Z WITH LUCRITIVE OFFERS OF HIS OWN LABEL BY HIMSELF OR HIM RUNNING ROC-A-FELLA ON HIS OWN AND NOT HAVING TO SHARE THE PIE.  BUT HOWEVER THE RUMORS GO THE OUTCOME WAS STILL A PRODUCT OF THE RUMOR MILL HAVING SOME TRUTH.

IT'S A FUNNY SITUATION BECAUSE WHAT HAPPENED TO LOYALTY? STICKING WITH THE PEOPLE YOU CAME INTO THE GAME WITH?  IF THE POINT WITH JAY-Z WAS TO PROVE THAT HE WAS THE BEST TO EVER DO IT OR THE BEST WHO EVER DID IT WHEN IT COMES TO MUSIC AND BUSINESS THEN ITS SAFE TO SAY THAT JAY HAS CONQUERED THEM ALL.  NO ONE CAN TAKE AWAY FROM THE FLOW THAT COMES OUT OF HIM LIKE THE WATER FROM A HYDRANT ON A HOT SUMMER DAY.  NO ONE CAN TAKE AWAY THE FACT THAT HE TOOK HIS STYLE AND MATCHED IT UP AGAINST DIDDY AND EVEN RALPH LAUREN AND IN SOME CIRCLES WON THAT BATTLE TOO.  HE DID GO ON TO SELL THE LINE TO A MAJOR GARMENT DISTRIBUTOR FOR OVER $200 MILLION WHILE RETAINING A STAKE IN THE COMPANY AND NOW HIS NEW DEAL TO EXPAND IN CHINA AND OPEN ABOUT 300 STORE THERE WILL NO DOUBT DOUBLE HIS MONEY.

BUT WITH ALL OF THIS SUCCESS NOW, THERE WAS A STARTING POINT. THERE WERE PEOPLE THAT WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN BUILDING THE BRAND.  THE SAME PERSON WHO IS NOW REPORTEDLY FACING BANKRUPTCY WITH HIS HOME IN NY. DAME DASH.  HE STARTED THE DAME DASH MUSIC GROUP, A LABEL THAT HAS YIELDED VERY LITTLE SUCCESS MAINLY BECAUSE HE IS SO CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE ROC-A-FELLA NAME THAT NO ONE CAN VISION HIM HAVING SUCCESS IN THE MUSIC BIZ OUTSIDE OF THAT LABEL. TO HEAR THAT HE IS NOT DOING SO WELL FINANCIALLY AND YOU HAVE THE POWER TO HELP, WHERE IS THE OLIVE BRANCH.

IS IT THAT JAY WOULD LIKE FOR DAME DASH TO TOTALLY SUBMIT TO HIM AND SAY THAT HE WAS WRONG AND THAT HE NEEDS JAY MORE THAN JAY NEEDS HIM.  A FRIEND IN NEED, NO MATTER WHAT THE SITUATION, IS STILL A FRIEND ISNT HE?  I THINK ITS TIME FOR THE TWO TO RE-UNITE AND WORK OUT ALL OF THE SITUATIONS THAT GOT THEM TO THIS POINT.  NO ONE OF THE TWO WOULD HAVE THE SUCCESS THAT THEY HAVE HAD AND HAVE TO THIS DAY WITHOUT THE OTHER.  FATE BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER TO FORM ROC-A-FELLA AND TRAGEDY SEPERATED THEM.  PERSONALLY I WOULD LOVE TO SEE JAY-Z BRING DAME DASH OUT ON STAGE AT ONE OF HIS CONCERTS FOR HIS UPCOMING BLUEPRINT 3 ALBUM.  BECAUSE WITHOUT DAME THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO BLUEPRINT OR BLUEPRINT 2.  IT IS SAFE TO SAY THAT WHILE DAME HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO HAVE MUCH SUCCESS SINCE ROC-A-FELLA, JAY-Z HAS ONLY AT BEST BARELY BEEN ABLE TO KEEP ROC-A-FELLA AFLOAT WITH SALES OF HIS MUSIC ALONE.  OH AND THAT ONE GUY THAT DAME GAVE A SHOT AT THE BIG TIMES, KANYE WEST, WHO I MIGHT ADD THAT JAY-Z DIDN'T AGREE WITH SIGNING AS A RAPPER TO ROC-A-FELLA BECAUSE HE DIDN'T FIT THE STREET HUSTLER, DRUG DEALER, THUG IMAGE THAT ROC-A-FELLA WAS BUILT ON.  ONLY THE VISION AND FORESIGHT OF DAME DASH COULD SEE THAT HE WAS WHAT WAS NEEDED TO SUSTAIN FOR THE LONG TERM AND NOT FALL BY THE SIDE LIKE GREAT LABELS LIKE DEATH ROW AND NO LIMIT. 

SO MY QUESTION IS, IS IT TIME FOR JAY-Z AND DAMON DASH TO RECONCILE AND CREATE GREAT MUSIC AND GREAT LONGEVITY FOR A LABEL THAT HELPED TO BUILD DEF JAM INTO THE POWER HOUSE IT CONTINUES TO BE TODAY. CAN TWO FRIENDS MEND BROKEN FRIENDSHIPS.  I GUESS WE WILL SEE AND I INVITE YOU TO COMMENT AND GIVE YOUR FEEDBACK ON THIS ARTICLE AND WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS SITUATION.