Dame Dash Blasts Jay-Z Over 'Reasonable Doubt' Dispute

It’s kind of a shame that Jay-Z’s 1996 debut album Reasonable Doubt — a certified classic that has been immortalized in Hip-Hop, right up there with Nas’ debut, Illmatic — has become such a source of controversy in the ongoing conflict between former Roc-A-Fella Records compadres Jay-Z and Dame Dash, but here we are. According to TMZ, New York City itself is now involved in the legal dispute over the rights to the album and has accused the “99 Problems” rapper of sabotaging the auction of the rights to the album. Meanwhile, Dash has taken to social media to weigh in on the matter, reading the documents filed by the city and putting his former artist and partner on blast for allegedly making statements that compromised the integrity of the auction. “’Jay-Z’s statements to the press have poisoned the environment for the auction,’” Dash said, reading from what he said was NYC’s filing. “‘He has claimed that he has a termination right under the Copyright Act and that the rights to Reasonable Doubt will revert to him in six years.’”

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“’In fact, he has no such termination right and [Roc-A-Fella Records] is entitled to the renewal term, which is now 67 years, meaning it will own the copyright rights until the year 2098,'” Dash continued. “‘In other words, the highest possible auction price could be more than 10 times higher than is likely now, given Jay-Z’s and RAF’s actions. RAF is complicit by its inaction in pushing back against such false statements.’” Now, RAF attorney Alex Spiro claimed Jay-Z never made any public statements regarding the termination of rights to Reasonable Doubt, saying the media misinterpreted a statement by RAF’s “legal team” regarding the copyright to the album, which reportedly expires in 2031. RAF’s team is now saying that the issue of whether the termination notice reverts the rights back to Jay-Z is “woefully unripe” and that “this is not the appropriate time, forum, or case” to address the matter. If you’re wondering why NYC officials would care at all what happens with the rights to the album, well, reportedly, they’re rooting for Dash to win the rights because it’s the only way he can pay off his massive debts. From TMZ:

The City’s Dept. of Social Services has a vested interest in this case because the money Dame makes off the auction will pay off his massive $193,000 child support debt. He also owes the state several million in back taxes.

Reasonable Doubt is a great classic album and a staple in the archives of Hip-Hop — and it arguably deserves better than all of this drama. 

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