Damon “Dame” Dash is an American record producer, entrepreneur, and music executive whose finances have shifted dramatically from the peak of his Roc-A-Fella years. As of 2025, multiple court filings and reports place his net worth at negative $25 million, reflecting heavy tax liabilities, legal judgments, and support arrears that outweigh his assets. In September 2025, he filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Florida, listing more than $25 million in debts and roughly $4,300 in personal assets, which frames the current state of his wealth with stark clarity.
Early Life and Age
Damon Anthony Dash was born on May 3, 1971, in Harlem, New York, which makes him 54 years old in 2025. He attended private schools but learned early to hustle, sweeping floors in a barbershop and selling newspapers to buy sneakers and clothes. His mother passed away from an asthma attack when he was 15, a loss he has said pushed him to build his own path and trust his instincts.
Rise with Roc-A-Fella and the Business Peak
Dash co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records in 1995 with Jay-Z and Kareem “Biggs” Burke. He helped steer the launch of Jay-Z’s 1996 debut “Reasonable Doubt” and produced the hugely successful Hard Knock Life tour in 1999, which grossed about 19 million dollars. Under the Roc-A-Fella umbrella, he pushed aggressive marketing and A&R that brought in artists such as Beanie Sigel, Cam’ron, and later Kanye West. He also branched into fashion with Jay-Z through Rocawear, which grew into a blockbuster streetwear brand and was eventually sold to Iconix Brand Group for 204 million dollars in 2007. During the early 2000s, estimates often placed Dash’s personal fortune near 50 million dollars, fueled by label profits, touring, merchandise, and film ventures like “Paid in Full” and “State Property.”
The Break with Jay-Z and Long Slide
The partnership began to fracture after Def Jam bought into the label and Jay-Z took the Def Jam presidency in 2004. By 2005, Jay-Z acquired Dash’s stake in Rocawear, and the two fully parted ways in business. Dash continued to create projects across film, fashion, art, and digital media, but most ventures struggled to match his earlier run. Over time he was pulled into a thicket of lawsuits, tax liens, foreclosures, and support disputes, which chipped away at his assets and cash flow.
Financial Problems That Shaped Today’s Net Worth
From the mid-2010s onward, the court docket told a steady story of strain. In 2014, a judge ordered him to pay 50,000 dollars to Linda Williams, the mother of his son Boogie. In 2015, reports surfaced that he owed about 4.14 million dollars to New York State in back taxes. During his divorce from Rachel Roy, he disclosed 2 million dollars in tax debt and pending foreclosures on two New York apartments. His Tribeca home reportedly sold in foreclosure for 5.5 million dollars, and his Chevy Tahoe was repossessed after missed 700 dollar payments.
In 2019, he petitioned to end child support obligations to Roy, saying he earned 56,000 dollars in 2018 while she earned more than 500,000 dollars. That same year he was arrested for failing to pay 400,000 dollars in support and later said a 2 million dollar settlement from producer Lee Daniels was largely garnished by creditors. In early 2024, he sought a child support reduction again and reported only 5,140 dollars in income for the prior year, stating he could afford at most 430 dollars per month.
The 2025 Bankruptcy Filing
In September 2025, Dash filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Florida and listed more than 25 million dollars in debt against about 4,350 dollars in personal assets. The petition broke down the debts into several buckets. Reported tax liabilities neared 19 million dollars combined across the IRS and several states. Domestic support arrears exceeded 650,000 dollars, including obligations tied to ex-wife Rachel Roy and to the mothers of his sons, with roughly 487,000 dollars flagged by the New York City Department of Social Services. Legal judgments and lawsuit debts surpassed 5 million dollars, led by about 4.8 million dollars owed to filmmaker Josh Webber after disputes tied to the film Dear Frank and a defamation case. Additional unsecured debts pushed the total higher through miscellaneous suits, fees, and business liabilities.
The Roc-A-Fella Stake and Auction Saga
One of the most closely watched pieces of the puzzle has been Dash’s 33.3 percent stake in Roc-A-Fella Records, which still owns rights to Jay-Z’s “Reasonable Doubt.” In July 2024, the U.S. Marshals announced plans to auction his stake to satisfy an 800,000 dollar civil judgment, with a minimum bid of 1.2 million dollars. In September 2024, Dash publicly criticized Jay-Z and said the auction’s value had been undermined. There were also public statements from New York City’s social services office focused on ensuring any transfer of rights would be recognized through 2098, not 2031, clarifying a point that had circulated online. The fate and final value of that stake remain pivotal to any recovery, but the bankruptcy filing underscores how liabilities still dominate the ledger.
Legal Disputes and Recent Outcomes
Dash has been a frequent litigant. A lawsuit with Jay-Z in 2021 and 2022 over an attempted NFT sale of “Reasonable Doubt” concluded with restrictions on any such sale. In early 2023, a federal jury mostly cleared him of a sexual assault claim by photographer Monique Bunn, awarding her 30,000 dollars in defamation damages rather than the larger sums initially sought. While not a total vindication, the verdict reduced exposure compared to the original claims.
Family, Relationships, and Current Life
Dash has four children. He shares daughters Ava (born 1999) and Tallulah (born 2008) with fashion designer Rachel Roy, whom he married in 2005 and divorced in 2009. He has a son, Damon “Boogie” Dash (born 1991), with Linda Williams, known from the reality show “Growing Up Hip Hop.” In 2020, Dash and his fiancée, producer Raquel Horn, welcomed a son, Dusko. The family chapters are often intertwined with the financial ones, since support obligations and custody matters have shaped his cash flows.
Where His Net Worth Stands Today
Taking the 2025 bankruptcy filing at face value, Damon Dash’s net worth is approximately negative 25 million dollars. That figure reflects the gap between his assets and liabilities, and it tracks with a decade of filings that show shrinking income against growing obligations. His legacy in hip hop and fashion is secure, but the financial picture is defined by taxes, judgments, and support arrears that dwarf remaining assets. Whether asset sales such as the Roc-A-Fella stake can narrow the deficit is still uncertain.
