Welcome to a collection of insightful and thought-provoking quotes by Damon Dash. A trailblazer in the realms of hip-hop, fashion, and entrepreneurship, Damon Dash has left an indelible mark on popular culture. As a co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records alongside Jay-Z and Kareem Biggs Burke, Dash played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of the music industry in the late 1990s and early 2000s. His fearless attitude, relentless work ethic, and unwavering belief in his vision have made him an influential figure not only in the world of business but also in the realms of art, fashion, and film.
Throughout his career, Damon Dash has imparted wisdom and insights gleaned from his experiences as a maverick entrepreneur and creative visionary. His quotes encapsulate the essence of his philosophy, emphasizing the importance of independence, self-belief, and determination in the pursuit of success. Whether it’s navigating the complexities of the entertainment industry or forging new paths in business, Dash’s words resonate with aspiring entrepreneurs and creatives alike, serving as a source of inspiration and motivation. Explore the wisdom of Damon Dash below and harness the power of his words to fuel your own journey towards greatness.
I enjoy doing businesses without anyone’s help. Damon Dash
God does things and put certain things in front of you to see how strong you are. Damon Dash
I got cribs all over the place and offices all over the place, and sometimes I lose track of my stuff. Damon Dash
I’m never gonna owe money because every time I get a dollar, I put it into another business, whether it’s to buy goods or develop other companies. You don’t have money; you have companies. That’s one business model. That’s mine. And I only associate with other people that are putting up their own money, ’cause they’re the only ones that can relate. Damon Dash
First of all, how could I be broke, and I got all these companies? Damon Dash
I don’t see the reason for sugar coating anything. Damon Dash
The reason why Roc-A-Fella crossed and became so essential to pop culture is that we were probably the most authentic people that were also so sophisticated. Damon Dash
What I’ve been noticing with the milennials is that they’ll pay for quality. Damon Dash
I’m proud of Jay Z’s success and Kanye’s success. Inside, I feel like I had something to do with their success… I don’t have anything but positive things to say. Damon Dash
When you’re a business man, you have a lot of businesses, a lot of times they think you’re laundering money or you’re pretending you’re writing things off that you don’t. Damon Dash
If I have an accountant that just reports I just invested $10 million in my business, and he doesn’t exactly itemize where every cost goes, it gives a flag to the government. They want to make sure that the reason I’m not paying taxes is because I’m reinvesting in these businesses and not trying to hide stuff. Damon Dash
Fashion week is always going to be necessary, but it’s not going to be for everybody. Damon Dash
I try to get to the gym at least three to four times a week. Damon Dash
I had to architect my life where I could raise my children. Damon Dash
Work harder than everyone, be patient, and just know that if you’re going to do something on your own, you’re gonna have to feel some pain. Damon Dash
Freedom is priceless. Damon Dash
If you’re not talking about the truth, I don’t even want you around me. Damon Dash
There’s things that I see that I did on videos when I was younger that I be like, ‘Damn, I was bugging.’ Champagne Dame, that dude, he was bugging. I don’t even know that guy. Damon Dash
I love music, but the people in the music don’t wanna work. Damon Dash
I believe in therapy, and I believe an objective opinion sometimes helps you be a better person. Damon Dash
I’m gonna direct, like, a real movie. At least an hour and some change. Damon Dash
It’s very rare that a person, especially in his twenties and thirties, can do more than one business and do it well. Damon Dash
I’m not a complainer. Damon Dash
I want to be as creative as I want. I don’t ever want to have to compromise; I don’t ever want anybody ever to tell me what to do, I don’t ever want to argue with somebody because of my vision. Damon Dash
We not from Hollywood, so I’m not playing Hollywood’s game. Damon Dash
I work to go on vacation. Hopefully, the more money I make, my vacations will get a little longer to the point where they last a year. Damon Dash
I’m a businessman who puts up his own money, so I don’t have time to hear about emotion. I gotta get right to the point. I’m going to tell you the truth, I’m going to address the elephant in the room, and we’ll all move forward. Damon Dash
When my children look and ask about what I do, they know I’m the boss. Damon Dash
Being independent is everything. That’s all I know. Damon Dash
Every little thing I’ve done as an adult and as a young adult, I’ve done diabetic. Damon Dash
When I had daughters, I realized that I wouldn’t never do anything to a girl that I wouldn’t want done to my own daughter. Damon Dash
Just cause you don’t agree with a man, ’cause you’re black, don’t mean you gotta fight, argue. You just have a different perspective. Damon Dash
I’m knee-deep into fashion; I’m knee-deep into movies. Damon Dash
I never really considered myself super hip-hop, ever in life. I don’t think anything that I’ve done reflects that. Damon Dash
Everything that scared me is losing people I love, and everyone that I really love, as it relates to females, I’ve lost. So what it’s made me be is the animal that I am because I don’t want to sit down and think about the things that are hurting me, but, you know. Damon Dash
I have been diabetic since I was young. Damon Dash
Look at my life. I ain’t got nothing to be mad about. Damon Dash
I lost my girl a couple years back, Aaliyah, in a plane crash. I wasn’t expecting that, and also, my mother died, and at the time, my father wasn’t in my life; the only person that took care of me was my mom. Damon Dash
In urban culture, Larry Davis is something of a legend. Damon Dash
Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella were two equal entities under the Def Island umbrellas. Damon Dash
I don’t wanna be yelling all my life. How loud did I have to yell to say that Jay-Z was the man and the best rapper of all time? Damon Dash
You speak things into existence, but there’s a gift and a curse with that. You got to be careful what you say. Damon Dash
It’s incomprehensible for me to hear another dude talk about another’s dude’s pockets and have that matter and argue about that. Damon Dash
I know how cool I look when I look in the mirror. Damon Dash
Everyone I put in business, I must’ve taught them something. They all have reaped the benefits of it. A lot of them haven’t done right by me, but it’s all gravy. Damon Dash
I’m not a mogul; I’m a tycoon. Damon Dash
I work hard, so I surround myself with people that work just as hard. It’s important if you want to create a successful brand. Damon Dash
A real man won’t ask or answer questions about another man’s money. Damon Dash
No one’s taken anything from me. Damon Dash
A diabetic always wants to help another diabetic. Damon Dash
I think one of the most important things in evolving is forgiveness. Damon Dash
I enjoy business, being an entrepreneur on every level. I really enjoy it. Damon Dash
It’s important to be enlightened. Damon Dash
People have to listen to somebody speak, that the person that you’re listening to is saying the right stuff, and that’s all that really counts. Damon Dash
How can another man call another man boss? That’s like calling another man ‘Daddy.’ Damon Dash
I’m not one to be paying too much attention to what another dude’s doing. Damon Dash
I’m sick of talking about it. I wanna talk about something else. No more Jay Z questions. I answered them. Damon Dash
My thing is to have a good, profitable company, for it to be 100% owned independently. Damon Dash
My favorite record was the one I produced with Clark Kent. Damon Dash
It’s hard not to be confident when you put in business the biggest black male in comedy, Kevin Hart. I know I took him off a stage and put him in his first four movies. I know I did that. Damon Dash
I always approach logic without emotion. The math always equals the math. Regardless of whether I discovered the math before anyone else, or I just decided to accept it, I know what logically makes sense, and I’m going to speak on it every time. Damon Dash
The thing is, I have been diabetic, and I’ve been saying I’m diabetic; it’s just, people don’t write about it to showcase it or to bring awareness to it. So those are just the things that weren’t spoken about. And, just like everything else, I had to do it myself to be heard. Damon Dash
I fire lawyers frequently. Damon Dash
I grew up in a lot of different places. I always saw the bigger picture. I was around rich kids with country houses and private jets. No disrespect to those people, but I never thought they were super geniuses. I couldn’t see how I wasn’t going to have those things, too. Damon Dash
If you remember ‘The Best of Both Worlds,’ you don’t see my name on that… I never wanted no part of that. Damon Dash
I think that the better sign of an OG is when he’s happy that the person that he raised got bigger than him and in a position where they could help. Damon Dash
I become friendly with people I work with. Damon Dash
I think I’m extraordinarily motivated. Damon Dash
Number one, I am a true movie maker. And, you know, I am very much – I don’t want to say infatuated, but I’m impressed with the art of making a movie and invoking emotion. You know, when I started making movies, I thought it was easy, and then when I got into it, I was like, ‘This is not easy at all.’ Damon Dash
If I can’t do things to the fullest, I don’t want to do it. Damon Dash
I might have companies, I might have buildings, I might have art. But money? No, I’m not holding that. Damon Dash
Those people are corny. You think I’m rolling to a club with Lyor Cohen or John Meneilly? Damon Dash
I’ve never tried to be accepted. When everyone is doing one thing, I’ve always had the instinct to go the other way. I don’t understand how an individual with their own mind, their own values, and their own beliefs can be so willing to just follow what everybody else is doing. How can you make history doing what everybody else is doing? Damon Dash
If I feel that somebody is hurting other people, then I’m going to make sure other people know – other people know about them. Damon Dash
I never had to ask Def Jam for anything. Damon Dash
You’re only the boss if you put up your own money. Damon Dash
I don’t like to be considered a ‘hip-hop mogul.’ I don’t know what that means. Damon Dash
I was in ‘Fiesta,’ but only because Aaliyah said she wanted me to do it that way. Damon Dash
If you give a bipolar man a mic, I don’t know what you expect. Damon Dash
I always knew that content was the best way to sell things, but my thing was, why sell other people’s stuff if I have a point of view? Damon Dash
I don’t complain about other people’s game – I just create my own. Damon Dash
I’m an authentic person: I can talk about diabetes and how it affects you because I’m actually diabetic, and I know how much help a person needs, whether it’s support physically or just understanding and being conscious of what diabetes really is. Damon Dash
It’s important for people to believe in themselves. Damon Dash
I think Jay-Z is probably my best student, and I can say that he listens, and that’s what always made him special. Damon Dash
Lee Daniels, even though he owes me $2 million, I picked that. I put him in business. Damon Dash
The worst disrespect of all time is to disrespect someone’s children. Damon Dash
It’s funny: when the press knows someone’s gonna say something stupid, they’re quick to pass them a mic and put a camera on them, and everybody talk about it. Damon Dash
You do something when you’re 20, and you’re still paying for it when you’re 40. Damon Dash
A ‘Roc-A-Fella purist’ is me. Damon Dash
If somebody asks you the same questions 25 times, maybe 2,500 times, do you still want to talk about the same thing? Damon Dash
I don’t think my success or me having the opportunity to have success is from our generation. I think it’s from the generations before us. I think it’s the fact that people like Martin Luther King and Medgar Evers and people like that fought for us to have the freedom to do and say what we want and have the opportunity to make money. Damon Dash
‘Hustle & Flow’ came out, and I was really rooting for ‘Hustle & Flow’ because, you know, it was a hip-hop movie, and it was a good movie. It was well acted. Damon Dash
I monetized my life so I never do anything that I don’t like or that I’m not participating in 100 percent. Damon Dash
I don’t believe in bullying in any form, but especially not on my children. Damon Dash
I’m a true businessman. Damon Dash
My delivery can be intense, but it’s intense because I need to be heard. I know that people don’t usually listen, as it relates to constructive criticism, without getting offended. So, I speak my mind with an attitude that I don’t care if you get offended; I just want you to get the message. Damon Dash
When I was young, I read the Bible, and I already knew what it meant to be the good guy – and look what happened to Jesus. So, I already understood that you get ridiculed for telling the truth, and I’ve always been aware of that. But, I’m a guy with confidence, and I’m not afraid. Damon Dash
Part of keeping work and life in balance is surrounding yourself with people that have similar aspirations. Damon Dash
Big shout out to Nas: if you want to scream my name out again and put my name in your rhyme, I think it’s funny. Let’s make some money from it. Just don’t take it so serious, man. Damon Dash
There’s certain lines you just don’t cross. You know the one thing that will get a man out of pocket is when you mess with his children. Damon Dash
