Dame Dash says he’s good ya’ll……
NO he doesn’t have any IRS problems, YES he got divorced, but he’s really focused on raising his kids as a single dad while working on other business ventures outside of the ratchet Hip Hop world.
During a radio interview with the Combat Jack Show, Dame Dash touched on a little bit of everything inquiring minds would wanna know! He opened up on his past relationship with the late singer Aaliyah and what it took to get over her death. He also gets into his ex-relationship with Jay-Z and how he betrayed Roc A fella.
“Things never really got f—ed up; it just got over. Me and Jay wasn’t never arguing, me and Jay never was beefin’, it was just over, and Roc-A-Fella didn’t exist anymore.”
Dash recalled of the 2004 split, which left him and Jay going their separate ways:
“I thought the way Jay carried things was a betrayal to the company,” he said. “I just felt like Roc-A-Fella should exist, like Cash Money still exists, like Bad Boy still exists, like every other label still exists.”
Check out more highlights of the interview below..
When is the last time you spoke to Jay?
I don’t remember. Its crazy. It’s corny. I always felt that way.
He’s your son’s godfather?
He was. My son is not thinking about that at all. He has a father.
What’s the first thing you would say to Jay if y’all had a conversation?
I don’t think it’s an issue with him. I just think we took different paths. I’m proud of everything that he’s done and I’m proud of everything that I’ve done since then. I feel like I’ve done a lot and whatever his dreams are he’s made them come true but my dreams aren’t the same as his. What I consider a win most people don’t.
Life is about perspective. So my perspective on things is probably different than most. I’m not trying to be in hip-hop at 42 and 43 looking like an old man in the club. I never wanted to do that. I always wanted to do fashion, make movies, I enjoy business and being an entrepreneur on every level. I really enjoy it. I really enjoy my independence. I enjoy doing businesses without anyone’s help.
On his relationship with Aaliyah
Meeting someone that’s trying to do the same thing you’re trying to do in the same urban marketplace but not really being so urban. Her mind was where my mind was. She understood me and she got my jokes.
My heart was broken when she died. I felt like a f–king broken heart, like you feel when someone you love dies. That was a normal human reaction and you have to push through it. God does things and put certain things in front of you to see how strong you are. That was defining pain but as everyone saw, I dealt with it. I was able to move forward even through the pain. I was able to give people a perspective on death because I went through it whether it is with my mom or with the girl that I didn’t expect to lose.
On Healing
I was reading a lot of books. ‘The Seeds of the Soul’ and I don’t necessarily think that death is a bad thing because it happens to everybody. Death is 100% going to happen to every human being, or anything living in the planet. It’s a process that you have to deal with. Everybody goes through it, everybody survives loss.
The same time I lost Aaliyah, 9/11 happened a month later. Thousands of people lost and they weren’t able to do it in the way I was.
You think tragedy is not going to happen, but tragedy does happen. So its like everything is possible. Anything that can happen is going to happen. At least if you are living the way I am. I’m having so many natural experiences, when someone famous dies, I usually know them. One of my friends in the hood just died, I feel that too. So I’m always feeling death because it’s a part of life. When you know a lot of people, you are always going to feel it. I just happen to know a lot of people from famous to hood, black and white from here to Hong Kong to Thailand.
On His Biggest Fear
That I’m not enjoying myself. That I have to compromise and have a boss. That my children won’t look at me the way they do.
On His Kids & Divorce from Rachel Roy
Like a man, I take care of them and I am very present in their lives, probably a little more present than the average parent. Remember I raised my son since he was 8. I was a single father, nobody brought that up. I had full custody. For me to talk about [the divorce] would mean I would have to say bad things about my son’s mother and I’m not going to do that to him. It is what it is but I stepped up. A real man takes care of other people before himself. I’ve always done that and my children have always done that. Whether it’s for them or for other people around me, I put other people before I put myself. I’m independent. They are never going to watch me be strong one day and compromise in front of some dude because I think he can get me a check. They have never had to see me like that. They always saw me in power and hopefully that’s how they will move through their lives as well. But I’ll also go home and cook for my daughter every night.
How is divorce?
It’s nothing. You gotta get a mediator, don’t get a lawyer. She won, but I’m not really allowed to speak on it.
You seem a lot happier now. Are you?
Yeah. I’m raising my children. More than anything it’s about your kids. So I love the life that my kids have. The life that my kids mother has. I love Rachel’s life. My daughter and son just came back from opening up a gallery in Hong Kong with me. Ava just came back from a trip with is mom Rachel to India. On both sides, she’s a woman that’s strong. And she’s also seeing a man that’s strong, creative, and independent, and never had to compromise quality of living. I can pick my daughter up from school every day. That’s what it’s always been about.
Are you getting married again?
I don’t know. I don’t think about sh*t like that. If it happens I’m not opposed to it. I haven’t met a better woman than Rachel. She’s a strong woman. You have to remember the two women in my life were Aaliyah and Rachel so for me to find one greater than that I’d be a lucky man.
On People Thinking He Fell Off & Not Being in the Limelight
When I make $20 million, I’m the type of person to put all of that back on the streets. If I have tax problems it’s in the newspaper but I never compromised my way of living. I have galleries all over the world. I did start Rachel Roy and sold half of it to Jones Mag. I’ve done so many other things, I just haven’t tried to advertise it. Most businessmen are smart and quiet. I know billionaires who ride coach. Everyone I know with real money is low key. So me being an authentic businessman, I just wanted to be an authentic businessman. I live the hip-hop mogul, the s–t is old past 34. You can’t do it after 34, 35 you look too old.
My evolution and the business that I’ve accomplished is ridiculous. So it’s usually the people that don’t know about what’s going on are usually the most talkative or ignorant about it and it’s not for me to be trying to correct it. I try to keep them out of my life. Owning galleries, and $50-100 million dollar clothing businesses, magazines, television networks is what I do.
In the interview, Dame also revealed that he was dealing with a certain level of guilt during the State Property days because he felt as though he was promoting the drug culture and he soon realized that:
At times, there’s a lot of guilt from pushing a movement that’s not healthy to your culture. I was pushing that it was healthy to sell drugs, and to get it however you can and disrespecting women and all that. For a 20-year-old, being ignorant without a male figure to guide you, that sh-t is somewhat acceptable to a certain level but as a 34, 35-year-old, you can’t keep doing that knowing that you have children and the harm it does to your culture.
