"YOU KNOW I ...THUG EM, FUG EM, LOVE EM, LEAVE EM, CUZ I DONT' FUGIN NEED EM..."

The headline is a Quote from the one and only Jay Z. A man he is not...

I give you several stories and excerpts from various interviews regarding Camel as a friend.


(Pictured: Dame and Aaliyah and Jay and Aaliyah)
1. Dame
Jay was discovered by Dame Dash whom he met through Foxy Brown's cousin Clark Kent. Dame was a savy business man from Harlem with an idea for a label, and they went on to create an independent label called Rocafella records along with a silent partner, Kareem Biggs. They managed to get a distribution deal through Def Jam.

They had some disagreements along the way. Early on there was some tension in a triangle among Jay Dame and Aaliyah at 19 years old. Later, creative differences came about. Jay did not want Dame to sign Kanye West on the label as an artist and now Kanye is highest selling or only selling artist on Rocafella. Such creative differences came at a time when their deal with Def Jam was about to be up, and all decided to sell their share in the roc to Def Jam. Even though Jay agreed, he went behind their backs after they did what was agreed upon negotiated to own Rocafella without his long time friends. Dame explains in an audio paraphrased below:

"He made a request to maintain control without us and that's what he got. It's a shame what happened. It hurt our feelings. The only people that can hurt you are the people closest to you. Then he went to artist and told them to choose a side. I didn't see it coming because I read the rumors and didn't believe it because that was my brother. It was a betrayal. But it is what it is, I'm sure he felt he was right. If that's what he thought of our relationship then that's what it is. It was disloyal and embarrasing to the Roc brand that we built. Now the brand is falling apart because I handled the business he was the artist..... A real boss is about his company not himself. "

[As for his "Lost Ones" song referencing us]....I didn't know that's how it was. I don't know what's on his mind....... I'm disappointed, said Dash. He could've just pulled me aside and told me. That's what grown men do. Me and Jay made history, there's no need for beef. He's not the same person that he was. ..................

He's the best but right now he's not at his music is not.... You have to know when to quit.

Pictured: Foxy and Jay performing
2. Foxy
When Jay and Dame couldn't get Def Jam to look at them or a radio station to play their music through their then independant label rocafella. Foxy Brown (already signed to def jam at 16 years old) was introduced at 16 years old to Jay through her cousin, Clark Kent. They hit it off and she went on to record music with and put in a good word for them with Def Jam. The song was a hit (ain't no) prompting Def Jam to sign with rocafella and the rest is history. The 2 dubbed themselves the bonnie and clyde of rap. Their relationship had it's ups and down. Some say became personal but there's no proof of that. They had a falling out when he signed Amil whom he had a personal relationship with, but soon Amil was dropped. Years later when he signed as president of Def Jam, Jay renewed Foxy's soon to expire contract, but this time he signed her to Rocafella/defjam. Soon after, she had issues with her ear and going deaf as well as legal issues. She explains how Jay was not there for her:

“A lot of things have happened over the years between Jay and I,” ....

"Jay and I have history. There are things that he could have done better, as far as his loyalty to me, and I’m sure I’ve made mistakes that he felt he could’ve prevented.” Foxy chokes up. ..........

The tears are streaming down her cheeks. “I would never denounce him in public. That’s just how I feel. But I’ve been incarcerated for eight months, and Jay’s been everywhere, and he hasn’t mentioned one thing about, ‘Tell her I love her. Tell her to be strong.’ That broke my heart more than anything. When they sent me to jail, I just knew he would be there-everyone came. But he never showed up… My mother always says,jay also said this,in the tru life freestyle ‘Inga, when a person shows you who they are, believe them. Been showing me all through the years and you just don’t wanna believe it.

Pictured: The Then Roc Familia including Amil
3. Amil
After Jay kicked Foxy to the curb the FIRST time..he picked up a hoodrat named Amil (19 years old) whom he had a relationship with and signed her to Rocafella alone even though she was a part of a group, forcing her to abandoned her friends. She soon released a solo album with a first single featuring a then supposedly 19 year old Beyonce (which the media doesn't realize was when Jay and Bey became what it is). Soon after Jay dropped Amil. She touches on it at times:

"I just learned a lot from that experience and that's the only way I can look at it....I have no regrets."

[on jay dissing her in concert] "It didnt' really bother me. It was expected. They did it for a while before doing it for the Fade to Black DVD. What can you do? "

I don't talk bad about him. I've never to this day done that. It's not my nature. People do what they do for their reasons. Karma is something I take seriously.....

I don't communicate with any of them.

Pictured Tierra Marie and Jay Z
4. Tierra Marie
Tierra Marie at 17 years old was handpicked by Jay Z as the first singer signed to his rocafella records. He had a choice between Tierra and Rihanna (who was discovered and brought to him by Def Jam president LA Reid), and opted to sign Tierra to his personal label. As a result, LA Reid had Jay sign Rihanna to Def Jam as his first order of business as president. Tierra was crowned the princess of the Roc and marketed more even getting a remix with Jay Z on the track.

Despite unfair treatment Rihanna still managed to beat out Tierra in sales and work ethic by pumping out album after album after album each year. As a result, Jay had someone call Tierra and tell her she had been dropped and went on to work with Rihanna even sometimes having her throw up the Roc sign and forgetting that he passed up on signing her directly when he had a chance. Here's what Tierra had to say:

"I called Jay-Z my father; he was like a second father to me. Tracy Waples (a rocafella exec rumored to be one of Jay's jumpoffs), I called her a second mother. So to just be thrown out – and I didn’t get a call from Tracy or Jay – it was a bit heartbreaking. You know we live and we learn, but just me being that young and inexperienced I didn’t know. So I took it pretty hard.

Teairra on her current relationship with Jay-z
"There is no relationship there at all. I haven’t heard from him since that time. I think I sent him a happy birthday message because his birthday is two days after mine, like two years ago and since then it’s been nothing. And I don’t want it to be – Actually, it’s fine because I was a young girl. If you could come into a young girl’s life and then just throw her on the curb, you put this father presence on and then be like, “I’m done with it.” I don’t want a relationship like that. ….I see both sides. I see how people can be on you one second and then totally off of you and not even call you to see if you’re still living or not."

Up next: Kanye Rihanna, Memphis and dare I say Beyonce...Time will tell