Dame Dash claims Jay Z and R. Kelly’s joint album played a role in Roc-a-Fella’s demise
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In the wake of Lifetime’s shocking expose Surviving R. Kelly, Dame Dash has officially weighed in on the controversy surrounding the R&B crooner.
During a recent sit-down with Kenyatta Griggs, of Hip Hop Motivation, the rap mogul revealed that it was difficult for him to watch the series as it triggered memories of his late girlfriend and singer Aaliyah. According to Dash, the “One In A Million” star was unable to come to terms with the emotional trauma of her relationship with Kelly while she was alive.
“I watched some of it yesterday, as much as I could tolerate,” Dash says approximately 10 minutes into the interview. “I’m not gonna lie, as a human, I was tight. 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 continues by admitting that Jay Z’s relationship with Kelly ultimately played a role in the demise of their joint business venture, Roc-a-Fella Records. In 2002, Jay and Kelly joined forces for their collaborative album Best of Both Worlds. The joint effort arrived in the months following Aaliyah’s untimely death. Dash, however, strongly opposed the project and even claims his former business partner was aware of Kelly’s alleged abuse of Aaliyah.
“If you remember The Best of Both Worlds, you don’t see my name on that. I never wanted no parts of that,” he explains. “So, when [sic] Jay Z was doing that s*** I was like ‘Bro, you know how homie violated and he violated my girl. He violated a friend of yours.”
While Dame refused to be credited on the album, he claims to have donated the profits he earned from it to a breast cancer awareness organization which Aaliyah supported.