A music producer, record executive, film director, and entrepreneur, Damon Dash is a hip-hop mogul from New York City. He is widely known for founding Roc-A-Fella Records alongside Jay-Z and Kareem Burke.

Born in 1971, Dash got his official start in the music industry in the 1990s when he produced Original Flavor’s first album. He soon met Jay-Z, later organizing a $19 million tour for the rapper in 1999. Along with Kareem Burke, the three found considerable success leading Roc-A-Fella Records and Rocawear. Dash is specifically responsible for major business acquisitions like Armadale Vodka, recruiting Naomi Campbell as a Rocawear model, and the label’s signing of rapper Cam’ron. Dash and Jay-Z parted ways after the label was acquired by Def Jam Recordings in 2005.

Dash has since started his own label, the Damon Dash Music Group. He founded DD172, a media collective that manages a magazine, web design firm, art gallery, and more. As head of BluRoc records, he recently produced tracks for The Black Keys, Curren$y, and Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham. A widely recognized icon of rap music, Dash and his son have starred in dozens of episodes of the television series Growing Up Hip Hop. He also has credits as a producer, director, actor, and writer on countless projects. Dash remains close with numerous superstars like Kanye West and continues to be a widely recognized talent across all music genres.