Damon Dash bankruptcy

Photo Credit: Journalist Remi Jones with Damon Dash by Tamika West / CC by 4.0

The Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder said he has just $4,350 to his name and is filing for bankruptcy, with over $25 million in debt.

Music executive and entrepreneur Damon Dash, best known as the co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records, has filed for bankruptcy, claiming he’s more than $25 million in debt. The 54-year-old filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Florida last week, listing his total liabilities at $25.3 million. He claims his personal assets are worth just over $4,000.

In court documents, Dash listed his monthly income as $0 and said he does not own a house, a car, or any electronics aside from his $500 cell phone. He says his personal assets, including his phone, two guns, clothes, and $100 in cash, are worth just $4,350.

According to the court documents, Dash’s domestic support obligations are over $647,000. He owes hundreds of thousands to his ex-wife, Rachel Roy, with whom he shares daughters Ava (25) and Tallulah (17). He also owes money to Cindy Morales, the mother of his son Lucky (21), and to Linda Williams, the mother of his son Boogie (33). Dash also owes the government $19.1 million in taxes and other debts.

Dash co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records with Jay-Z and Kareem Burke in 1994. His court documents allege that he is owed a “possible” yet unknown amount from Burke.

The day he filed for bankruptcy, Dash shared a video on Instagram in which he discussed his health struggles while spending time with his 4-year-old son Dusko, whom he shares with fiancée Raquel Horn. “I just want to thank everyone that checked in on me,” he said, adding that he had recently undergone successful eye and dental surgeries. Dash posted a screenshot of a news headline about his filing for bankruptcy a day later.

Last year, Dash opened up about his financial struggles in an Instagram video in which he said he was “curious to see how it all rolls out.” In November 2024, the New York state government purchased Dash’s one-third share in Roc-A-Fella at auction for $1 million in an attempt to recoup some of the cash he owes in back taxes, according to the New York Post. According to the outlet, Dash was previously listed as the 27th-most tax-delinquent New York resident.