Dame Dash on why Jay-Z’s collaboration with R Kelly was “morally wrong”
Roc-a-Fella co-founder Dame Dash has been in the music industry for a long time, and, when it comes to hip-hop, he has walked the corridors of power. The Brooklyn native has mingled with the best in business and knows what happens in the higher echelons of the culture.
As such, it is unsurprising that he knows some of the genre’s biggest stars who have been personally involved in recent controversies. Whether it’s R Kelly, Jay-Z or Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Dash had opinions about them and their rumoured activities over two decades ago.
In a conversation on his American Nu Network YouTube channel, the music mogul discussed how he was unsure of R Kelly in the 2000s and didn’t approve of Jay-Z’s decision to work with him on their Best of Both Worlds joint album.
During his discussion about the project, he suggested that he refused to even participate in its creation as he felt that a moral line had been crossed. Dash had inklings about Kelly and was a close friend of Aaliyah’s prior to her death in 2001. As such, he chose to not engage with the ‘Ignition’ vocalist.
The collaborative album with Jay-Z and Kelly was released in 2002, and Dame explained that he doesn’t like working with someone if “small indicators” tell him he should walk away. According to Dash, he had a private conversation with Jay-Z and told him it was “morally wrong” to collaborate with the singer, given he was prosecuted for child pornography at the time.
In 2002, Kelly was arrested after the discovery of a videotape that allegedly showed him having sex with an underage girl. Opening up about his feelings towards Best Of Both Worlds, Dash told viewers, “I do know when that project did come out, I didn’t want any part of that project. I didn’t want any of the money to go to Roc-A-Fella or me when it came to Roc-A-Fella.
He continued, “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. I was really surprised that he moved forward with that relationship.”
Following the arrest of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, a photo of him, Aaliyah, Jay-Z, and Jennifer Lopez at a party began circulating online. However, he spoke about how he never engaged with Diddy in a meaningful way during his career, stating, “I don’t go to those parties…I went to one about 20 years ago in the Hamptons and that was it!”
He continued to highlight how he has walked away from opportunities and potential money-making ventures purely based on Combs’ involvement, adding, “If something’s against my moral fabric, then I’m moving on. I make a choice to maybe walk away from some money or walk away from a relationship or a certain kind of financial opportunity.”
Many people in hip-hop have actively made sure to avoid Combs throughout their careers, including the likes 50 Cent Eminem. The music industry is tricky to navigate, but for all the bad press Dame Dash gets, he made some smart decisions during his prime.