(Photo by James Devaney/GC Images & Photo by TheStewartofNY/Getty Images)
Roommates, when it comes to Dame Dash and Jay-Z, it seems there’s always a new chapter in their never-ending saga. While some former business partners keep things cordial from a distance, Dame apparently had a few thoughts he just couldn’t keep to himself this week. From critiquing Jay-Z’s recent performance to offering up an unexpected review of what he claims the rapper’s breath smelled like back in the day, the Roc-A-Fella co-founder put Jay’s name and allegedly his mouth back in the conversation once again, and social media is already sounding off.
During a recent conversation with The Art of Dialogue, Damon Dash shared his reaction to Jay-Z’s rare solo performance at the Roots Picnic in Philadelphiaand let’s just say he wasn’t handing out compliments. Dame admitted he felt “embarrassed” for his former business partner, saying he couldn’t understand why the rap mogul was still performing at this stage in his career.
“It must be embarrassing for him to now have to be on that stage, not the same version of himself, and still have to work at that age because he has to,” Damon Dash said.
As if critiquing the show wasn’t enough, Dash took things a step further by revisiting a personal gripe he’s apparently been holding onto for years. While reflecting on their history together, he randomly claimed that Jay-Z’s breath “always used to stink,” adding that chewing cinnamon gum allegedly didn’t help the situation.
“Jay’s breath always used to stink. And you know why, because for some reason don’t you hate when n*ggas got bad breath and chew Big Red [gum.] It’s just cinnamon doo-doo. Nobody wants to smell that,” Dash revealed.
Despite the barrage of jokes and criticism, Dash went on to suggest that fans no longer want to see this version of Jay-Z and even jokingly launched his own “Make Jay Great Again” campaign, urging the Brooklyn icon to ditch the natural hair, get a Caesar cut, throw on a Yankees cap, and return to the image Dame believes fans remember most. But Dash didn’t stop there, also poking fun at Jay’s now-signature afro and claiming the hairstyle was so distracting he could barely focus on the performance itself.
Meanwhile, fans quickly pointed out the irony of the comments, especially given Dash’s own well-documented financial struggles. To make matters even messier, some listeners believe Jay-Z may have subtly addressed Dame during his Roots Picnic set when he rapped about a “Chatty Patty” who was “down on his luck again” a line many interpreted as a direct shot at his former Roc-A-Fella partner.
