Damon Dash

Damon Dash is an American entrepreneur and record executive who made his name in music and media. Born in New York City, he launched Roc-A-Fella Records with Jay-Z and Kareem Burke in 1994 and managed Jay-Z at the label. He also co-founded the fashion retailer Rocawear with Jay-Z in 1999. Def Jam Recordings bought Roc-A-Fella Records in 2004, and Jay-Z bought out Dash's Rocawear stake in 2005. Dash also founded and runs labels including Damon Dash Music Group, BluRoc Records and BlakRoc LLC. He started DD172, a media collective with a magazine, a web design firm, a record label and an art gallery, and in 2014 he was involved with a fingerprint payment application called Blind Debit. He released the album Culture Vultures (Audio Experience) with Kenyatta Griggs in 2018, and his rock band The Black Guns put out 365 with rapper Freeway in 2025. He hosted the BET documentary series OG Stories.