The downfall of Roc-A-Fella was incredibly messy.

I truly believe the hip-hop landscape would be vastly different if we never got Jay-Z and Dame Dash’s Roc-A-Fella label. They managed to merge street culture with the money-driven world of business better than anyone else. The face of the street side of things was Beanie Sigel. But when the tensions within the label began to rise, it seemed like Beanie got caught in the middle of it all.

In a recent interview with The Art Of Dialogue, Dame Dash opened up about Roc-A-Fella’s split and expressed his surprise that Beanie Sigel chose to stay with Jay-Z instead of joining him. Dame went on to reveal that he felt the Marcy rapper was responsible for derailing Beanie’s career by shelving him, believing he had a better plan for Sigel’s future.

Dame Dash Says Jay-Z F*cked Up Beanie Sigel's Life And Admits He Was Hurt When Beanie Sigel Chose Jay-Z Over Him.

(?The Art Of Dialogue/YouTube) pic.twitter.com/7sSFclMXUV

— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) December 23, 2024

I take a lot of what Dame Dash says with a grain of salt. It feels like he’s been doing a lot of interviews in recent years, airing out grievances and taking shots at people, especially Jay-Z. That being said, I do acknowledge the impact Dame had on Roc-A-Fella’s direction and its success. He was definitely a key figure in shaping the brand.

As for Beanie Sigel, I’ve always thought he was a fantastic rapper, but I also saw him more as the gritty, street rapper who got thrown into posse cuts—more of a feature artist than a solo headliner. I just felt like there was a cap to his success, and while he got really close, he didn’t quite break through to the level of a Jay-Z or others. Could Jay have done more for him? Absolutely. But I also think Beans is a legend in his own right, and we know him in part because of the platform Jay helped create for him.

Do you agree with Dame Dash’s stance here?

Quincy

Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.