Mon 6 Apr 2009
Dame Dash vs. Def Jam (2003): from “I Am Choke No Joke” DVD
Posted by Miss Info under beef , old music , videos[22] Comments
UPDATE: ugh, I’m an idiot…the video was set on private. I’m sorry. Its fixed now. Come again.
(*self-flagellates* mercilessly)
This is probably the most controversial part of Choke’s new DVD, but I could watch more of the vintage Tunnel footage that is sprinkled through the DVD. Choke, please put out a whole DVD of the Tunnel performances that you and Mr. Excitement have! [EDIT NOTE: Choke says the final version of his DVD which is out right now in stores, has more complete Tunnel footage! Yay]
I posted other parts of the DVD here (with Tunnel footage), and here (Jay-Z at the Tunnel)
As for this excerpt….
yeesh. There are many men in the industry who are notorious screamers. some front like they’re Mr. Friendly outside the office. others, who embrace the bully role like Dame. I used to wonder if it was a requisite for success in this business. But I’ve seen many who are very successful by still being ruthless (often unscrupulous) but more silent. Now I wonder if noise is a liability.
But I guess the lesson learned here is….check your email? [NOTE: Choke adds some interesting insight into this in the comment section below]
April 6th, 2009 at 3:10 am
choke,
if you’re reading, please release the rest of the footage on youtube. thnx from a fan.
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April 6th, 2009 at 3:43 am
But I’ve seen many who are very successful by still being ruthless (often unscrupulous) but more silent. Now I wonder if noise is a liability.
A shot at jay?
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April 6th, 2009 at 3:52 am
Can’t view
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April 6th, 2009 at 5:58 am
private video
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April 6th, 2009 at 7:05 am
Hey Miss Info,
You received the advance copy for the media of I Am Choke No Joke which was an hour. The final DVD is out now and it’s one hour and 45 minutes. The Tunnel segment is about 30 minutes long with live performances from Jay-Z, Nas, The Lox, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg,50 Cent, Mystikal, Beanie Sigel to name a few. It’s much more interior shots of the Tunnel. I’m sorry I didn’t give you the final back then I had to make sure the entire DVD didn’t leak. I promise you’ll have it by tomorrow. By the way Mike name is Mr. Excitement not Mr. Entertainment. Lol. The Tunnel DVD’s I put out before with Mr. Excitement on them are at http://www.hiphopdvdstore.com and you homey can get them from me anytime that’s nothing. It’s actually 4 volumes. As a matter of fact I’ll drop them off with the DVD.
In Dame’s defense he wasn’t too computer savvy back then. I had a Blackberry before Dame and Biggs. I put them up on them back then. Also it wasn’t no email sent to Dame anyway. As you can see they were trying to keep the meeting a secret. We saw everyone in that meeting the night before at a Bob’s(RIP) funeral, including Jay and no one mention the meeting and Dame and Jay spoke for a while the night before. Def Jam usually called Dame for meetings. They knew he wasn’t computer literate. I’m not trying to make the asshole look good but the truth is the truth.
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missinfo Reply:
April 6th, 2009 at 11:40 am
INTERESTING!
back then they werent on their blackberries like crazy? That was well past the days of the Motorola Skywriters (that’s the name right?) and we were all glued to those! I wonder why any label would have a secret mtg like that because wouldnt they still need to have approval from Dame/Jay afterwards? I kind of feel like a pre-meeting is often a good way to save time when you then want to meet with a higher-up afterwards who has less time/patience, no?
But on another note…I need the final version!!! : ) I can’t wait to see the Tunnel footage! And thank you again for hitting me up with that Choke : )
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April 6th, 2009 at 9:11 am
For some reason I’ll always feel like Dame is misunderstood. Like yeah I’m sure he is the a$$hole at times that everyone says but I can’t help but see him as the guy that was willing to BE the bad guy for the sake of his artists. They say history is told by the “winners” so I think that plays in Jay-z’s favor. I don’t think any less of Jay as a business man or a artist but the history of executive success seems to lean more towards Dame being more about his artists and Jay being more about Jay.
Is this Documentary out yet?
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April 6th, 2009 at 9:13 am
hot vid
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April 6th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
I agree w/ nightfall
i’ve never seen someone go so hard for their artists like DAME did. i know he was an asshole, but he did it for his artists, and he made sure they ALL got money. he promoting entreprenurealship [sp?], and wanted everyone to succeed. i dont give a fuck, but anyone who says DAME was a bad business man is stupid. anyone that said Dame aint make Jay is a liar.
Wasn’t Jay touring w/ BDK [im kinda young, so i dont know for sure] and them dudes who rap fast like the Fu Shnickens? Then Dame took him outta that situation, and rocked with Jay til he blew up with HARD KNOCK LIFE. SMH i really like ROCAFELLA/SP/DIPSET man. Aint no movements like those no more.
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missinfo Reply:
April 6th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
interesting comment….hmmm. thanks!
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April 6th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Miss Info, here’s the Tunnel article from Vibe.
http://i44.tinypic.com/nz0myx.jpg
http://i42.tinypic.com/106kcd1.jpg
http://i40.tinypic.com/dm8×2h.jpg
http://i44.tinypic.com/30256s0.jpg
http://i40.tinypic.com/2ztdk6f.jpg
http://i40.tinypic.com/307n2us.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/xawfus.jpg
http://i40.tinypic.com/2z6fgqa.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/fedk5y.jpg
http://i41.tinypic.com/n6u87s.jpg
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April 6th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
At this point, anyone who doesn’t realize that Dame was shitted on by the Def Jam/Jay-Z alliance is not paying attention to the facts.
I will never take anything away from Jay-Z as an artist…one of the greatest ever. But the way Dame was kicked to the curb is disgusting and unforgivable. Dame fought for his artists and built Roc-A-Fella into something that we STILL talk about today regardless of the fact that there hasn’t been a “Roc” since ‘03 (Label, yes. “La Familia”, no)
This video is just further proof. Hopefully, Dame rebounds.
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April 6th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Miss Info, if you organized an viewing of this it’d be pretty hot. Good idea?Bad idea?
Like a private movie screening?
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April 6th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Jay-Z called that meeting. Listen to What More Can I Say off the Black Album. Jay says “I’m the CEO of mine. That marketing plan was me!”
Dame wasn’t telling Jay-Z about a lot of business moves so Jay felt that he didn’t have to inform Dame on stuff. This is my personal opinion as much as it’s a fact.
I’ll put the DVD in your mailbox. I’ll inform you when it’s there.
@pardon my fresh
I agree with you for the most part of what you posted.
@nightfall and Blue
You both have valid points. Sometimes I feel bad for Dame because I personally saw his day to day grind for years. Then it’s the other side that feels karma has caught up with him. Dude put a lot of us (former employee’s) through a lot of humiliation and emotional stress. I went through physical suffering as well so that one side of me don’t care too much for Dame.
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April 6th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
@ Choke
That’s more then understandable. It’s just good to hear more insight to these stories that people have been speculating about for so many years.
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April 6th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
@choke
Just to clear the record, on the What More Can I Say record, doesn’t Jay spit “A CEO’s mind, that marketing plan was me?” and not “Im the ceo of mine?”
Regardless, I feel bad for Dame because he put in the work and got left at the end over “business” And then Jay says “people grow and sometimes they grow apart”
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April 6th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
I’m not in the industry or nuthin but I’ve long heard that the higher ups at Def Jam only dealt with Dame because they HAD to in order to do business with Jay.
To every1 saying dame got kicked to the curb and Jay did him dirty. That may or maybe not be true but……
It’s a fact that Lyor couldn’t stand dame. Lyor offered Jay a separate label deal waaaaaaaay b4 Jay & Dame split but Jay wouldn’t take it. I think it was gonna be called the Carter Group or something with “Carter” in it.
I think it was after/during Vol.3 or Roc La Familia.
Dame ain’t no angel and he sh*tted on lots of people. I think any1 can see that this is just a case of what goes around comes around. Look at other ppl that thought they could sh*t on ppl and look where there at now…..
Dame, Irv, Suge, and a bunch more.
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April 6th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Nas said it best. Life changes best friends become strangers.
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April 7th, 2009 at 12:51 am
I DON’T UNDERSTAND EVERYONE SAYING THAT DAME GOT SH*TTED ON BY JAY , THIS DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE.DAME GOT PAID MILLIONS TO PART WAY WITH JAY Z. THE PEOPLE I FELT BAD FOR WERE BEANIE , FREEWAY YOUNG GUNS……..
WHAT DID THEY GET OUT OF THIS BREAK UP NOTHING AT ALL ….
DAME KNEW THIS DAY WAS COMING AS ANY SMART BUSINESS MAN WILL KNOW.
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS OR BEING A BOSS DOESN’T MEAN DISRESPECTING OR INTIMIDATING PEOPLE THAT WORK WITH OR FOR YOU.
DAME IS A SMART MAN WHO DIDN’T MAKE ANY SMART MOVE (PROKEDS, DAME DASH MUSIC GROUP…)SINCE THE BREAK UP WITH JAY Z.
I REMEMBER SEEING DAME DASH BACK IN 2002 IN A STORE CALLED TRANSIT ON BROADWAY I WAS WORKING THERE AS A SNEAKER SALESMAN , I APPROACHES HIM TO SAY: “WHAT’S UP DAME I LIKE WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING” HE ANSWERED BY SAYING TO ME “WHATEVER” A LOT OF MY COWORKERS AROUND MADE FUN BY LAUGHING AT ME AND THAT WAS A CEO WORD TO A FAN “WHATEVER”
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April 7th, 2009 at 1:49 am
I spent the last hour watching all that Choke had on YouTube.
I think the State Property is always an interesting thing for me to see. I somehow bumped into them in Richmond Va, long story short, they club do way to much, for way to little of a show. Divas is a good thing to call it and Beans shout out to the wrong city was classic, then again he was bent like Dahlsim. Good footage that I will not pay to see, I’ll wait until all is on the net.
I still miss the Tunnel, I wish I could be there again, from 96-97 was my year, such a great time to be alive and wearing a D-Lo shirt from Vance, CyberTech suits and all the other foolishness that was out.
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April 8th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Anybody that’s interested in a firsthand account of Dame’s pre-Reasonable Doubt days should go visit Combat Jack at http://dailymathematics.blogspot.com/2009/03/combat-jack-on-damon-dash.html. It’s a good read.
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April 28th, 2009 at 4:11 am
“I agree w/ nightfall
i’ve never seen someone go so hard for their artists like DAME did.”
My 2 cents from a DJ perspective: Dame rode for his artists.
I remember when I first got on underground radio here in NY, and getting 2 vinyl copies of “I Cant Git Wit That”. It was probably 93′, 94′ and I was interning at Profile Records. I forget the song on the flipside but I wanna say it was a early version of “In My Lifetime” – before it got on Payday Records.
In any case, the phone number on the record was actually Dame’s number. My radio show used to come on up against the same timeslot as Stretch & Bob. I would get home around 6AM, make all my label calls at that hour to give feedback plus make sure I got all the hot shit as soon as Stretch & Bob, Lamel & Kwame, and even Jay Smooth & G-Man did.
I used to call the number for at least for month, giving feedback and tryna get Jay up to my radio show. Every time, Dame picked up sleepy as fuck, but he never got pissed.
I was mad persistent so I didn’t care if I did wake him up. In the same breath, in the early stages of The Roc, it seemed as if they saw feedback from DJ’s they as valuable to the overall eventual success of Rocafella.. 6am, 2am, whatever – same sh-t. They would pick up that phone.
Never got Jay on my radio show, but again, I gotta agree – Dame rode for his artists and it shows. Many of us DJ’s keep a Roc section in our record (digital & milk) crates.
Most “so called managers/promoters” today have no idea about being on that grind.
Thanks for posting HipHop History Info & Choke!
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