Dame Dash, co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records, recently addressed his appearance in the music video for R. Kelly’s “Fiesta (Remix)” featuring Jay-Z, a song that charted on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2001. This appearance has often been a point of controversy, especially considering that Dash was in a romantic relationship with Aaliyah at the time—a relationship that tragically ended with her death later that year in a plane crash at the age of 22. Given the history between Aaliyah and R. Kelly, Dash’s involvement in the project has been a topic of much debate over the years.
This week, in a video shared on his America Nu Network channel, Dash responded to a question from Baller Alert about his participation in the “Fiesta (Remix)” video. He explained that he has spoken on this topic before but wanted to set the record straight once again, providing what he called “the truth” about the situation.
“When Jay [Jay-Z] was still working with R. Kelly on various projects, I went and told Aaliyah, ‘Hey, they’re still doing music together, they’re shooting videos, they have singles,'” Dash explained. According to him, Aaliyah expressed a desire to move past the situation without stirring up any additional attention. “She said to me, ‘I don’t want to start any trouble. It would probably just bring more attention to it. I just want to heal. I want to leave this behind and get as far away from it as possible. I don’t want to hear about it.'”
Dash respected Aaliyah’s wishes and tried to distance himself from R. Kelly while still fulfilling his professional obligations. He elaborated, “I didn’t want to be at the video shoot, I didn’t want any part of it. But Aaliyah told me not to cause any problems. So I made sure that I was not in any scenes with R. Kelly. I stayed in the trailer, did my shots with Jay or whoever else, and made sure not to be in any pictures or scenes with R. Kelly. And if you look back, you’ll see that you never see me and R. Kelly together after I met Aaliyah.”
Dash has spoken about this issue in the past, most notably in a 2019 interview with Nick Cannon. During that conversation, Dash revealed that Aaliyah had confided in him about her painful experiences with Kelly, but she didn’t want to dwell on the past. “I remember asking her, ‘Tell me what happened,’ and she just couldn’t talk about it. She said, ‘Leave it alone.'” According to Dash, this conversation with Aaliyah inspired him to take a “silent protest” approach, refraining from directly addressing the issue in the media but quietly opposing R. Kelly’s actions by keeping his distance.
The controversy surrounding R. Kelly and his relationship with Aaliyah has been a topic of public concern for years. Kelly allegedly bribed an official to facilitate a secret marriage to Aaliyah when she was only 15 years old, while he was 27. This illegal marriage has been a focal point in the numerous allegations and legal battles Kelly has faced over the years, many of which have now resulted in his conviction and imprisonment.
In his recent video, Dash also expressed his disapproval of Jay-Z’s decision to collaborate with R. Kelly on their 2002 album The Best of Both Worlds and their follow-up project, Unfinished Business in 2004. “I was surprised that Jay pursued these projects,” Dash admitted. “It’s morally wrong to do a project with someone who we know has committed such acts, whether it was against my girl [Aaliyah] or anyone else.”
Dame Dash’s comments come at a time when R. Kelly’s legal team is attempting to overturn his convictions related to sex crimes. In July 2024, Kelly’s lawyers began working to have his convictions thrown out, citing the PROTECT Act of 2003. They argued that this piece of legislation, which was originally intended to protect children from exploitation, should not apply in Kelly’s case. The legal battles continue as Kelly remains behind bars, with his past continuing to haunt both his victims and those, like Dash, who were indirectly affected by his actions.
Dame Dash has consistently distanced himself from R. Kelly, even though he appeared in the “Fiesta (Remix)” video. His relationship with Aaliyah and his moral stance against R. Kelly’s actions have shaped his decisions over the years, and his recent comments serve as a reminder of the complex and painful legacy left behind by the controversies surrounding Kelly.
