Hip-hop lore is full of “you had to be there” moments. According to Dame Dash, one of the most important early clashes between Jay-Z and DMX may have been caught on camera — by none other than Big L.

Speaking on Drink Champs with N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN, Dash revisited the now-mythic battle that took place in a Bronx barbershop before Roc-A-Fella’s rise.

“Big L taped it,” Dame said plainly.

According to Dash, the battle happened on neutral ground — arranged amid tension and teasing from his Harlem peers, who weren’t initially sold on Jay-Z’s style. At the time, Dash said he would get clowned for backing a fast-rapping Brooklyn artist whose aesthetic didn’t match Harlem’s street sensibilities.

“Harlem dudes don’t just accept Brooklyn dudes,” Dame explained, recalling how his crew would question Jay’s swagger and delivery.

The solution? Set up a battle.

The clash reportedly went down at the Gael Gym in the Bronx before moving into a barbershop space, where Jay and DMX faced off in front of a packed room. Dash claims Jay’s portion of the battle was recorded, while DMX’s side wasn’t fully captured due to clearance concerns.

But the bombshell detail was Big L’s involvement behind the camera.

At the time, Big L — already respected in Harlem and affiliated with Children of the Corn — was close to the same circles as Dash. Dame said he was planning to sign Big L and had long-standing neighborhood ties to him before the Harlem MC’s career was tragically cut short in 1999.

If the tape still exists, it would represent one of the most significant unreleased artifacts in hip-hop history: a documented battle between two future rap icons, filmed by one of Harlem’s sharpest lyricists.

Over the years, stories about the Jay-Z vs. DMX battle have circulated widely, with varying accounts of who won. Dash maintained that Jay convinced his Harlem circle that he was the real deal — a pivotal moment that helped shift perception before Roc-A-Fella fully took off.

Whether the footage survives or remains lost to time, Dame’s recollection adds another layer to the mythology.

Somewhere in the archives of late-’90s New York rap, there may be a tape of Jay-Z and DMX battling — with Big L holding the camera.