Jay Z & Dame Dash Didn't Believe in DMX Enough To Sign Him, According To Irv Gotti

Irv Gotti has gems for days. Whenever he does an interview, he discloses something interesting.

In a new video for Complex, Irv reveals that Jay Z, Dame Dash and folks at Def Jam/Roc-a-Fella laughed at him for saying they need to sign DMX. "First meeting I ever had, I was like, ‘We gotta sign DMX' and they laughed at me," Irv Gotti said. "Jay and Dame did not believe in DMX."

Irv goes to say Jay Z asked Gotti if he thought X was better than him, and then told him that nobody in the hood would listen to DMX because his music was depressing.

Def Jam boss Lyor Cohen was also skeptical of X, mocking his signature barking and wondering if "Chihuahuas" would be the only ones to buy his records.

It's kind of crazy to hear this considering how much of a success DMX was in the late '90s for Def Jam-- even outselling Hov.

Watch the video below.