Dame Dash is the latest guest on ‘The Jason Lee Show,’ and he’s talking homophobia, his issues with JAY-Z and negative Roc-A-Fella Records narratives, his love story with the late singer Aaliyah, and he defends ex Rachel Roy against defending “Becky With The Good Hair” rumors.
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Dame Dash Opens Up Business Politics, Roc-A-Fella, JAY-Z, Daddy Yankee, N.OR.E., Charlamagne Tha God, And More
While joining host Jason Lee, Dame Dash walked into the interview exactly how everyone expects: loud, combative, hilarious, and completely unwilling to play by anybody else’s rules. However, underneath all the chaos, interruptions, and viral one-liners is a man who still sees himself as a visionary fighting to protect his legacy, his freedom, and his name.
From the second the interview starts, Dash turns a simple conversation into a full blown masterclass on independence, ownership, and why he believes the industry has spent years trying to rewrite HIS-story. One minute, Dash is going off about Roc-A-Fella, Daddy Yankee, and the business politics behind iconic decisions. In the next minute, he’s ranting about therapy, corporate culture, gay rumors, the “devil’s narrative,” and why he refuses to let anyone define him through gossip clips online.
Of course, nobody escapes the smoke as Dash fires shots at Charlamagne Tha God and defends his complicated history with JAY-Z and Roc-A-Fella. He also reflects on Aaliyah with raw emotion and explains why loyalty means more to him than fame, money, or public perception.
Whether Dash is talking about Memphis Bleek, BET deals, art galleries, passing laws in Chicago, or feeling misunderstood by the culture he helped build, every answer somehow turns into a deeper conversation about power, respect, and survival. This interview is messy, intense, funny, uncomfortable, and impossible to look away from. But this interview is also Dame Dash completely unfiltered and fighting for control of his own narrative in real time while reminding everybody why his presence still shakes the room decades later.
RELATED: Dame Dash Blasts WeTv & Suing Ex-Wife Rachel Roy On ‘Hollywood Unlocked [UNCENSORED]’
Dame Dash Talks Issues With N.O.R.E., JAY-Z, And Roc-A-Fella Records Narratives
As the interview, opens, Jason Lee and Dame Dash jump right into the mess. Lee asked Dash about N.O.R.E.‘s claims of Dash passing on Daddy Yankee early in his career. Dash clarifies the claims.
After Dash recognizes the “Mandingo Award” on the wall behind Lee, he asked him what it was all about. The conversation then leads to Dash comparing Lee to Charlamagne Tha God, whom Dash believes is secretly part of the LGBTQ+ community.
After Dash demanded people “put respect on [his] name,” Lee jumped into Dash’s issues with Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder JAY-Z. Dash boldly declared:
“I constructed Roc-A-Fella. I made Roc-A-Fella. I walked away from Roc-A-Fella. Why would I still want to be around a bunch of dudes that are dysfunctional, and have high trauma, and I’m raising daughters? It just wasn’t for my lifestyle anymore. And that’s not what I wanted to do. What I did after Roc-A-Fella was start another $100 million company that you don’t talk about, which is Rachel Roy. I made that from scratch. Now, what you got to remember is when I started Roc-A-Fella, I was a teenager. When I exited Roc-A-Fella, pause, I …. All you’ve seen me do is scale and grow with my own money.”
Dash continued to explain his start with Roc-A-Fella, building it to become the successful music giant it was, and then walking away from it. He clarified that he didn’t “lose” the company, but agreed to sell it with JAY-Z. Dash went on to clear up negative narratives about the Roc, JAY-Z, and him in general.
RELATED: Dame Dash Introduces Protégée Nicky Licky, Describes New Artist As A ‘White Lesbian Aaliyah’
Dame Dash Clarifies Comments About Nicky Licky Reminding Him Of ‘A White Lesbian Aaliyah’
Dash then spoke about his label’s new artist and protégée, Nicky Licky, formerly known as her first name Nicolette. Dash recalled the viral clip of him introducing Nicky Licky and claiming, “She reminds me of a White lesbian Aaliyah.” In his sit-down, Dash clarified his comment and explained that he didn’t sign the artist, but partnered with her.
“I never compared her music to [Aaliyah’s] music. You don’t know Aaliyah, I did. So if Aaliyah was White, she probably would be — because White people are a little darker. Aaliyah wasn’t dark. Nicolette’s a little dark. Aaliyah was not a lesbian. Nicolette is a lesbian. And then they have humor that are almost very similar. And then she has movements that I know that you don’t that remind me. I never said anything about music.
So, that’s such a racist and putting someone in a box kind of a thing. I could say what the f**k I want about Aaliyah. That was my girl. Y’all didn’t know Aaliyah like that. How the f**k y’all going to tell me how to celebrate Aaliyah? Every person and every woman that’s around me, if I don’t see an element of Aaliyah, I don’t f**k with her. So every single girl around me, I’m going to compare her to Aaliyah. Don’t tell me how to give Aaliyah her props. You don’t know my connection with Aaliyah or how we talk today. But I celebrate and worship Aaliyah and celebrate our love every day. And every woman around me loves that about me. If I don’t see Aaliyah in a girl, I don’t f**k with that girl. So, don’t tell me what to say about Aaliyah. How dare you say some sh*t like that? It’s offensive to the queen. Every time I say her name, it’s worship toward her. F**k you mean?
And I don’t sign artists. I do partnerships with them. I don’t own anybody. I didn’t have a—I never signed JAY-Z. So, don’t tell me—you don’t understand certain business verbiage, and you judge it. And that’s the devil talking because it then becomes not the truth. And it becomes other people’s truth. And it’s not real. You have to understand the business before you talk about it. You tell a man that’s mourning over a woman he loves what to say about her or who he could compare it to. You don’t know her. You didn’t know her. None of y’all knew her. The f**k y’all talking about? I think it’s disrespectful for you to tell Aaliyah’s man when she died how to f**king mourn her. That’s disrespectful.”
Dame Dash Opens Up About Therapy, Going To Jail And ‘Trying To Save Kids With Therapy,’ And His Issues With Mismatched Therapists
Dash went on to open up about his thoughts on therapy and initiatives he’s taken to help others seek help. Referencing an earlier conversation, Dash told Lee to seek help from his “heterosexual therapist.” He added that if he was steered wrong, then he should seek a “gay therapist.” He continued to explain why he doesn’t agree with people having therapists that don’t look or walk like them. He said, “I wouldn’t have a gay therapist because I’m heterosexual.”
Dash then recalled visiting a jail in Chicago and noticing a White woman giving Black men therapy.
“That doesn’t work. They don’t speak the same language. Their trauma is different. It means you just want them to look at those white women, and they don’t have sex, and lust them. And those white women will be traumatized by men that are kids killing people. You need a Black man to talk to these Black kids. You need someone that maybe has gone through the same experiences to talk to someone, so they listen to them.”
Dame Dash Talks Rachel Roy And If She’s “Becky With The Good Hair”
Dash then spoke about Memphis Bleek before addressing laws in America, education, and Mossad conspiracies. Dash later spoke about Rachel Roy and “Becky With The Good Hair” rumors. Lee asked Dash flat out if Roy is the woman accused of having an affair with JAY-Z behind Beyoncé‘s back. Dash replied:
“Personally, I don’t know. What I know is that she would never—my understanding of it, because I know Rachel, she just said something at the wrong time because she’s like, socially not there. She doesn’t understand what’s going on. So, I was divorced years after what was said. If that was, I’d be like, ‘Damn, why would they do that?’ But, she told me, ‘No, that’s bullsh*t.’
I think what happened was that she was a trigger because like, she was still in the same circle and he was coming around. And they might have felt disrespectful. And that would be disrespectful if they’re talking or anything. That could have happened, you know what I mean? I’ve heard that. But Rachel would never tell me. We don’t even really talk. We co-parent in a way that I would prefer was different. But her and I have drawn that line years ago.
So, I wouldn’t—I personally don’t think so. And Rachel, you know, from what I heard, but again, if it did, that would be some dumb sh*t. And if that was the case, that would make homegirl, whoever was married, look very weak if they knew that and continued to ride out. But I don’t think so. But if it did, it would be like, ‘Damn, this n***a want everything I got, or had.’ But I never wanna bone nothing that my homeboys had. I never want to do that. That’s disgusting.”
Dash continued to reveal how to scale a business, talks bankruptcy, and why he doesn’t do business with the devil. Lee then challenged Dash on his theories in between talking his beef with Charlamagne Tha God and Cam’ron. He explained how he feels betrayed by the Diplomats/Dipset rapper. Dash later talked about Louis Carr and BET before sharing some OG stories.
RELATED: Dame Dash Says R. Kelly Is Where He Belongs: ‘I Know Aaliyah, So I Know What He Did’
Dame Dash Talks Love Story With Aaliyah, How They Got Connected, Her R. Kelly Trauma, And Her Passing After Finally Becoming Happy
Later in the interview, Dash again speaks about Aaliyah and their love story, and also speaks about her and R. Kelly. Dash asked Lee, “Why did you think she was in love with me and I was in love with her? I must be an angel. She’s not going to love the devil.” Dash continued to share:
“I was in love, bro. My heart was broken. My heart is still broken. You never lost—that was—I was never prepared to be—I fell in love with her by accident. And it was a feeling I never knew could exist. And it got taken from me.
Honestly, so many people have portrayed themselves as real n***as. And when she got with one, she just—a lot of people abused her. That’s another thing. I’m like, man, she was a kid. And it was the sh*t that—[She was a woman when she was with me], absolutely. But she was a kid when they f**king destroyed her. And a grown man was doing all type of foul sh*t as a child. For me, when I hear about that type of sh*t with other people—because it hits hard—I saw what it did to somebody. And when she finally got happy, she died. No one’s prepared for that sh*t, but like, it’s not like a girl that I used to f**k with.”
Dame Dash Recalls How He Met Aaliyah, Competition With JAY-Z, And Plans For Marriage Before She Passed
Lee said, “We saw y’all as like, on the way to getting married.” Dash confirmed, “We were. Only because of our—we didn’t want to love each other that much. We just loved each other so much because we were so on the same sheet of paper.” Dash went on to recall how he and Aaliyah met and grew to love each other.
He shared how they met on the Vibe magazine photoshoot featuring her, Kidada Jones, Bijou Phillips, and Dash’s best friend Natane Adcock. He said they all started a book club and that he and Aaliyah never stopped hanging out after. Dash continued to share how he and JAY-Z were trying to shoot their shot at Aaliyah, and how he ended up winning her over one night in the Hamptons.
Dash recalled running down the stairs after becoming intimate with Aaliyah and telling JAY-Z. He said his reaction wasn’t expected and that while he locked in with Aaliyah after that night, him and Hov had beef. He recalled JAY running to do the project with R. Kelly. Dash continued to recall the last time he saw Aaliyah alive. He said he was at the “Rock The Boat” music video shoot before she passed, and told her that he didn’t want her to go.
Dame Dash Talks Queen Of Harlem Rumors, Misconceptions Of Him, And More
Before interview’s end, Dame Dash addressed romance rumors about him and the Queen of Harlem, who happens to be the godmother of Dash and his wife Raquel Horn‘s son. Dash also talked about positivity and peace, and shared the biggest misconception about him. By the end of the episode, Dash played a game of “Erase The Shade.” During the segment, he spoke on Charlamagne Tha God, Cam’ron, DeTavio Samuels, 50 Cent, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Lil Meech, Eminem, and more.
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