DAME DASH HARLEMS FALLEN HERO From beingexiled from the roc, the rachel roy breakup, $3 mil in tax debt, the closing of dd172 gallery, and now the curren$y lawsuit... dame dash continues to grind
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amon Dash has hit rock bottom. The former rap mogul that once identified his net worth at “roughly $50 million” is beyond broke as evidenced by the multiple lawsuits and failed businesses that have been exposed to the public eye. The shocking developments have been highlighted by the recent, March 24, 2009 divorce filings masterminded by estranged wife Rachel Roy. The rapid collapse of “Big Pimpin’” was precipitated by Dame’s outrageous rift with rap mogul Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter. Indeed, Damon Dash, 37, has come a long way from poppin’ bottles of Cristal at the Roc-A-Fella Records video set, peddling Rocawear clothes, moving ProKeds footwear, and pitching crates of Armadale topshelf vodka into Manhattan’s divorce and bankruptcy courts.
Dame Dash owes $2+ million in back taxes to the State of New York, is undergoing foreclosure upon two New York City condominiums carrying monthly mortgages of $80,000, is being sued by multiple law firms and landlords as a deadbeat, and must deal with the abject embarrassment of the repossession of his Chevrolet Tahoe for failure to remit the $714.99 monthly payment. The former mogul is flat broke - 2 short years after his grandstanding 2006 New York Magazine piece detailing a whimsically pompous lifestyle of 1,300 different pairs of shoes, a $400,000 Maybach, butlers, cooks, multiple personal assistants, and onceworn articles of clothing that have been boxed up for donation. Dash had cordoned off the entire top level of his home for said wardrobe - refusing to even wear his own socks twice before distributing hoards of garments to the less fortunate. Says Dash: “That way, somebody gets to own basically new stuff and I get to be fly.” The Damon Dash saga has been marred with ill timed ventures into hip hop clothing lines such as State Property prison-like wear, kids gym shoes featuring fruity aroma themed soles, and a stable of rappers including Kanye West, Memphis Bleek, and Young Gunz that jumped ship - pledging allegiance to Jay after the Damon Dash / Shawn Carter alliance dissolved. Of course, fashionista Rachel Roy has proceeded to serve Dash with divorce papers after the former mogul helped launch her own eponymous collection of women’s clothing. Roy’s divorce suit, filed in March 2009 is seeking “non monetary relief” from Dash. The couple married in Mexico in 2005 after
forging a relationship together while Rachel Roy worked as a stylist at Rocawear. Roy, of Indian, and Dutch descent has mothered two of Mr. Dash’s four children. The beautiful woman is equally notable per her graceful looks, style, and designer label as she is recognized as “the wife of Damon Dash.” Rachel Roy’s filing marks the third wellpublicized fractured relationship of this tragic hero. The other two being the untimely, unfortunate death of romantic interest Aaliyah and the bitter power struggle pitting Damon Dash against Jay-Z that turned these two long time confidantes into adversaries. Is Jay-Z to Blame for the Demise of Damon Dash? No. Def Jam bought out Roc-A-Fella’s Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, Damon Dash, and silent partner Kareem “Biggs” Burke 50% interest for $10 million in 2004. The dealings occurred shortly prior to Jigga buying out Dash’s RocA-Wear clothing stake for $20 million in 2005. The pair, along with silent partner Kareem Burke had built Roc-A-Fella Records from a fledgeling 1996 label selling compact discs out of the trunks of automobiles into a sweeping empire that was to dominate rap into the new millennium. Damon Dash is now on the outside looking in. Reportedly, Jay-Z offered to dismiss the entire caboodle for the rights to his classic Reasonable Doubt masters, alone. However, Damon Dash stubbornly refused the deal and Mr. Carter was henceforth named as President and CEO of the Def Jam rap monopoly that now owned Roc-A-Fella outright - ousting both Dash and Biggs. The swift moves were precipitated by years of infighting behind the scenes dealing with marketing strategies and the promotion of
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