Damon Dash Once Shared Why He Thought Jay-Z Was ‘Morally Wrong’
Jay-Z and Damon Dash feuded for years. They both expressed interest in Aaliyah at the same time, and later clashed over Jay-Z’s music. He worked with R. Kelly twice, after Kelly’s illegal marriage to Aaliyah. Dash said he found this reprehensible on Jay-Z’s part.
Damon Dash once spoke out against Jay-Z’s decision to work with R. Kelly
Dash was involved with Aaliyah at the end of her life. He found it abhorrent that Jay-Z had willingly worked with the person who illegally married a minor and has been accused of sexually abusing her.
“It’s morally wrong to do a project with someone that we know raped my girl or raped anybody for that matter,” Dash said, per Yahoo. “So I do know that conversation was had, and I was really surprised that he moved forward with that relationship.”
Dash said he wanted nothing to do with their album The Best of Both Worlds. Roc-A-Fella, the label he helped found, released it, but he said he didn’t even want to profit off of it.
“I do know when that project did come out I didn’t want any part of that project,” he said. “I didn’t want any of the money to go to Roc-A-Fella or me when it came to Roc-A-Fella. It was around the time that Jay was trying to kind of separate himself from us, and he was saying that he didn’t want to be a part anymore, and we resolved that issue. He wanted me to dilute, and he wanted [Kareem ‘Biggs’ Burke] to dilute, and I wasn’t diluting. I know what I mean and what I do for business.”
They both pursued Aaliyah at the same time
Years before, both Jay-Z and Dash were in competition for Aaliyah’s affection.
“I just threw my A-game,” he said on the That’s F***ed Up podcast (via Vibe Magazine). “And then, you know, I guess Jay was trying to get at her as well, and I didn’t know. It got brought up and I was like, ‘F*** both of y’all.’ But it never worked out for them, and we were both trying to get at her. And I kind of eased up, but then we ran into each other. It’s a long story.”
Damon said things came to a head when they were all at a 4th of July party.
“Yeah, he felt a way [about me pursuing her]. But everybody knows that s***,” Dash said. “They be trying to act like he was really f***ing with her. Nah, he was sending flowers and doing all that s***, he was courting her. So we were both going hard and we ended up in the same house for 4th of July.”
Dash said he won Aaliyah over. They dated for a time before her death in 2001.
“It was, like, one day [Aaliyah] might lean towards him then it’ll lean towards me,” he said. “But I was just on fire that week. Everything I was saying was funny, you know what I’m saying?”
Damon Dash said he hoped to put his feud with Jay-Z behind him
In 2021, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted Jay-Z. In his speech, he thanked Dash for his influence on his career despite their differences.
“Shout out to Dame,” he said. “I know we don’t see eye to eye, but I can never erase your accomplishments. And I appreciate you and I thank you for that.”
Dash said he greatly appreciated the sentiment and hoped to have a friendlier relationship moving forward.
“It was beautiful,” he told Page Six. “I’m glad he said it for the culture. We need to squash everything.”
How to get help: In the U.S., call the RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to connect with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
