Peep the video as Dame weighs in.

Also peep here for more videos.

The question on the minds of Hip-Hop cognoscenti, the glitterati and reporters alike is whether Dash, who co-founded the twin cash cows of rap music and fashion, Roc-A-Fella Records and Rocawear, will earn the dubious distinction of actually living a “hard knock life” after having earned a fortune for producing a smash record of the same name.

The mogul, once one of the ten richest and most powerful men in Hip-Hop, is now reportedly broke. He lost his home, and a Manhattan judge even ordered the city to seize his SUV because he couldn't afford his monthly car note.

Click here as our sister site The Atlanta Post takes a look at Dame as he works his way back.

He also goes in deep on the punishment he dished out to one naysayer who didn't believe him when he predicted Akon would be the biggest artist of his career.

Also click here to peep Part 1 of the interview.

Peep as Steve discusses Wu-Tang contracts, Mobb Deep setting off fire alarms while lighting blunts in the office, and recognizing an early Roc-A-Fella Records as his future competition.

Also peep the Hip-Hop Wired video page here.

It's not a secret that a lot of animosity started to surface between Jay-Z and Beans after Sigel's weapons conviction.  Beanie previously stated that while he was incarcerated, he  didn't receive any support from Jigga  and according to insiders that statement isn't far from the truth.

According to former Roc-A-Fella videographer Choke No Joke in an interview with Hip-Hopstan.com, he stated,

"When Beans got locked up, I was there with Dame and going out to visit him and going to court dates but Jay wasn't really present when it came to that.  I do remember that one time he went to court and they asked him to vouch for Beans and he said 'No.'  Which is kind of understandable because Beans is kind of unpredictable."

[Peep the video and more insight from Choke after the break as he discusses Sigel saving Kanye West from getting robbed.] [More]

Further explaining Jay's reasoning, he explained that Beans was a liability and the "type to get busy" at a moment's notice and spoke of an occasion when Sigel flashed the Mac and saved The Louis Vuitton Don from getting robbed and relived of his Roc-A-Fella chain.

In addition to being the label “handler,” Choke goes on to explain that when Beanie and other Roc-A-Fella artists appeared in various projects, they weren't paid.

“I can understand why [Beanie] is mad, because a lot of people don't know the stuff that he did off of the strength of Roc-La-Familia for free. A lot of the artists on the Roc that were in the State Property movie and ad campaigns, they didn't get paid. They were told not to worry about it, because it was good exposure.”

Man, it seems as if the “perfect position” that Jay-Z claims he put Beanie in wasn't so perfect, but we will let you view the video and judge for yourself.

"Because of the situation that's been going on a lot of people tend to put Crips and Bloods in a negative stand point because that's what they want to show. The government want to view it as something negative because of the fact they don't want people to unite.

They don't want people to come together. Back in the day it was the Black Panthers, they shut them down because the unity with them started to grow, started to get real powerful.

Same as with Bloods and Crips, it's on you to choose to do what you want to do and with who you want to do it with."

Hip-Hop Wired recently connected with Dipset Capo Freekey Zekey as he shed insight on the turmoil with Dipset and his feelings about a reunion. Peep the continuation.

Let's see how 730 he really is... [Peep More After The Jump] More

Continuing to pimp this Hip-Hop game harder than Willie Dynomite, he know reveals his thoughts on Jay-Z and Damon Dash and the Roc-A-Fella split and gives his comparison of the Crips and Bloods to The Black Panthers.  Not one to dodge questions, he also answers the accusation about him snitching.

Hip-Hop Wired: A few years ago there was a rumor out there that you were a snitch. Many people are comparing “Feel Me” because you are talking about Cam's shiesty contracts and Jim stealing, to you snitching again. What really happened to clear up everything and what do you have to say to the bloggers that wrote that?

Freekey: I just have to say I've been out of jail since November 20, 2006.  Now I'm an artist and I'm a popular artist and I'm on a major label who I'm a forefather of, I'm a president of Diplomat Records and I'm everywhere. If you put “www dot Freaky” in there, I'm popping up all over the place.  If I was snitching the minutes that says everything would've been all over the place. Anyone that wants to verify my story, look it up, they're called minutes.  You can get them, you can look me up and check my records.

To answer your question about the incident that night these guys tried to rob me…  I beat one of the guys up, took his gun.  Unfortunately one of my friends was killed and I got shot also and hit by a car. The next day, I woke up in a hospital with handcuffs on saying I murdered my man.

The police said they said they had a picture of me with the gun and all I said was if you got a picture of me with the gun, then you should know how I got the gun. That's how those guys got locked up and plus there was a girl there and she told everything. A lot of ignorance plays a big part in that because when I went to the stand I had to tell my side of the story about how I got the gun because they were charging me with the murder of my friend which I didn't do.

That's where the snitching was supposed to quote unquote intertwine with Freekey. As far as the song is concerned, everything I mentioned, everybody else already mentioned, this is the same thing Juelz mentioned.  Cam had his interview, he mentioned it and when Jim had his interview he mentioned it.  So everything, whatever's been said, it's like I'm not the first guy that's been talking about Dipset's issues, actually I'm the last person that said something.

Hip-Hop Wired:  Let's talk about Jim Jones. There' are a few bloods, [it's no secret that in the last few years Jim Jones has been claiming Blood gang] about a month or so ago, that came out and said Jim Jones is not really a part of the Blood gang. An O.G. came out and said that Jim Jones bought his way in. Are you affiliated with any gang and secondly what is your take on the situation?

Freekey: With me, yeah I'm affiliated.   I can't sit there and say I'm not. Yes I am, very much so. Everybody takes that to a negative stand point. It's what you do no matter what you affiliated with.  Whatever your job is, your cohorts, your people who you employ with.  If you've got a crew of people, that's your crew.  What you choose to do with your entity whether it's positive or negative, that's on you.

Because of the situation that's been going on a lot of people tend to put Crips and Bloods in a negative stand point because that's what they want to show.  The government want to view it as something negative because of the fact they don't want people to unite.  They don't want people to come together. Back in the day it was the Black Panthers, they shut them down because the unity with them started to grow, started to get real powerful. Same as with Bloods and Crips, it's on you to choose to do what you want to do and with who you want to do it with.

Hip-Hop Wired: There's a difference though. Me being from the South, I know a lot of people that's in both gangs.  There's a difference between The Black Panthers in the 60's who were coming together for community and unity amongst African Americans and the Bloods and Crips gangs.

Not to mention you have a lot of little kids because it was originally on the west coast and Midwest and all of a sudden it spread to the east coast and it's over there heavy and you got a lot of people that's dumbing out whenever the gang beef is supposed to be squashed…

Freekey: What's the real difference, didn't they shut The Black Panthers down?

Hip-Hop Wired: Yeah, but they weren't hustling until the end and that's really the true demise of the Black Panthers. Now you got kids out there that don't understand what gangs are truly about, all they seeing is one image. I'm not going to put it solely on Jim because he's not the only one that's doing that, there are a lot of cats in the industry that are perpetrating and giving that negative light on the gang life.

I understand where you're coming from, in the community it is solidarity especially for the people that don't have families.  It's good to have that brotherhood, but at the same time a lot of kids aren't doing it that way.  They doing it because their favorite rapper is a Blood and talking about bang bang shoot ‘em up with tears under their eyes… when they haven't even killed anybody.

Freekey: At the same time people take it in a negative.  If you look at the people who are claiming Blood or Crip they are actually entrepreneurs and that should really take the negative away. These Bloods and Crips had to work hard and had to sacrifice a lot of things to become a well known person. Look at what this Blood did to get himself self employed.

He wasn't running around, some of his words may be a little harsh but that's coming up in the hood but anybody can tell you that.  A  lawyer can tell you if he was raised in the hood, there are a lot of killings going on. He might become a defense attorney and try to help out everybody that gets locked up to get out of jail.

As far as Jim's situation, the Bloods hit his projects first. When he was very young, he grew up in a situation that really forced him into it a little bit.  Eventually it just turned into a way of life. Jim does what he do, his mom's wasn't doing too good.  She was out in the street and his father wasn't around so he was living with his grandmother. When you are young and you feel like there is no one to understand you, those are the people you cling on to.

Hip-Hop Wired: What do you think the biggest misconception about you is?

Freekey: That's kind of hard for me to answer because I really don't care what people think.

Hip-Hop Wired: I can understand that, but it sounds like to me you on the blogs.  Of course you can't let it knock your hustle but what are the common threads that if people really knew Freekey Zekey they wouldn't let that come out their mouth?

Freekey: I guess I would have to say the snitching thing. I would rather you do your homework before you just talk. A lot of people go on what they hear.  They read part of the story or my man told me that and it's not true. I open my arms as wide as possible to go check inside my heart to see where it's at, because I give you me. If today we did this interview, tomorrow we do this interview, you're going to get the same type of person. I've been through a lot.   I've been shot twice, I've been to jail, I've seen a lot of people that I love go down, I've seen people I love die.

My body is numb to the bullsh*t. I can see it, smell it, and I get the heebie jeebies when I'm around somebody that's like that. I just learned how to maneuver around it all, plus I've been in this rap game for 12 years and 99.9 percent of these motherf*ckers are phony. They out for one thing.

They tell you they love you and they can't wait for you to blink so they can cut your throat. That's why I really don't say nothing to be honest  because I don't care about what anybody thinks. I'm a cool, calm and collected person. I pray every night; I got my bible open and I try to read it every night.

Hip-Hop Wired: Last question is… Of course you guys were with Roc-A-Fella Records and it's no secret that Dipset fell out with Jay-Z.  As of late, a lot of people have been coming out the wood works saying this and that about him, what's your take on the situation?

Freekey: For the record, Dipset didn't make Dame and Jay fall out.  We're just some workhorses and that's what started the tension. Initially, we were in debt $1.4 million dollars with Sony.   Cam consulted with Dame who paid the 1.4 million for us to come to Roc-A-Fella. Once we got to Roc-A-Fella, Cam sat me, Juelz and Jim down, and we decided that we are not going to stop at nothing to get it popping on a higher level than everybody else.  As soon as we got to Roc-A-Fella we went hard.

If you check the history soon as we got on Roc-A-Fella Records, Cam album came out then the Diplomat album came out. We pushed people back because of our work.  Honestly, when Cam got there he already had an album done. He already had a song that was beating hard on the radio waves.  “Oh Boy” took off and as we were growing. I guess in the in house's eye it was looking like we came in with everything going our way, but they weren't putting in the work that we were and that's why they weren't receiving any of the benefits. I think that eventually it started to lay on Jay and I guess he took it to heart.

Hip-Hop Wired: A lot of people blame the death of the dynasty on the rumor that  Jay-Z  went on vacation, comes back to find that Dame had appointed Cam as President of Roc-A-Fella and that spot was originally intended for Memphis Bleek.

Freekey: Actually the Presidency of Roc-A-Fella  was supposed to be three people.  Cam, [Memphis] Bleek and Beanie [Sigel].   Dame had a conversation with Cam letting them know  what was going to happen [with the presidency] and Cam was going to the radio station. It wasn't meant to be wrong in any kind of way.   Cam just said it and Jay wasn't back yet. It was going to happen anyway, but the way Cam spoke about it made it seem like it was just him and it was supposed to be split down three ways.

It happened that way because it happened too fast.  Basically Cam let the cat out the bag too early and when he did the world just snatched it and smothered it. People got to talking and then family members talking and sh*t got all crazy and that's what basically started the crumble that broke the diamond in Roc-A-Fella.

Hip-Hop Wired: Bottom line, do you have beef with Jay?

Freekey: Hell no, I ain't got no beef with Jay. If anything good looking [laughs]. He and Dame had to have spoke because they were partners and there had to be some type of talk to bring us on.  We rocked out on Roc-A-Fella and that's how we got the millions that we got. Regardless of the situation, shout out to Jay-Z because of the fact that if it wasn't for Jay there would be no Roc-A-Fella.  There would be no Dame and there would be no Cam getting on Roc-A-Fella.

To read the first part of this interview as Freekey Zekey  discusses  his latest projects, his crew, making Dipset headquaters in North Carolina, and his takes on bootlegging  and the file sharing industries click here.

"I didn't say I was mad at nobody, I didn't say well I'm mad at [Cam'ron] because I did time.  I said this is what's been going on and this is what's been happening, what's good?  

I'm stepping out first letting it be known that this is going on and somebody need to respond to me and we can get it popping and get money."

When people mention the Dipset, you get a different reaction than you would in 2004. In their prime, the Harlem bred crew was once labeled one of the most influential groups. For Cam'ron, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, 40 Cal, Zsa Zsa, Hell Rell and Freekey Zekey, the world was once theirs to sit on the top of.

But after the departure from Roc-A-Fella, greed, discord, a stint in prison, separate labels and what a few of the former member are calling “shiesty” deals, the bright light of the Diplomats has seemed to come to an end.

[Peep what Freekey Zekey has to say about this and the status of Dipset after the jump] More

It's been over two years since fans have heard from the now infamous group, and Diplomats/ 730 Dipset President Freekey Zekey. After  serving a three year stint,  Zekey is back not only to clear up past rumors and present drama, but to answer some of the lingering questions that fans still have about the Dipset split and talks of a reunion. In addition to clearing up the past, he is also discussing the future.

With a new label, new city, a few business ventures and an upcoming album, it's no secret that Freekey Zekey isn't allowing nay sayers and bloggers to stop him. Hiphopwired.com recently got a chance to talk to Freekey Zekey about why Greensboro, NC is the new hot spot and what the real deal is with the Big Kat venture.

Hip-Hop Wired: What is the real deal with the Dipset? I know you and Jim Jones are cool but if somebody got over on me I'd be feeling a funny type of way about that, a lot of people would.

Freekey Zekey: This is my point.  If I have a problem with you, I'm going to go up to you. I'm not going to sit and wait, then let it build up and let my friends tell me how I should feel because then it becomes a whole big mass hysteria and the next thing you know it's blown out of proportion. That's my whole point in the situation, if I feel a certain way about somebody, I'm going to approach them.

Hip-Hop Wired: A lot of people may feel that you releasing the track “Feel Me” is no different than what Rell and what everybody else is doing…

Freaky Zekey - "Feel Me"

Freekey: [The difference is] I didn't point any fingers.  I basically restated what's been going on all over the internet. Cam had his thousands of interviews where he spoke on his situation; Jim had thousands of interviews where he spoke on it, Rell and Juelz [did as well]. I just decided to put it out there in a song. Everybody else kept blogging, so I was like you know what I'm gonna put it in the format that we best know and I made a song out of the situation and it just came to light because I touched on certain issues everybody was already blogging and talking about in interviews.

I didn't say I was mad at nobody, I didn't say well I'm mad at [Cam'ron] because I did time.  I said this is what's been going on and this is what's been happening, what's good?  I'm stepping out first letting it be known that this is going on and somebody need to respond to me and we can get it popping and get money.

Hip-Hop Wired: In your opinion will there ever be a Dipset reunion because Cam said forget about it and everybody else is kind of like it was what it was. What is your opinion?

Freekey: I never say never, whatever the case may be it's going to happen regardless. But I'm also not Dionne Warwick's little nephew, so I can't tell the future. If it was my call, yes it would be [a reunion], but I let time and progress determine the answer to that.

Hip-Hop Wired: Let's focus on you for a little while. How did the deal at Big Kat come about because I know that Dip Set was originally through Koch?

Freekey: Dipset wasn't really originally through Koch, Dipset really started to formulate through Sony records and it became through Roc-A-Fella Records. We did our first album with the Roc and after that we started to flourish and that is when Jim and Juelz got solo deals. I linked up with Big Kat after I was incarcerated.

I was locked up from the end of 2002 to 2006 because they “allegedly” said I was supplying all of North Carolina with [ecstasy]. I ended up doing a three year stint and when I was down there, a lot of these dudes out there was like, “Oh it's Freekey,”  I got a lot of love.  People knew what I was doing years before I got locked up and they knew what Cam and Jim was doing, so they showed me much love and so much support.  I knew about it through sales and radio play but I never seen people support you like this first hand.

When I got out, I went to Cam and Jim and told them that I wanted to start Diplomats South / Southern 730 because that's my entity.  Once we cleared up the mission, I met with Kat, who was the first person to sign Gucci Mane. I was like alright I can deal with this guy plus he was an independent label.  So I'll spend most of my money and start up my South record label and basically roll with him because he's been in the South for a minute and he's got a lot of plugs so that's basically how I got in contact with Kat.

Hip-Hop Wired: It doesn't sound like it's a record deal, it sounds more like a partnership.

Freekey: More so, more so, but it is a record deal because I signed a contract as an artist with him.

Hip-Hop Wired:  Let's touch on your album for a second. On the album I know you feature appearances by Jim Jones, but are you featuring any of the other Dipset members and what other artists are you featuring on your upcoming album?

Freekey: On my album of course I'm going to have Jim, Cam, Juelz, Rell, J.R. Writer, Zsa Zsa and 40 Cal.  There's no problem with me and nobody on Dipset, not one person. I was always up front and forward about everything.  If I had any problems I made sure we stayed until we got it out.  There was no talking behind the back if I felt a certain way.

Hip-Hop Wired: On the mixtape circuit, what can fans expect when they cop one of the mixtapes and what's the name?

Freekey: There's going to be three mixtapes and I'll put them out periodically. As far as my album it's not ready yet but I can tell you the name.  It's called Loyalty Is Everything. If you take the first letters of each word it spells L.I.E, because a lot of times it is the close ones that mess with you.  Sometimes it will be the person you never expected that will be the one who hated on you the whole time. You couldn't fathom the fact that someone could sit there and be like, "I don't like this dude,” because of no other reason but just the fact that you doing better at the time.

Hip-Hop Wired: What's the name of the mixtapes?

Freekey: The first mix tape is going to be called Patron and a Bust Down. The other mixtape is going to be called the Wolf and the Coyote featuring Wiley Coyote who runs 102 Jamz out in Greensboro.  He's a very major dude out here.  You're going to be able to parallel him in a few minutes with DJ Khaled and my third one is called Gangster Ambition.

Hip-Hop Wired: Other than your new album what else are you working on?

Freekey: I bought a studio out here.  Now I'm based out in Greensboro, North Carolina.  I bought a studio out here, I fixed it up from scratch.  So if anybody is in Greensboro… artists or people coming up, rappers, singers, piccolo players, band…  You can come over there and ill charge you a nice fee, yeah, a nice fee which is workable with your budget.  I know people still using the recession as their claim to short people, but we'll see how it is. My main goal, that's the quick short term goal, I bought a studio, but my long term goal by like 2010, I want to cop a baby store and a funeral home so I can catch them coming and going. I got a lot of things on my mind and I got a few people that's coming out of college who are realtors so I was thinking about starting 730 realtors and I also have a trucking service.

Hip-Hop Wired: What made you stay in Greensboro?

Freekey: I was incarcerated in Greensboro.  The good thing about it was they changed me, in a good way.  Now I feel that as I continue to grow,  I'm gonna give back and recycle the money to make sure we build a couple of businesses out here so we can have lucrative money coming in and out. I'm not a liability. I never figured I would be.

Hip-Hop Wired: Let's get back on you and the Dipset. I read a post on one of these web sites that said: “Dipset finally ran out of rappers to beef with that would pay attention to them, so now they're WWF'ing with each other.  It's all a scheme in my opinion and they are getting paid off of a ploy.” What is your response to those who might feel that way?

Freekey: My response is that's crazy!  A hoax?!  Why would you want to fake a fight? I don't deal with a fake company.  I've never been phony and we always been taught to express ourselves. If you've got something bad to say you might as well not say it unless it's with somebody who you feel you need to say it to.  So no… no hoax going on.  If it was a hoax, Diplomats wouldn't be in power for this long. We've been rocking since ‘98 and it's 2010, you can't fake 12 years. We gave you all 12 years of straight music; there hasn't been one year that Diplomats hasn't been somewhere, in something somehow or some way. So really that's just people blogging.  Some bloggers just don't have nothing to do with their life and all they want to do all day is nay say. I guess they bored with life and they mad at themselves, so they want to put some negative things just because they want some company with their misery. I love to gain haters because they say that's a plus in the business that we in.

Hip-Hop Wired: A lot of artists have complained because of bootlegging, which is nothing new, but it's really going hard because it's affecting radio and every place else that people get their money from. What is your opinion and how are you as a businessman and an artist preparing yourself for what may happen?  Because even though your album is scheduled to come out in the summer of 2010 if you got those songs out there it could be a possibility somebody is rocking it in February?

Freekey: That's one of the obstacles you've got to hurdle in life. Robbers learned how to pick locks so they made better locks, you just got to figure out how to maneuver through that situation. Because there are a lot of things that's going to try to deter you from success. I always play my life on defense because my offense is great. I know I'm going to score when I get by all the nonsense, so I'm always prepared for that. You shouldn't be worried about the bootleggers, you should be worried about all the downloading that's going to happen. If you bootlegging  and you still out in the street and not in the computer world than you lost  [laughs].  But for real, bootleggers are mad now.  The computer users have put the bootlegger out of the business.

Stay tuned for Part 2 as Freekey Zekey talks more about snitching, The Bloods, The Black Panthers, more insight on the tension between The Diplomats, the break up of The Roc, and how he personally feels about Jay-Z.

M. Bleek and Damon Dash recently reconnected in London.

Let the talks begin...

“We really should have done some Rihanna Rocawear umbrellas when that song became a hit.  We could have made a load of money on those.  I'm still kicking myself.”

For all of the chaos that was left in the wake of the Roc-A-Fella break up, there is still some positivity that can be found if a person searches through the rubble of the Dynasty.

Aside from being business partners in their musical venture, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and Damon Dash also decided to take a crack at the fashion industry.  A true hustler knows that various paychecks becomes much more beneficial than a single check so the two needed to find a means to use their exposure to broaden their brand.

Officially launched in 1999, the line has developed clothing for adults and children and has expanded by creating handbags, jewelry and even sunglasses.

Unfortunately the break up found Dash selling his stake in the enterprise to Jay for $20 million.  Jigga would later sell his own rights in March 2007 to Iconix Brand Group for $204 million.  Jay, however, was still given the ability to oversee the marketing, licensing and product development.   

As Jay caught up with Women's Wear Daily, Mr. Carter actually gave his former business partner his due for his work with the clothing line.  He also added how their different mentalities in business were a reason behind the rift.

“Dame did a great job when he was here.  I just feel that I have a different way of running things, which I think is working out well. I let people make mistakes, and push them to be creative. I let a design team design. When they feel good about something they have created, it makes them want to do more. It makes them want to do their best. People are happy here. I'm not a controlling manager and I have a great team that makes me confident that things can run well when I'm on the road, and I'm proud of that.”

Jay also expressed how the brand has been absorbed by the community and established itself within the marketplace.

 “Rocawear has always been a part of the whole overall culture.  It's connected to everything that I do.  So, coming in full time was important to me.  It's something I really believe in and something I want to protect.” 

Always known to be a trendsetter, Hov explained how the actual idea of the brand was sparked back in 1997 while the rapper was on stage.

“I would be onstage performing, and I noticed that all the kids were wearing iceberg jeans.  The same jeans that I would wear.  So, we thought, ‘Why should we let Iceberg get all this business when we can do it ourselves?”

Acting as a catalyst to having young African-American males ditching sports jerseys and throwing on button ups, Rocawear was able to hit the fashion industry by storm.  As FUBU was, the new brand from Jay and Dame was fully embraced by the urban community. 

Estimates show that Rocawear has annual sales of $800 million.  In March 2009, reports stated that the brand launched its first social networking site which offers things such as style news, music and fashion.