Dame Dash Reflects on the Rift with JAY-Z and Departure from Roc-A-Fella Records

Dame Dash Reflects on the Rift with JAY-Z and Departure from Roc-A-Fella Records

Dame Dash recently revisited the events that fractured his once-thriving business partnership with JAY-Z. Speaking in an interview with The Art of Dialogue, the Harlem entrepreneur shared his perspective on why he walked away from Roc-A-Fella Records, citing JAY-Z’s collaboration with R. Kelly as a significant turning point.

Dash expressed frustration over JAY-Z’s decision to work with R. Kelly, who had a controversial past involving Dash’s late ex-girlfriend, Aaliyah. “The fact that Jay was working with him is what used to blow my mind. I couldn’t understand it,” Dash said, referencing Kelly’s illegal marriage to Aaliyah when she was just 15.

The Roc-A-Fella co-founder revealed that he directly confronted JAY-Z about the partnership. “Everybody knew R. Kelly married Aaliyah at 15. So yeah, we had that conversation. I said, ‘How are you going to do a project with a man who violated my girl?’” Dash recounted. “I couldn’t understand why anyone would expect me to stay.”

Dash admitted that this incident, among other factors, marked the end of their partnership. “That was the nail in the coffin for me. I wanted no part of it. I left Roc-A-Fella. I wasn’t kicked out—I walked away. I didn’t care about the money or the fame. I was done,” he said.

Dash also claimed that JAY-Z had strong feelings for Aaliyah and found it particularly disrespectful that his former business partner began collaborating with R. Kelly shortly after her death in 2001. “That made it even worse,” he remarked.

Ongoing Tensions and Financial Struggles

Dame Dash’s relationship with JAY-Z has resurfaced in the public eye recently, partly due to the sale of Dash’s shares in Roc-A-Fella, Inc. After a highly publicized legal battle, Dash’s one-third ownership stake in the company, which holds the rights to JAY-Z’s Reasonable Doubt, was sold at auction for $1 million. This move was part of an effort to resolve Dash’s significant financial obligations, including $8.7 million in back taxes, a lawsuit settlement of $800,000, and $145,000 in unpaid child support.

The shares were acquired by the state of New York, which plans to resell them to offset Dash’s debts. Following the auction, Dash took a jab at JAY-Z, questioning the rapper’s perceived wealth and influence. “What this showed me is that he’s not as big as he claims to be,” Dash commented on his America Nu Network platform. “I expected more interest in the shares. Not even Jay made a bid. A billionaire didn’t think it was worth $3 million.”

Dash’s comments reflect the lingering animosity between the two former partners, whose once-iconic collaboration helped shape the landscape of hip hop but ended in a bitter and publicized fallout.

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