Dame Dash isn't joining the chorus of praise surrounding Jay-Z's three-night Yankee Stadium residency.
During a recent appearance on The Art of Dialogue, the Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder offered a series of blunt critiques of the celebration, taking issue with everything from Jay-Z and Nas sharing the stage to the now-viral opening video in which Beyoncé cuts Jay's hair.
Dash reserved some of his strongest comments for the reunion between Jay-Z and Nas, who performed together during the opening night celebrating the 30th anniversary of Reasonable Doubt. While many fans viewed the moment as a full-circle celebration between two former rivals, Dash admitted he preferred the competitive energy that once defined their relationship.
"I mean, it was a little cringe," Dash said. "I'm used to them beefing."
He went on to explain that watching the two rap legends perform together felt unnatural to him.
"I never wanted to see Nas rap over a Jay beat. I never wanted to see Jay doing background for Nas," he said. "It just felt awkward."
Dash compared the moment to seeing iconic movie monsters suddenly become friends.
"It'd be like seeing Godzilla and King Kong on stage giving each other five," he said.
Although he acknowledged their rivalry wasn't personal, Dash said he prefers rap's competitive spirit.
"I just like the art of rap," he explained. "I think it's cool when people can battle, give each other pounds and keep battling, but all this kumbaya ... I'm not all about all that."
The former Roc-A-Fella executive also joked that the residency leaned too heavily into Yankee imagery, saying he had seen enough Yankees hats after the weekend.
"When 100 people wear the same hat, I'm not wearing that," Dash said. "It was too much Yankee."
Dash likewise criticized the cinematic intro that showed Beyoncé giving Jay-Z a fresh haircut in the empty Yankee Stadium bleachers before the first concert.
According to Dash, the scene felt staged rather than authentic.
"It just seemed very obvious," he said. "My girl doesn't ever cut my hair."
He questioned the logistics of getting a proper haircut in the stadium without barber equipment.
"I'm not getting no haircut in the bleachers with no mirrors," Dash said. "There's no razors. There's no mirror. It was very unrealistic. It just was very contrived."
Dash also suggested the sequence came across as another example of Jay-Z highlighting his relationship with Beyoncé.
"We know that's your girl," he said. "It doesn't look real ... It just looks cringe because it's so unnatural."
Beyond the specific moments, Dash framed his criticism around preserving Roc-A-Fella's legacy. He compared the label to an iconic superhero and argued that he wants the its image to remain timeless rather than nostalgic.
"Roc-A-Fella was Batman," he said. "We don't want to see old man Batman. We want to see Batman crispy."
Jay-Z's Yankee Stadium residency celebrated the anniversaries of Reasonable Doubt and The Blueprint while featuring appearances from Beyoncé, Nas, Eminem, Pharrell Williams, Slick Rick, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Usher, and several other special guests.
