Dame Dash Reveals Jay-Z and Kanye West Were Rejected Twice by Major Labels, Proves the Corporate Dumb

Dame Dash, co-founder of the now-defunct Roc-A-Fella Records, recently opened up about how major record labels passed on signing Jay-Z and Kanye West before they became global music icons.

Per Complex, in a recent episode of "Culture Builders," Dash revealed that multiple music executives, including Kevin Liles and Def Jam co-founder Rick Rubin, rejected Jay-Z during the 1990s.

"I shopped Jay-Z and every single person said no," Dash said. He also recalled a disagreement with retired music executive Sylvia Rhone over Jay-Z's potential.

Dash noted, "The only thing I could get from him traditional, which was a single deal with Patrick Moxey. So it was like, 'Yo, these dudes are dumb.'" He added, "This is how you know corporate's dumb. They did not sign Jay-Z," humorously pointing to his dog staring at a wall as he spoke.

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Jay-Z, along with Kareem "Biggs" Burke and Dash, founded Roc-A-Fella Records in the mid-1990s. The label's first release was Jay-Z's debut album "Reasonable Doubt" in 1996.

Years later, Kanye West — then known as Ye — was also rejected by labels despite his success as a producer for Roc-A-Fella artists.

"No one would sign Kanye," Dash said. "Think about that. So that tells you never to listen to corporate. Both of them. No one would sign them. Back-to-back stupidity."

Kanye later released his debut album, "The College Dropout," under Roc-A-Fella in 2004. Although Roc-A-Fella dissolved in 2013, Jay-Z went on to establish Roc Nation and Kanye signed with independent music company Gamma earlier this year.

Despite only releasing one joint album, "Watch the Throne," the two artists have not collaborated since. In another recent interview, Dame Dash controversially claimed that Ye "destroys" Jay-Z as a rap artist.

Recently, a report provided by MSN said that Dame Dash has been involved in an ongoing online feud with Cam'ron, with the two trading insults publicly. While Cam has described the situation as lighthearted online snapping, he suggested that Dame takes the conflict more seriously and appears genuinely upset during their exchanges.

The dispute has included personal jabs, including remarks about Dame's appearance, which have fueled continued tension between the two.

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Jay-Z, Kanye West, Dame Dash