It's another sad love song for rap mogul Damon Dash. In addition to his past financial issues and lawsuits, the Roc-A-Fella Records and Rocawear co-founder has been smacked with divorce papers by his estranged wife, fashion designer Rachel Roy.
According to the New York Daily News, Roy has filed for divorce from her husband of four years in Manhattan Supreme Court.
Although Roy and Dash have yet to comment on the situation, the paper retrieved an electronic record of the case stating the divorce is for "non-monetary relief" and should be resolute by February.
2008 Deaths
Odetta Holmes
"The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement" was a singer, actress, guitarist, songwriter and activist.
December 31 1930 - December 2 2008.
Ray Tamarra , Getty
Bernie Mac
Comedian, Actor
Oct. 5, 1957 - Aug. 9, 2008.
AP
Isaac Hayes
Singer, songwriter, record producer, composer and actor.
August 20, 1942 - August 10, 2008
Reuters
Miriam Makeba, "Mama Africa"
South African folk singer and anti-apartheid activist.
March 4, 1932 - November 10, 2008.
Reuters
Jennifer Hudson's 57-year-old mother, Darnell Donerson, brother, Jason, and 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, were killed in 2008.
AP
Shakir Stewart
The Island Def Jam executive who became head of the legendary rap label following Jay-Z's departure, killed himself on Nov. 1. He was 34 years old.
Getty
George Carlin
Stand-up comedian, actor and author.
May 12, 1937 - June 22, 2008
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Madelyn Dunham
Barack Obama's grandmother
October 26, 1922 - Nov 3, 2008.
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Levi Stubbs
Oct. 17: The iconic lead singer, second from left, who gave voice to Four Tops classics like "Reach Out I'll Be There" and "Baby I Need Your Loving" died at 72 from complications of cancer and a stroke. Abdul Fakir, far left, is now the sole living member of the original quartet.
Corbis
Dee Dee Warwick
Oct. 18: The soul songstress died after months of declining health. Warwick, the sister of soul legend Dionne, also achieved a great deal of success, both as a solo artist as well as with her sister.
Corbis
Dash and Roy tied the knot in Mexico in 2005 and have two daughters.
As for Dash making a return to his former 'Big Pimpin' lifestyle, which included the hip-hop entrepreneur popping bottles of Cristal champagne topless in every Jay-Z video, he may want to reconsider his business plan.
Currently the 37-year-old owes $2 million in state taxes, faces foreclosure on his two New York City condos and is also being sued by law firms and landlords for not paying his bills, according to reports. He also reportedly had his Chevrolet Tahoe SUV seized last year for failure to pay the $714.99 monthly car note.
"He's broke, he got nothing left," a source told the newspaper.
For now, the marketing savvy mogul is keeping his head above water by producing Harlem rapper Jim Jones' off-Broadway play titled 'Hip-Hop Monologues.' While promoting the show in New York Magazine, Dash mentioned that he has big plans for his comeback. "When I come back, I'm gonna change the economy as well," he said.
Celebrity Money Problems
Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield may have been risen to the top in the boxing ring, but recent financial troubles have been brought him to his knees. His $10 million estate in Atlanta is under foreclosure, he owes another $550,000 to a Utah landscaping company who is suing, and if that isn't enough, one of his baby mommas is taking him back to court for missed child support payments, ranging from around $3,000 a month for one child. In 2003, courts came to the conclusion that Evander was making around $604,000 a month when stipulations for child support was being made.
Stephen Shugerman, Getty Images
This month, Ed McMahon, best known as the late Johnny Carson's sidekick and spokesman for Publishers Clearinghouse, appeared on Larry King Live explaining how he fell more than $600,000 behind in payments on his $4.8 million in mortgage. The comedy giant says he's hoping to avoid foreclosure on his multi-million dollar Beverly-Hills home, but that may be an uphill battle since medical problems have kept him from working.
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The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, found herself singing the blues when her claims 700,000 mansion in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan slipped into foreclosure. Her attorney claims it was all a mistake that occurred over $445 in 2005 taxes and late fees. Turns out the state may have been on to a delinquency trend because she now owes a total of $19,192 in back taxes on the property through 2007.
Jason Squire, WireImage.com
The Death Row Music label made legends out of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur but it's now up for sale. Why? Back in 2006, Founder Marion 'Suge' Knight filed for bankruptcy in the face of he a $107 Million judgement. In the court papers he filed in the case, he estimated his assets to be $50,000 or less with debts totaling more than $100 million.
Robert Mora, Getty Images
He may be best known for his hit "Can't Touch This" but Rapper/Singer M.C. Hammer was hit by a money crisis. The man who had no problem bringing hip-hop music mainstream ran into problems when he hired his close friends, making him responsible for a $500,000-a-month payroll. He also had a $30 million mansion combined with extravagant cars and even exotic animals. All of these things put the hammer down on Stanley Burrell's loot. He eventually lost it all, including some of the "friends" he tried to give a leg up.
Tina Fultz, ZUMA Press
Pint size child actor Gary Coleman whose famous for the line "what you talking about Willis?" is frequently found talking about his financial woes. It has been reported that chilhood star Gary Coleman was paid $1,500 per episode the first season of Different Stroke; that later went up to $20,000 , then $40,000, and as high as $70,000. He also made almost $18 million from his tv and movies work during the period Diff'rent Strokes was on the air (1978-1986). But, when Coleman reached adulthood he found that bad investments and lavish spending on the part of his parents, left him nearly penniless. Now, Gary Coleman has been selling various items on the Ebay including his autographed pants and a Saturn-model car.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rumors of the King of Pop's finances going bust have been swirling for years. Recently, his famed Neverland Ranch was even threatened by foreclosure but he received a last minute reprieve a given by Colony Capital, a private equity group, to whom he now owes $23 million. In 2006, he was forced to use his Beatles catalog as well as copyrights to his own songs, as collateral for roughly $270 million in bank loans. So, what happened to all the money the man who has been making music since 1975 made, lavish spending sprees, exotic animals and unusual purchases like a hyperbaric chamber are said to be to blame. He may have danced in a solution to his money problems. He may be slated to headline a show on the Vegas strip.
AP
"Iron" Mike Tyson isn't as strong financial as one would think after earning a reportedly earning some 300 million dollars in the boxing ring. Still, he KO'd his own financial future by declaring bankruptcy in 2003. He was also forced to sell the Connecticut mansion he shared with ex-wife Robin Givens, which was later purchased by Rapper 50 Cent. Tyson blamed his lavish spending and promoter Don King for his empty pockets.
Critics once said she had one of the clearest voices in music, but diva Whitney Houston his a sour note in 2006 when she came close to losing her $6 million, 10-acre New Jersey estate. The songstress reportedly owed thousands of dollars in back taxes. Then, in 2007, dozens of Houston's belongings were auctioned off bras, bustiers, and other props from her past tours, along with ah $400,000 see-through grand piano and her ex-husband Bobby Brown's grammy awards. The reason for the auction, she allegedly owed the storage company $200,000 in back rent.
Kevin Winter, Getty Images
Comments: (124)
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By: cannotbelievethis on 3/24/2009 8:29PM
Look, I think the time for hip-hop is over. It's just tired. The people who took the stage even two years ago, are either retired or in some sad cases, washed up or dead. Unfortunately, it didn't evolve from its gangsta, thug, anry-at-the-world message, into something more mainstream... actually some artists DID evolve and were nearly laughed off the stage. I feel sorry for Dash, who obviously did not plan for the deceleration of hip-hop, or eveidently, take any business courses in how to protect his money...
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By: Natasha on 3/24/2009 8:39PM
Hip hop over? Are you kidding me? Hip hop is here to stay, kids of all races and ethnicity's love and support hip hop. I'm sure every product you own is endorsed by a hip hop star so get over it. Dash mad poor financial choices, the same poor choices that athletes, businessmen and actors have made in the past but have managed to rebound. I just hope he manages his money better if he does make a comeback...
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By: Hugh Jassol on 3/25/2009 7:32AM
What's really unbelievable is the fact that he was able to make any money at all off of that poor excuse for music. A bunch of no-talent nitwits shouting bad poetry over a Tarzan movie soundtrack. You won't be drinking any Cristal now will you, chump? No talent POS.
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By: Spanks on 3/25/2009 1:50PM
Hugh Jassol-
That was the funniest (and most fitting) description of this type of expression I've ever heard! This crap has been boring the sh#$ out of me since its inception!
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By: tmf1977 on 3/26/2009 9:48AM
I would not exactly say that Hip Hop is dead, but this genre of music is not producing multi-platinum artists as it used to. Only a select few artists such as Kanye and Lil Wayne are selling multi platinum. Sure Hip Hop still charts, however few rap records in the past four years have went beyond gold status (if that). If any genre of music is continuing to sell, it's Pop (no big surprise there) and believe it or not, Country music has gained serious cross over strides during this decade. Even Indie/Alternative Rock has been making its way into kids' pods and cars and has been charting pretty damn well despite limited mainstream airplay. Only a small percentage of people are hard core hip hop fans in which *only* listen exclusively to hip hop. Basically the kids are looking for something new and Hip Hop is not that ground breaking anymore (and yes, I do work for a record company).
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By: Cindy on 3/25/2009 11:07PM
Cannotbelievethis needs to believe that hip-hop is not tired. It's getting stronger. Hip-hop is here to stay. Secondly, please understand that hip-hop is a movement, it's a lifestyle that even white collar America has adapted to. Please believe it when you are watching t.v. and slangs are used, that's hip-hop. When your co-worker comes to work snapping their fingers, that's hip-hop. It's not tired, I would allow you to say it's resting for the next big thing to occur within the hip-hop world. Say hello to hip-hop, it's staring at you in the face everytime you look in the mirror.
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By: borngod on 3/26/2009 2:06PM
cannotbelievethis, hip hop over? what a joke. you are a bitter lil fella who uses any and every excuse to attack blacks. this guy didnt rap. you fool. hes a business man that took a hit. it happens to the best of them. last i checked ed macmahon was being evicted in beverly hills. shyt happens. stop hating. as for the state of hip hop being dead. what a joke
hip hop is the top selling genre of music every year! outselling country, pop, rock and everything else! hip hop over? maybe you should try telling that to your sons and daughters. after all, they are the ones buying our music. our number one customer, the whyte wanna be.
By: PARKER on 3/25/2009 10:15AMHighest Ranked ".....so he knows what kind of sacrifices and drive it takes to get there."???? WTF??? SACRIFICES??? DRIVE??? YEAH RIGHT! HE SACRIFICED HIS JOB AT MCDONALDS... AND ALL IT TOOK WAS A BUNCH OF DUMB-ASS KIDS, WITH TIN EARS AND NOTHING BUT MUSH BETWEEN THEM, TO SPEND GOBS OF CASH FOR THAT RAUCOUS CRAP THEY MIS-IDENTIFY AS "MUSIC
yeah, i admit. whyte kids are all of the above. because thats who you just decribed. us blacks, we dont buy music!
all for the decline in sales, lets be real, since the invent of digital media (ipod, mp3, free downloads, music sharing) all music sales have dropped.
as for jungle music. if its such jungle music why is it being used to promote your products? everything from pepto bismal, to mcdonalds, to television shows, to car commercials. what fu**ing planet do you live on?
your distain for all things black is obvious. the funny part is, you are here! how did you get here? why did you take the time to comment? as usual you cant help but to have interest in our lives. just like your kids try to gain interest in our lives through our music.
for all your distain you took time out of your day for..... a black man? many whytes go broke, yet this guy is the only one to make bad decisions? tell that to AIG dikkhead! tell that to lehman bros.
and tmf1997, you are wrong! i can name 20 hip hop artists that have went platinum in the last four years. 50 cent, nas, jayz, ghostface, jadakiss, jim jones
just to name a few. heres a few one hit wonders that went platinum. soldier boy, richboy, chingy,ying yang twins, lil jon, lloyd banks.
one last thing to dismiss. as for hip hop never evolving from thug,gangster music. hip hop was positive, and it scared yall because the message empowered blacks to stand up for themselves and have pride in being black.(fight the power)
that was a no no for whytes, so yall refused to play it, and ONLY played thug music that emplored blacks to hate and remain ignorant. thats a plan whytes put in place to keep some blacks ignorant. we went from fight the power to clown music.
that was a plan put in place by whytes. yall saw us getting uplifted and had to try to keep some blacks ignorant. nothing scares you more than an intelligent black man!
as far as evolving, when will whytes evolve? a race of people that thinks its ok to torture hasnt evolved much over the years. that line of thinking is medieval at best!
be the racist that you are, but dont hide behind this story to justify it. that just makes you the coward like the attorney general said you all were.
you have so many problems with us, yet youre taking time out your life to comment on our lifestyle. happy, successful people dont have time to do that. they dont really care about what blacks do. they are too busy being a success.
every complaint about blacks just lets me know how misrable you are! happy, successful people are too busy being happy and successful for something so......small
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By: Jean on 3/24/2009 8:48PM
If we the people (of color) went by what the world had to say and destined for us to be, then we never would achieved a dog-gone-thing. If he says he's going to make a come back, who are we to judge. He's been there and has done that, so he knows what kind of sacrifices and drive it takes to get there. I say, more power to you and if you want it bad enough, you go for it.
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By: PARKER on 3/25/2009 10:15AM
".....so he knows what kind of sacrifices and drive it takes to get there."???? WTF??? SACRIFICES??? DRIVE??? YEAH RIGHT! HE SACRIFICED HIS JOB AT MCDONALDS... AND ALL IT TOOK WAS A BUNCH OF DUMB-ASS KIDS, WITH TIN EARS AND NOTHING BUT MUSH BETWEEN THEM, TO SPEND GOBS OF CASH FOR THAT RAUCOUS CRAP THEY MIS-IDENTIFY AS "MUSIC" TO SET HIMSELF UP IN HIGH STYLE. OH WELL... CAN A BROTHA STILL "MAKE SUM FRIES, BOSS?"
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By: vgkflc on 3/24/2009 9:00PM
The man made it on his own once and can do it again if he wants to. Thats the way it is with someone that really works to make it.Once you have made it your foot is always in the door. All it is at that point is showing what you are willing to do to make it again and someone will back you.I dont know much about this guy but I do know that he worked hard to make it and anyone that knows that work ethic its always in their blood. Mr. Dash; I wish you success.
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