In a recent episode on his Nu America platform, Dame Dash addressed a burning question that’s been circling for years: why did he appear in R. Kelly and Jay-Z’s “Fiesta” video, knowing R. Kelly’s history with Aaliyah? The hip-hop mogul gave a direct response after Baller Alert slid into his DMs, pressing him for an answer. Dash didn’t hold back and explained that while he was at the shoot, he made sure to keep his distance from R. Kelly due to his relationship with Aaliyah and the pain she had endured.
Dame Dash kicked off his explanation by pointing out that he has answered this question before, but wanted to clear the air again since it keeps coming up. “Baller Alert hit me up and asked about it, so I’m going to answer it again,” he began, acknowledging the curiosity people have about his involvement in the video.
Dash explained that he was upfront with Aaliyah about Jay-Z’s ongoing work with R. Kelly, and how it made him uncomfortable given what he, and much of the music industry, already knew about the R&B singer’s troubling behavior.
“I didn’t want any part of it, and I told them I don’t want a dollar from it,” he said, confirming that he had no financial interest in the projects Jay-Z was doing with R. Kelly at the time.
Dash revealed that Aaliyah was aware of the situation but didn’t want to make waves. “Her exact words to me were, ‘I don’t want to start any trouble. I just want to heal and get as far away from it as possible,’” he said. Dash explained that Aaliyah’s desire to move on and avoid unnecessary attention led him to make the decision to participate in the video—but with strict boundaries.
“She asked me not to be in any scenes with [R. Kelly] or take any pictures with him, and I respected that,” Dash said. His main concern was keeping Aaliyah’s wishes at the forefront and not bringing unnecessary attention to something she was trying to move past.
When it came time to film the “Fiesta” video, Dame Dash stayed true to his word and Aaliyah’s request. “I stayed in the trailer when they shot scenes with R. Kelly,” he shared. “I did my shots with Jay, but I wasn’t in any scenes with R. Kelly, and you’ll never see me in a picture with him.”
Despite his appearance in the video, Dame Dash made it clear that he maintained his distance from R. Kelly and did not condone working with him. He emphasized that he was there strictly to support Jay-Z, not to endorse R. Kelly in any way.
Dame Dash wrapped up his response by saying that people can believe what they want, but this is the truth. He stood by Aaliyah’s side and her wishes to not make a bigger issue out of something so painful. While his appearance in the video may have raised eyebrows, Dash hopes this explanation clears up any lingering questions about his involvement.
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Dame is full of Sugar Honey Ice Tea and himself. He could have just not been in the video period!