Dame Dash Calls Out Jay-Z For Collaborating With R. Kelly: 'I Knew, Morally, We Weren't The Same'
Dash, who was dating Aaliyah at the time of her death, accused his Roc-a-Fella co-founder of intentionally doing music with R. Kelly despite knowing that the singer "violated" Aaliyah.
Jay-Z’s music relationship with R. Kelly was apparently a major reason why Dame Dash and Jay — and ultimately their iconic label Roc-a-Fella — fell apart, according to an explosive new interview.
Roc-A-Fella co-founder Dash opened up about his former girlfriend Aaliyah, her connection with R. Kelly, and how that eventually led to the downfall of the label and the fallout with Dame’s co-founder Jay-Z .
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His comments came out amid the debut of Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly documentary this week.
In the six-part documentary, R. Kelly is said to have married an underage Aaliyah in 1994, after pursuing a sexual relationship with her and allegedly getting her pregnant. In one scene, a former backup singer of R. Kelly even admits to witnessing a then-27-year-old Kelly having sex with then-15-year-old Aaliyah on a tour bus.
Dash told Hip Hop Motivation that he had been watching the docuseries, and it was hard to see the parts that detailed R. Kelly’s relationship with Aaliyah.
Dash and Aaliyah dated from 2000 until her untimely death in 2001.
“I watched some of it yesterday, as much as I could tolerate,” Dash said. “I’m not gonna lie, as a human, I was tight. I was tight about a couple things. Number one: there was a girl when she was even trying to talk about it and she couldn’t, and I remember Aaliyah trying to talk about it and she couldn’t. She would just leave it at, ‘That dude was a bad man.’
Dash added that Aaliyah continued to struggle opening up about her relationship with R. Kelly.
“I didn’t really want to know what he did, to the extent that I would, you know, deal with it because that’s what a man does,” Dame said. “But it was so much hurt for her to revisit it. I wouldn’t want to revisit it without a professional. Whatever got done was terrible.”
He added that Jay-Z’s decision to collaborate with R. Kelly on 2002’s The Best Of Both Worlds album, despite knowing that Dash had issues with R. Kelly, eventually led to Jay-Z and Dash’s undoing. Dash also claims that Jay-Z knew about R. Kelly’s predilections, and the things that the “Ignition” singer had done to Aaliyah.
“If you remember The Best of Both Worlds, you don’t see my name on that…I never wanted no part of that,” Dash said.
Dash claims he refused to be credited on the album, and that he donated his profits to a breast cancer awareness organization Aaliyah supported.
“I know I’m not f-ckin’ with that…I knew, morally, we weren’t the same,” Dash said of Jay-Z. “So, to me, Roc-a-Fella was defunct. It was over. I couldn’t f-ck with it. It was something that, to me—I don’t wanna say ‘unforgivable,’ but I couldn’t understand it.
According to Surviving R. Kelly executive producer dream hampton, Jay-Z was one of the multiple celebrities who declined to come on camera to speak about R. Kelly.
“John Legend was the only one,” who participated, hampton said. “I asked Jay-Z, I asked Mary J. Blige, I asked Lil Kim, Erykah Badu, Dave Chappelle…But they all said no. I mean, most people just don’t want to touch it.”
R. Kelly has long denied reports that he and Aaliyah wed, saying instead that the two were close friends. In 2016, the R&B singer told GQ magazine that he “will never have that conversation with anyone.”
“Out of respect for Aaliyah, and her mother and father who has asked me not to personally,” he continued. “But I can tell you I loved her, I can tell you she loved me, we was very close. We were, you know, best best best best friends.”
You can check out Dash’s full interview below. His comments appear around the 10-minute mark:
Throughout history, many young men and women have joined these historical Black fraternities and sororities on college campuses across the United States, including a number of celebrities. Other famous men and women have received honorary letters for their public impact as entertainers, government officials, and more. Check out this list of famous Black sorority and fraternity members and meet sorors and frat brothers you might not have known you have.
01
Keisha Knight Pulliam
This former “Cosby” kid joined the Delta Sigma Theta sorority while attending Spelman College.
02
Alicia Keys
Keys became an honorary member of the historic Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority in 2004.
03
Jada Pinkett Smith
Jada is a proud member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
04
Toni Morrison
The Pulitzer Prize winning author is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
05
Phylicia Rashad
Rashad became a member of the Alpha chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., while attending Howard University.
06
AJ Calloway
Calloway became a man of Omega Psi Phi, Inc. in 2011.
07
Thurgood Marshall
The former Supreme Court Justice was a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, which he joined while attending Lincoln University.
08
Steve Harvey
Harvey is a proud man of Omega Psi Phi. Roo-oop!
09
Sheryl Underwood
Underwood is not only a member, she’s a former president of Zeta Phi Beta sorority.
10
Star Jones
Jones is a proud member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha.
11
Omari Hardwick
Hardwick is a Alpha Phi Alpha brother.
12
Towanda Braxton
Braxton is a member of Zeta Phi Beta sorority.
13
Wanda Sykes
Sykes was initiated into the Gamma Theta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc at Hampton University.
14
K. Michelle
K. Michelle pledged Delta Sigma Theta while attending Florida A&M.
Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage
15
Montell
Montell Jordan performed at ESSENCE Festival in 2000.
16
Terrence J
Terrence was initiated into the Bloody Mu Psi Chapte of Omega Psi Phi fraternity at North Carolina A&T State University.
17
Shaquille O’Neal
Shaquille O’Neal is a proud member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity.
18
Victoria Rowell
Rowell is a proud member of the Sigma Gamma Rho sorority.
19
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe biopic, Ashe, is currently in the works. The project was announced earlier this year, but not much else has been revealed. Ashe was a three-time Grand Slam title winner and the first Black tennis player selected to the United States Davis Cup team.
20
Kelly Price
Price became an honorary member of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority in 2006.
21
Loretta Devine
Devine was initiated into the Epsilon Lambda Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc at the University of Houston.
22
Anna Maria Horsford
Horsford is a proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority.
23
Cedric “The Entertainer”
Cedric is a proud Kappa Alpha Psi man.
Article continues after video.
24
Lena Horne
The legendary singer/actress was also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta.
25
Roland Martin
Martin is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.
26
Michael Jordan
The basketball legend is also a proud man of Omega Psi Phi.
27
Hill Harper
Harper was inducted into Alpha Phi Alpha in 2009.
28
Coretta Scott King
The First Lady of the Civil Rights Movement Coretta Scott King was the model Alpha Kappa Alpha because of her tireless community service.
29
Frat Brother
Dr. King is an Alpha Phi Alpha brother. The fraternity has a scholarship in his name.
30
Lionel Richie
Richie is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha.
31
Zora Neale Hurston
Hurston was initiated into the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority at Howard University.
32
Condoleezza Rice
Rice is a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority.
33
Nikki Giovanni
Rising to fame during the Black arts movement of the 1960s, poet Nikki Giovanni is one of the most well-known Black poets. Giovanni has won several awards and was even nominated for a Grammy for The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection. Giovanni has also written numerous children’s books including Rosa, which was based on Rosa Parks’ life.
34
John Singleton
Singleton is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.
35
Dionne Warwick
Warwick is an honorary member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.
36
Finesse Mitchell
Mitchell was initiated into the Iota Chi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity while attending the University of Miami..
37
Tom Joyner
Joyner became a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity while attending the Tuskegee University.
38
Maya Angelou
Angelou joined Alpha Kappa Alpha, the nation’s first African-American sorority, in 1983 as an honorary member.
39
Marvin Sapp
This Gospel great s also a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.
40
Tavis Smiley
Smile became a Kappa Alpha Psi man while attending Indiana University Bloomington.
41
Aretha Franklin
The queen of soul is also an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
Founder of Radio One and TV One, Cathy Hughes is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
44
Lance Gross
On November 20, 2021, Lance Gross posted the photo above with the caption “Long time koming,” showing he’d cross and become a member of Kappa Alpha Psi.
45
Fantasia
Fantasia announced she was officially a member of Sigma Gamma Rho with a series of videos on Instagram November 29. The singer wrote in one caption, “Y’all have no idea how long I been waiting to share this news!! I’ve officially been inducted as an Honorary #SigmaGammaRho 💙🐩💛. #D9 #sorority #prettypoodle THANK YOU… I am overjoyed.”