Reports have surfaced about an alleged rift between Jay-Z and Sean Paul, citing that Jay-Z barred the popular dancehall artist from taking the stage with Beyonce at last week's MTV Video Music Awards.

"We were told through the president of Atlantic Records, Craig Kallman, that Jay-Z wanted to be the only guest artist to perform with Beyonce at the awards show. Jay-Z did not want Sean Paul on stage with her and he made it clear," Jeremy Harding, Paul's manager told the Jamaica Observer.

At the VMA's, Beyonce began her two-song set by performing "Baby Boy," Dangerously In Love's second single featuring Paul. While Paul was in attendance as a performer and presenter, viewers were disappointed to notice his absence while his vocals played through the speakers. On the other hand, Hov ran on stage to spit his '16' for "Crazy In Love."

According to Harding, Beyonce's management team repeatedly eluded him to avoid setting up a potential performance. Roc-A-Fella records wouldn't comment on the matter and Beyonce couldn't be reached for comment. "I don't know whether it was jealousy or a professional threat," Harding told the Observer. "But it is a form of hypocrisy as hip-hop views dancehall as the poor little cousin and now it feels threatened because it is right up there in their league. Paul has sold some three-million copies internationally, two in the US and the rest in other parts of the world. Now all of a sudden there is a clamp down," Harding expressed.

According to Harding, the hypocrisy recently extended to the "Baby Boy" video shoot in which the two artists barely had any scenes together. Harding also claims that Beyonce attempted to apologize to him at the VMA's. Ironically, the tables turned when both artists were set to perform at a New York concert the next night. "Sean Paul did his own set but told Beyonce when she asked to do the song that his throat was not feeling well," Harding told the Observer.