Dame was mentioned but only as a footnote and not by name.
From the WSJ
Jay-Z's music career began in 1996, when no major labels wanted to sign the 26-year-old local rapper. He and two partners formed an independent label, Roc-A-Fella Records, by necessity. That move eventually strengthened his bargaining position. Mr. Liles, who was an executive at the iconic rap label Def Jam, recalls Jay-Z declining an offer of a traditional signing deal. "He looked at me and said 'I own the company I rap for.' " Instead, Roc-A-Fella entered a joint venture with Def Jam.
In 2005, Jay-Z took the job of president and CEO of Def Jam while rival labels courted him. What clinched the deal with the label—by then owned by Universal Music Group—was a contract clause giving the rapper full ownership of his past recordings for Def Jam. These rights revert to him starting in 2014.
"I'm happy about it," he says now. "But when I think about it, it's something I shouldn't even have to ask for. It's mine, I created it."
