Podcast Summary: ROC Solid w/ Memphis Bleek

Episode: Big Face Gary | ROC Solid w/ Memphis Bleek
Release Date: November 11, 2025
Host: Memphis Bleek
Guest: Big Face Gary

Episode Overview

On this candid episode of ROC Solid, Memphis Bleek sits down with Big Face Gary—legendary Harlem (Upper West Side) figure and one of the original architects of Roc-A-Fella Records’ heyday. Bleek and Gary go deep on the untold stories, hard truths, and lingering wounds from the Roc-A-Fella era. Their wide-ranging conversation touches on business lessons, brotherhood and division, personal reinvention, and the legacy of one of hip-hop’s most storied dynasties. Fans of hip-hop history, Roc-A-Fella, and candid talk among OGs will find this episode essential.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Reuniting: Squashing Old School Tension

• [04:36] Bleek and Gary reconnect for the first time since the label’s demise.
• They reminisce about how tensions inside Roc-A-Fella evolved over the years, often pitting "Harlem vs. Brooklyn" crews.
• Quote:
  "We started to become more defensive... but me and you always been cool as... like, always, my nigga."
  — Memphis Bleek [05:17]
• Big Face Gary reflects on being "the peacemaker," often mediating between Dame, Bleek, and the rest.

Life After Roc-A-Fella: Resilience & Reinvention

• Both men open up about their struggles and hustles after Roc-A-Fella folded—Gary working as a messenger, Bleek pouring himself into business ventures and family.
• They discuss fatherhood, personal growth, and the hustle required to adapt post-music industry.
• Quote:
  "It was no way to prepare, bro... when Rockefeller stopped for me, I felt like I had to wake the hustler in me up again."
  — Memphis Bleek [38:25]
• Gary shares vulnerability about unemployment, depression, and working his way back:
  "Rockefeller, you get unemployment for six months. 497 a week. I was struggling. I didn’t say that nobody... but I went and got a van and just became a messenger..."
  — Big Face Gary [39:33]

Roc-A-Fella Memories: Inside the Compound

• [06:16, 09:01, 16:38] Stories about life at Baseline Studios, the infamous “pause game,” jokes, and infamous sessions.
• They recall legendary sessions and anecdotes—like Dame calling Bleek’s first verse on “Just Fire" (with Cam) trash, which motivated Bleek to rewrite and improve.
• Quote:
  "In my mind, I was saying, I'mma write the most disrespectful shit you could say to a nigga in the street. And it's no way nigga gonna tell me they don't fuck with that."
  — Memphis Bleek [07:40]

The Bigs, Dame, & Hov Dynamic: Brotherhood, Business & Beef

• The conversation explores individual relationships with Kareem “Biggs” Burke, Dame Dash, and Jay-Z.
• Gary reveals friction and attempted reconciliations with Biggs ("I think we need a conversation, I'm gonna make up my business to make sure I call Biggs today or tomorrow." — [11:01]), and Bleek details why arguments “over beats” can be fixed unless they cross personal lines.
• Honest dialogue about Dame Dash—his intelligence, arrogance, and how “getting drunk with power” contributed to the split.
• Quote:
  "What goes up comes down... I always felt like he got drunk with power."
  — Memphis Bleek [29:46]

The Fall of Roc-A-Fella: Hard Truths & Regrets

• [31:25, 65:43] The breaking of Roc-A-Fella is compared to a magic trick gone wrong; no one saw it coming, and everyone was left to pick up the pieces.
• Debate about what truly broke the dynasty:
  • The introduction of Cam’ron as president and how it made others feel displaced.
  • Dame and Cam standing ten toes on controversial moves, fueling division.
  • Quote:
    "Cam should never thought he could be the president of Roc-A-Fella Records... As I know, I was there and I know how it made people feel."
    — Big Face Gary [66:10]

Industry Game: Podcasting, Business, and Not Holding Grudges

• [40:34, 61:52] Gary shares how building The Big Face Gary Show gave him new purpose; Bleek opens up about his business moves—restaurants, weed companies, barbershops, and why personal pride keeps him from asking even Jay for help.
• The duo talks podcasting hustle, platforms, the myth of "the plug," and building organically (YouTube, IHeart, Black Effect).
• Bleek gives motivational gems:
  "Getting money is not hard. You know what's hard? Keeping money."
  — Memphis Bleek [34:26]

Brotherhood, Loyalty & Legacy

• Stories about mutual support, loyalty (“I would never throw out your dirty laundry—my, that's Hov to me.” — Bleek [18:15]), and perceptions of wealth post-Roc-A-Fella.
• They debate cycles of division, maturity, and whether a true reunion of Jay and Dame could ever happen.
• Quote:
  "They don’t gotta be business partners. They don’t have to be best friends... But just to be cool, you know, because this shit that goes on on the Internet—my, I know it hurts Bleek, and it hurts me."
  — Big Face Gary [97:12]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Handling Criticism:
  "You know how it feels to tell a guy who his runs bled hot, smoked about a pound of weed, and you got to tell him, yo, that verse was horrible. Word up."
  — Big Face Gary [89:31]

• On Personal Growth:
  "Sometimes you gotta look in the mirror. I had a mild stroke... Then I went back to getting money. I said to myself, yo, Gary, you gotta stop drinking."
  — Big Face Gary [87:06]

• On the Industry:
  "I'm not a journalist... I had to get comfortable. And now in this space, bro... I feel like my personality shine and what I'm about is gonna shine through."
  — Memphis Bleek [83:40]

• On Pride and Self-Reliance:
  "I got kids. What I'm gonna tell my son—when you fucked up, ask somebody? That don't even make sense."
  — Memphis Bleek [33:59]

• Reciprocal Respect:
  "Just seeing you as a grown man. You've grown up. Developed to somebody special... and now this is who Bleek is."
  — Big Face Gary [94:43]

Highlighted Segments & Timestamps

• ROC reunion, peacemaking, early crew tensions: [04:36]–[07:21]
• Real talk on fatherhood, post-ROC struggles and getting back up: [05:00], [31:25], [39:33]
• The “Just Fire” Verse Story: [06:37]–[07:21]
• Biggs, Dame Dash, and Jay-Z reflections, conflict, and loyalty: [08:26], [10:37], [16:15], [29:46], [41:16]
• Debate about “who broke the ROC”—the truth about the split: [65:43]–[68:22]
• Money, business hustle, and podcasting game: [34:26], [40:34], [61:52], [83:40]
• Loyalty and the case for reconciliation: [18:15], [97:03]
• Honest assessment of Dame Dash, Jay-Z, and realities of power: [29:46], [48:27], [66:10]

Tone & Final Takeaway

The episode delivers everything classic ROC Solid promises: raw, witty, vulnerable, and highly personal storytelling. Bleek and Gary keep it 100% authentic—no sugarcoating—while dropping wisdom and never shying from hard truths. Past beefs, legendary studio stories, and the current legacies of both men are balanced with heartfelt advice to the next generation.

If you want to understand the real inside story of Roc-A-Fella deep from the trenches, the dynamics of loyalty and division, and how legends rebuild after the dream, this episode is required listening.

Follow Memphis Bleek’s ROC Solid for more exclusive hip-hop stories and industry game. Check out The Big Face Gary Show for more untold tales.

“All I know is what I’ve been told and that a half-truth is a whole lie.”—Memphis Bleek [78:00]