What Is Damon Dash's Net Worth?
Damon Dash is an American record producer, entrepreneur, and music executive who has a net worth of $100 thousand. Unlike his one-time partner Jay-Z, who today is a billionaire, Damon Dash has experienced a number of reported financial issues in recent years. In late 2019, Damon told a New York judge that he was too broke to pay child support, with most of his income being garnished by a variety of creditors. In September 2024, Damon complained that Jay-Z was sabotaging an auction for Dash's share of the album "Reasonable Doubt," and as a result he would be less likely to pay the roughly $130,000 in child support and millions in back taxes he owes to the state of New York and IRS. We'll detail his history of financial situations throughout this article.
Damon Dash is probably most famous for co-founding the music label Roc-A-Fella Records. Dash co-founded Roc-A-Fella with rapper Jay Z. He also co-founded two clothing lines, including Rocawear with Jay-Z. Rocawear eventually became a highly lucrative brand that was sold for hundreds of millions of dollars. When business was booming, Damon used his clout to branch into several other industries and businesses. Damon dipped into film production, marketing, merchandise, and talent management. His film company produced a number of noteworthy films, including "The Woodsman," which starred Kevin Bacon, and "Paid in Full," which starred Mekhi Phifer.
Financial Problems
In 2014, Dash was ordered to pay Linda Williams, the mother of his son Boogie, $50,000 for causing her to be prosecuted on harassment charges in 2009. In August 2015, it was reported that Damon owed $4.14 million in back taxes to the state of New York.
During his divorce proceedings from Rachel Roy, Damon revealed to a judge that he owed $2 million in back taxes and was in the midst of foreclosure on two New York City apartments. He was also being sued by several NYC law firms and various other creditors for lack of payment. His Chevy Tahoe had been repossessed after he could not keep up with the $700 monthly payments. Dash was forced to vacate his $9 million Tribeca, New York home, which was later sold in foreclosure for $5.5 million.
In September 2019, Dash petitioned a court to end his child support payments to Roy. During the original divorce proceedings, he agreed to pay Roy $6,000 per month in child support that would extend beyond when their two daughters turned 18. In his court filing, Damon claimed that in 2018, he earned a total of $56,000, while Rachel supposedly earned more than $500,000.
In March 2019, Dash was ordered to pay Rachel Roy $341,991 and $25,000 for attorney fees.
In November 2019, Dash was arrested for failing to pay $400,000 in child support. He reportedly paid more than $1 million to be released. Later that month, Damon filed legal docs claiming he was broke again and could not afford to pay a $2,400 personal debt. This time, he claimed his only source of income was his own business, which was making zero profit. He further revealed that he received $2 million from producer Lee Daniels as part of a lawsuit settlement but the money was garnished by creditors.
In January 2024, Damon was back in court once again to seek a reduction in his child support obligations. According to his filing, he only made a total of $5,140 in the previous year and, at most, could only afford a monthly support payment of $430.
Roc-A-Fella Share Auction
Through the years and his various controversies, Damon never sold his 33.3% stake in Roc-A-Fella Records. In July 2024 it was revealed that his stake would be auctioned by the U.S. Marshall's service to satisfy an $800,000 civil judgment related to a copyright and defamation case won by a film director in 2022. Roc-A-Fella Records still owns the rights to Jay-Z's "Reasonable Doubt," album. The auction documents list that album as the company's biggest asset. The minimum bid for Dash's 33.3% stake is $1.2 million.
In September 2024, Damon took to social media to complain that Jay had sabotaged the auction and caused the potential value of his 33.3% stake to plummet. As a result, he would be less likely to be able to afford to pay of the roughly $130,000 he owes in child support and million he owes in back taxes. Even the New York City department of Social Services stepped in to complain about Jay, and insisted that whoever buys the rights will own them through 2098, not 2031 as some had implied online.
(Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Damon Dash Studios)
Legal Issues
In 2012, rapper Curren$y sued Dash for $1.5 million, accusing him of releasing music without his permission. Dash's attorney put out a statement that the music was released legally and by the book.
In June of 2022, a lawsuit was settled between former Roc-A-Fella Records label owners Jay-Z and Damon Dash that claimed Dash was planning to sell his percentage of ownership of the record label's first album, "Reasonable Doubt," as an NFT. The year prior, Jay-Z placed a restraining order to prevent Damon's attempt.
In early 2023, Dash was mostly cleared of a sexual assault allegation by a federal jury. Monique Bunn sued him in 2019 on counts that he touched her inappropriately while she was sleeping at his house during a video shoot. The lawsuit originally sought tens of millions of dollars, but jurors awarded Bunn $30,000 in damages after not finding Dash liable.
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Early Life
Damon Dash was born Damon Anthony Dash on May 3, 1971, in Harlem, New York. Dash attended private schools in New York and recognized his musical calling at an early age. As a teenager, he would sweep floors at a local barbershop and work as a newspaper salesman in order to afford sneakers and t-shirts. In his own words, Damon "learned to hustle" from his mother, who unfortunately died of an asthma attack when he was just 15.
Career
Dash co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records with rapper Jay-Z. Dash worked as Jay-Z's business partner at Roc-A-Fella Records, as well as serving as his former manager. In 1999, Dash organized a tour for Jay-Z that raked in $19 million. As Roc-A-Fella Records skyrocketed in popularity, Damon saw his net worth rise to an all-time peak of $50 million. Unfortunately, the good times did not last forever. Jay-Z and Damon's relationship soured after Roc-A-Fella Records was bought by Def Jam Recordings in 2004. Jay-Z subsequently agreed to take the job of president of Def Jam. In late 2005, Jay-Z bought Dash out of his stake in Rocawear. Their relationship was officially rendered over because of these events.
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Other Ventures
His success as a record producer led him to branch out into other fields where he also enjoyed much success. He founded two clothing lines, including Rocawear with Jay-Z, a highly lucrative brand that was eventually sold for hundreds of millions of dollars. When business was booming, Damon used his clout to branch into several other industries and businesses. He eventually branched out into film production, marketing, merchandise, and talent management. His film company produced a number of noteworthy films, including "The Woodsman" and "Paid in Full." Dash has appeared in both films, as well, although he served primarily as a producer. Damon also founded DD172, a media collective that includes a magazine, "American Nu," a web design firm called VNGRD79, an art gallery, and a record label division, BlueRoc Records.
Relationships
Damon was in a relationship with R&B singer Aaliyah from 2000 until her death in August 2001 by plane crash. The couple was not formally engaged, but Dash has stated in interviews that the couple had plans to marry. Damon was married to Rachel Roy from 2005 to 2009. He met Rachel when she was working as an intern at Rocawear. They had two daughters together, Ava Dash (born in 1999) and Tallulah Dash (born in 2008). Their daughters led to a bitter custody battle when the couple divorced in 2009. Roy accused Dash of domestic abuse and was awarded sole custody as well as a three-year restraining order and significant financial support.
Dash also has a son, Dame "Boogie" Dash, born in 1991. He shares his son with his former girlfriend, Linda Williams. Boogie stars in "Growing Up Hip Hop," a reality show on WE tv.
Dash and his fiancée, film producer Raquel Horn, have a son together; Dusko Dash was born on November 14, 2020.
