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No one today’s doubting the strong bond between Roc-A-Fella and Bad Boy Records back in the late ’90s and early 2000s, especially through the relationship that Biggie Smalls and Jay-Z had as MCs. However, it seemed like things weren’t always peaches and cream, something that Dame Dash recently commented on. Moreover, he appeared on the PBD Podcast, hosted by political commentator Patrick Bet-David, and they eventually got around to discussing the Roc’s rise and how they fit into the local and national rap industry of the time. While they were separate groups, the executive made it very clear that there was plenty of connective tissue that eventually almost worked against their amicability.

“Big was the only person I used to smoke with,” Dame Dash began. “I didn’t smoke before at all. We used to drink. Supposedly, Jay and Big went to school together, but Jay didn’t know him. Because we were getting the money and popping the bottles and all that, in that moment, we had always felt that Biggie and Puffy were copying us. They’d see us in the club and it seemed like the next day, a record would be made.

Dame Dash Speaks On Diddy & Biggie Following His & Biggie’s Lead: Watch

“We was really getting money,” Dame Dash continued. “No disrespect to Biggie, but it was a different hustle. We weren’t on the streets pitching work. We were [about] connects, connects, connects. But that lifestyle of [a] hustler, that was us. That was them copying us, for sure. So we kinda had problems. I was run up [on] sometimes. I was confrontational with Biggie and them at first, but we finally got cool.” Considering other accusations that folks like Jay-Z have faced in the past of biting Big or taking up the mantle of Bad Boy, this isn’t a surprising narrative.

Still, it’s very heartening to hear that things never went too sour for them, as it would’ve deprived them of not just great hits, but great art and support. If only the Roc could’ve followed this path internally too as they began to fall apart. Regardless, what do you think about these remarks? Let us know in the comments section down below and stay up to date on HNHH for more on Dame Dash, Jay-Z, Biggie, and Diddy.

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