Rapper Jay-Z a.k.a. Def Jam prez has denied a report in New York's Daily News indicating that salary was a sticking point in negotiating his return to the hip-hop label. His original contract is up at the end of this month, and so far, his return hasn't been announced.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly shortly after the Grammy nominations were announced, Jay — who nabbed five nods — revealed the two sides were "close." But he wouldn't guarantee anything. He said salary wasn't even near the top of his list of considerations. "I don't know [if I'll be back]," Jay explained in the interview. "We'll see how it goes. But seriously, it's not about money. That's really the last thing. Of course, as a person that does these type of things and puts his heart and soul into it — and it's effective, as the [Grammy nominations] would indicate — you want to be compensated for what you do. But it's really not about money. It's really about the future of the music business, and not wasting anyone's time. I don't ever want to sit in a seat just to sit in a seat. I could be off doing something else that's beneficial to the future of the music business as well as myself. So it's not about money! I mean, you couldn't pay me enough. And I don't mean that in a cocky way."

In other Jay news, he'll ring out 2007 with a performance of American Gangster on December 29 in Las Vegas, at the Palms Casino Resort's Pearl. The intimate show in the 2,500-seat venue won't be cheap: Tickets start at $128 and top out at $228.