To speak on behalf of Damon Dash and for some reason, I really appreciate what he has to say. You know, I can't say I've ever been a fan of Dame but I've never not be a fan either. In my mind, Dame was just there, poppin bottles in Jay's videos. But when you stop and really think about it, I mean really think about it, Damon Dash is more than the reason why Jay even had videos to be in. No, he isn't responsible for Jay-z's skill or talent BUT if it weren't for Dame hustlin to make sure HIS artist was heard....who knows, you know?
I say all this because recently, the Net has been laughin at Dame and the fact that his wife of four years is divorcing him and that he is having tax issues and serious financial woes. Basically saying that Jay-z was more than lucky to get out when he did (and it is kind of clear that he was) and he's a mazillionaire while Dame is scrippin and scrappin and losin it all. I just think it is interesting how we all forget sometimes...or how we immediately label someone a loser...someone who managed to figure out how to build an empire and then make a few mistakes (as we all do). I, for one, hope he makes a ree-diculous come back. I dunno...I have a thing for the underdogs...
Anyway, I just appreciated Russell's support of his friend Damon Dash.
Ain’t No Nigga Like..Dame Dash
Hip-Hop Chronicles: A Blog by Russell Simmons
Sitting in the audience last night at the crowded 37th Street Arts
Theater in NYC, I witnessed another great Damon Dash contribution, one
that takes hip-hop culture to another significant level of
accomplishment.
Sony Entertainment and Damon Dash produced the “Hip-Hop Monologues:
Inside the Life and Mind of Jim Jones.” It’s a fantastic show that
portrays the evolution of hip-hop through the life of Jim Jones.
I have to say: Damon Dash is a hip-hop genius who should never be……underestimated. I have watched Dame’s growth, development andentrepreneurship over the years, not from a distance, but through first hand observation. He was one of the creative forces behind Roc-A-Fella Records, the architect of Rocawear Fashions, he made
significant, culturally relevant movies with Dash Films and has made
other creative cultural statements through Dash Enterprises. And
another great note… He spent a small fortune developing a major
talent and women’s brand through supporting his wife to the hilt !!
In our early days, Lyor Cohen and I used to shout at Damon. And Damon
would shout back. Then we would hug and go handle our business That
was our way of communicating. Eventually, Lyor got older and I did
more yoga and we both stopped shouting so much . Dame eventually made
a few bad choices and a few things went sour. We know haters love a
man who’s been hot to catch a lil cold. Hate spreads. But like Tony
Montana said “Two Quaaludes ….. And they gonna love him again.”
So haters, it really doesn’t matter about your blogs from the
sidelines. Dame’s gonna help heat the economy again!! But if he
got hit by a truck today remember this: Dame’s a giver by nature.
That’s why he has already received so much. He was the business
leader, the Architect, and one of the creative forces that built
Roc-A-Fella Records into an empire. I remember that it was Damon who
came to my office, after we signed Jay-Z to be on The Nutty Professor
soundtrack, with a bag of cash ready to put his money where his mouth
was. :-). But the record “Ain’t No Nigga…” didn’t need his cash
(hit from The Nutty Professor). It was a masterpiece and so was his
artist. Jay-Z: the greatest rapper of all time. I saw countless
displays of vision and faith all the way up to and beyond his struggle
to convince everyone, when no one else believed him, of the artistry
and the genius of Kanye West.
In order to succeed in this business you need to have both a business
sense and great creative instincts (The latter is intuitive and
cannot be learned). Damon has, once again, proven that he is a great
innovator with amazing vision.
So now he is helping Jim Jones in a powerful manner that combines
their collective experiences around being born and raised in Harlem by
taking the culture to the 37th Street Theater, off-Broadway in New
York City, with a live hip-hop band, dance, multimedia and the
dynamics of theatrical stage presentations focusing on the struggles
of life through the lens of hip-hop. I have two pieces of advice: 1)
respect Dame’s gangster 2) go see the play immediately.
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