Hip-hop mogul and Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder Damon Dash is set to jettison a big piece of his cradle-to-grave creation empire. After a court approved the settlement of a long-simmering financial dispute, Dash's one-time business and movie empire is due to go on the auction block.
The man who helped put Roc-A-Fella on the map and gave us grimy street dramas like State Property has to auction off key parts of his career. Right at the heart of this high-profile drama is a multimillion-dollar debt to filmmaker Josh Webber. The court has given the go-ahead for the public sale of his property after a labyrinth of litigation that included a whopping $4 million default judgment against Dash in a 2025 defamation suit.
At the top of the list is the cult classic 2002's State Property, a staple in any early 2000s cult hip-hop cinema collection. The movie featured Beanie Sigel, Freeway, and JAY-Z captured a moment. For many of its fans, it's not just a movie but a cultural time capsule.
The court-ordered auction consists of Dash's entire interest in Dash Films Inc. and his stakes in Bluroc LLC and Blakroc LLC music-related projects. Dash has had these companies in place since his tenure with the Roc-A-Fella royal family ended through his unhostile yet untidy divorce. His production, Poppington LLC, is also on the list. Less heralded, Poppington also has claims on indie fare like "Honor Up" (2018), "Too Honorable" (2017), and "We Went To…China" (2018) are all up for sale.
These aren't the first times Dash has been hit in recent months. In December 2024, he sold off his one-third share of Roc-A-Fella Records to help pay off mounting debts. But even though that sale has not been enough to cover the whole tab, there is a new court action.
Dash and Webber had consented to the auction, proving a rare instance of the two reaching common ground amidst their bitter courtroom feud. However, the auction date remains to be determined as industry watchers and thoughtful fans look on to see who will pony up for a piece of hip-hop history.
Damon Dash, the impresario, the mogul, the powerful businessman who built an empire on blunt vision and brash ambition, is embarking on an entirely different chapter. Whether this will be a cautionary tale or a disguised resurrection is still in doubt.
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