Image via Complex Original
Earlier this week, Dame Dash gave one of the best interviews of his career on The Combat Jack Show. Hearing him get animated about life experiences, money, friends, failure, and success got us all nostalgic. It was only some years ago when it seemed like Dame was in the media doing this sort of thing all the time. Every one of his moments on camera or in the booth always felt a little surreal, and there's still no executive in hip-hop who handles business the way that Dame once did. For a better understanding of his past prowess and the knowledge he used to kick, read on for a quick breakdown of The 10 Best Dame Dash Rants.
RELATED: The 25 Best 50 Cent Rants
RELATED: The 10 Best Diddy Rants
RELATED: The 10 Best Kanye West Rants
Dame Gives Jay-Z a Birthday Toast at Rocafella
If you miss Rocafella and it's former band of leadership, this will be difficult to watch. In what now looks like ancient footage, Dame congratulates Jay-Z in front of MTV cameras, on his birthday. In the midst of acknowledging Hov's successes, he utters, "Jay is my best friend." Times have changed.
Dame Battles Bill O'Reilly on National TV
This has long been a classic clip. While Cam'ron's brash mockery made a viral smash, Dame's on-point logic is too often overlooked. Never before or since has O'Reilly been so effectively humiliated.
Dame Goes Berserk on the Def Jam Staff
Apparently, record label Def Jam had called a meeting concerning Jay-Z and his partner Dame Dash wasn't invited. Dame didn't take too kindly to this and reamed out a few staff members, spewing the now famous line, "You don't know shit about my culture!"
Dames Introduces the World to Kanye West on "Champions"
"This the producer on the ROC. He rap better than most rappers." When "Champions" dropped in 2002, no one could have predicted that Kanye West would be the biggest rapper out just a few years later, but Dame's emphatic co-sign put him in a position to do so from day one. Even when Freeway spits, Dame follows up with, "I got niggas that'll assassinate you, b. Lyrically!"
Dame Says He Wants to Be a Billionaire on 60 Minutes
Rocafella had become an unprecedented rap empire by 2002, and despite hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, Dame wanted more—and he made that clear in this interview with CBS news program 60 Minutes.
Dame Tells Kevin Liles "We Are Not Equal Partners"
Def Jam gave Rocafella artists custom jackets on the Hard Knock Life tour. It may have seemed like a kind gesture, but Dame viewed it as subversive promotion, mostly because of extremely prominent Def Jam logo placement. In this clip, he expresses his frustrations to then-President Kevin Liles, and explains Rocafella's independent mentality. He felt Def Jam was only there to "cut the checks."
Dame Gets Cam'ron and Jim Jones to Rap His Life Story on "I Am Dame Dash"
The Paid in Full soundtrack came with a separate Dream Team disc of original Rocafella material. One of the highlights is "I Am Dame Dash," where Cam'ron and Jim Jones rhyme about Dame's hustler past, while Dame himself talks shit in between the verses. "I can't rap!" he exclaims, and it's cool, because he can rant.
Dame Recalls the Time Biggie Smoked 60 Blunts in the Studio
Although he didn't smoke at the time, Dame was present when The Notorious B.I.G. recorded "Brooklyn's Finest" with Jay-Z. Here, he gleefully reminisces on Big Poppa's superhuman marijuana intake.
Dame Addresses Jay-Z and Cam'ron's Beef
This is when you could tell that the Rocafella foundation was beginning to crumble. Jay-Z and Cam'ron were at odds, and Dame maintained a neutral position, showing both artists respect. He makes good points and justifies his standing, but that didn't take the label's detoriating relationships off thin ice.
Dames Preaches to Rocafella About Teamwork
In this clip from tour documentary Backstage, Dame lectures his team about the importance of working together, and the small details that can either lead a collective to failure or success. It's a fascinating watch, and his passion is on full display. A young DJ Clue can be seen taking it all in. Unfortunately, it's ironic how events played out with the ROC, even with Dame's understanding of teamwork.