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(WENN)

Rumors are buzzing that there’s some tension brewing between Jay-Z and L.A. Reid. Jay was named CEO of his Def Jam label two years ago by Reid, the chairman of Island/Def Jam. And after a stellar first two years at the helm, Jay’s contract is expiring with the year’s end and he’s reportedly requesting more cash than L.A. Reid would like to give him. From the New York Daily News:

“Jay is asking for several million as a base salary,” one insider tells us, “plus big bonus ‘bumps’ on records that do well. L.A. isn’t going for it. They’re miles apart.”

But it’s not just the money that’s come between the two. Jay-Z’s larger-than-life persona is frustrating for the head honcho of Island/Def Jam, who is forced to sit in the shadow of his CEO.

Insiders also claim the charismatic Reid, the guy who’s supposed to be boss, feels like a second banana. “When Jay walks into a meeting, he sucks the air out of the room,” says a spy. “Even without trying. At the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame awards, Jay and L.A. were sitting at the same table. But it was like L.A. was invisible.”

Reid trivializes these reports, claiming that everything is fine and dandy between him and Jay.

Now, I didn’t want to say anything earlier, but I really feel like it’s probably time I mentioned that I saw L.A. the other day driving around in a sporty convertible with the top down, crying his eyes out while he blasted “Irreplaceable” at top volume. OK, I didn’t. But how poignant would that have been?