Roc-A-Fella Cofounder Kareem 'Biggs' Burke Says Jay Z 'Misses the Old Kanye'

The Roc-A-Fella co-founder spoke to Jay Z after hearing about Kanye's comments and both expressed their shock.

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Complex Original

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Ever since Kanye West took to his floating stage in Seattle earlier this week during his Saint Pablo tour and decried the streaming war between Apple and Tidal, as well as the status of his relationship with his one-time boss Jay Z, many have wondered what Hov made of the whole situation. An anonymous source told Page Six that Jay allegedly "can't stand" Yeezy these days. Today, more information about the situation has come to light.

Kareem Biggs Burke, co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records, spoke to the gossip publication about the comments. During the interview, he revealed that both he and Jay "miss the old Kanye." He added, "I was shocked to hear what Kanye said onstage. There was never anything rumbling ... so when you hear these things in public, it’s a little shocking.”

Page Six managed to pin Biggs down for comment at his Reasonable Doubt 20th anniversary pop-up shop/exhibition. "The last I saw [West], he spoke really highly of Jay. I’m not sure about the relationship at this point. I spoke to Jay [after Kanye’s rant] and we’re both just like, ‘We miss the old Kanye.’ From what I know of Kanye, he’s usually really honest. So it sounds like something he’s going through right now. He may [say] something like that, and then three weeks later he may be back to, ‘That’s my brother.’ But at this point, with everybody’s career, we’re a little too old for rap beef.”

Jay Z is notoriously tight-lipped about his personal relationships. He chose not to go on the record about the status of his marriage with his wife Beyoncé in the wake of the release of her album LEMONADE earlier this year, and we don't anticipate him saying much in public about his most high-profile friendship over the last decade. Biggs comments might be the closest we get to understanding his feelings about the situation. 

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