Over the years, hip hop enthusiasts have witnessed Dame Dash evolve from street hustler to corporate businessman and independent media mogul leveraging millions of dollars in business assets.
The sunrise of his entrepreneurial career painted him as a tough-talking, straight-shooter with no filter, and that would sometimes create chatter in industry circles. Stories of his Roc-A-Fella Records reign, such as the time he interrupted a Def Jam Records meeting regarding his artist in which he was excluded, will forever be embedded in the history of hip hop.
Nowadays, Dash is more occupied with pursuing his interests while keeping his peace over being involved in the constant drama of today’s pipeline of entertainment. He made that very clear in an interview with Comedy Hype’s HYPE+ when he was continuously prompted to share his opinion on other people’s choices.
The interviewer inquired about NFL star Deion Sanders leaving the historically Black university Jackson State University to coach at the University of Colorado – Boulder, a predominately White institution (PWI), to which Dash replied, “I don’t want to talk about other people.”
The response is quite contrary to the latest trend that has been dominating social media as of late. The oversaturated market of podcasting has created a platform for “chatty patties” to misuse and abuse the medium.
While there are many edifying podcasts that serve a greater purpose — Earn Your Leisure and Jay Shetty Podcast are great examples — there are several more that thrive on click bait, stirring controversy, and unwarranted hyper-criticism of others with intent to shape public opinion.
Dash sees things clearly, calling the culture of gossip “catty” and “corny,” although he doesn’t claim to be perfect. He admits he will deliver an opinion if he knows the facts of the situation or had a personal experience with the person, but gossiping to tear down others is not his first inclination.
Dash reiterates, “That’s not the vibration that I’m on. All of that s—, I think that’s corny. I only talk about me and people that I have an experience with. I’m not in the industry of that. I’m not knocking anybody else, but that’s not me.”
The tone of the interview changed quickly as the interviewer asked Dash what he would advise for Black America or those trying to figure out their path. Back in his element, Dash had some words of wisdom earned from real-life experience.
“Don’t worry about bubble gum s—. Don’t let money make you compromise your integrity or values,” he continued. “Don’t pay attention to the distractions, the negative bulls— and what other people are doing ‘cause none of that s— matters.”
Watch the Learning Moment Below:
