ProHipHop: Hip Hop Marketing & Business News

Damon Dash Puts Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt on iTunes

You know Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke are getting a laugh [and anticipating a nice payoff] from putting Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt on iTunes after the recent rejection of iTunes by both Jay-Z and Jermaine Dupri.

Watch those fans chop up that album and take the good parts of Jay-Z's only true classic album and listen to those parts as individual tracks, destroying the artist's vision and leading us further down a hellish path where ringtone rappers rule and true artists can't get no respect.

Chop it up, bag it, sell, sell, sell.

Wait a minute, that sounds like drug dealing.  I thought Jay-Z was so into that kind of thing.

Distribution via Tunecore.

Damon Dash's Empire in a Slump

Though the New York Post's Suzanne Kapner says that an "analysis of [Damon] Dash's various holdings, which range from fashion to entertainment, turns up more misses than hits", he doesn't sound like he's doing all that bad.

But he is having to adjust and adapt to his current reality which includes the deaths of his Ultimate Hustler tv show, the State Property fashion line and the Damon Dash Music Group.  Hmmm, that does sound bad.

On a brighter note, Pro-Keds, which Dash licensed from Stride-Rite and has put a lot of energy into, is estimated to have "more than doubled sales in the past year to exceed $22 million".  Plus, though Dash's CEO fashion line and wife Rachel Roy's line haven't exploded, they're still in the early stages.

I don't really see any reason to count Dame out and it's often a good sign when rich men with a lot of ego invested in their companies can shut them down if it's the right business move.

However, having found Dame's need for servants rather extensive, one wonders how well he's handling the fact revealed by a "friend" that he's "flying first class these days, not by private plane."

Via Complex.

From The Vaults: Armadale Vodka Product Placement In Jay-Z's Change Clothes Video

Damon Dash's Armadale Vodka

Though a sedated-looking Dame Dash holding what are apparently two bottles of Armadale Vodka appears only briefly towards the end of Jay-Z's Change Clothes video, it seems like a nice compliment to the tale of Armand de Brignac Champagne.

Jay-Z - Change Clothes

Jay-Z May Deepen Relationship With Microsoft

Not only did Jay-Z recently do a commercial for HP, apparently he's also working with Microsoft in some yet to be announced capacity.  However, the relationship is already blooming:

In New York, at an MSN-sponsored dinner to celebrate the fall lines of his Rocawear clothing and S.Carter sneaker, the crowd featured artists, industry-types and more than a few Microsoft techies.  When Jay-Z lifted a glass to toast his new friend "Willy Gates," despite a few amused cringes, one got the sense Microsoft might be onto a whole new kind of innovation. And this time, it's social.

The article details some of Microsoft's other moves with folks like the Dixie Chicks.

Many of us hip hop bloggers were quite impressed with the meeting of Jay-Z and Bill Gates back in May.

No doubt Damon Dash will be tying all this in to his groundbreaking moves with the Rocbox!  Um, which seems to have ceased to exist.

Damon Dash Feature, Cam'ron's Platinum Entrepreneur

Interesting piece on Damon Dash in New York magazine:

“Not many people understand how important having a butler is, but it is,” Dash says. “I need somebody to help me get everything I’m going to wear for the day all set up, know what I’m saying?” A day with Damon Dash is like a Britney Spears concert, with a change of outfits for every phase (he’s currently doing a sort of matchy-matchy homeboy thing with below-the-knees shorts, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and spotless leather high-tops, all in red). “You’d think it’s easy, but I’ve got a lot to put together, accessory-wise, especially at night. Cuff links are a motherf*cker.”

Found the above via Nah Right where there's also news regarding the first issue of Cam'ron's Platinum Entrepreneur, now available as a free .pdf download.

The Dash article does discuss his business history and fallout with Jay-Z but Platinum Entrepreneur offers an article called Cam'ron: Self Made Millionaire with fresher and more revealing biz information.  Although, given some of Cam'ron's nutty public statements, it's kind of hard to take his numbers at face value.

Update:
After looking back at our discussion in the comments of how much Cam gets per album, I realized that the problem isn't the claim of 6 dollars to 2 dollars [or similar figures] but more of a question of who's responsible for paying what, how does the recoupment process work and so forth.  What I think Cam did was keep more of his cut by not spending on publicity.  The album, whatever is was, got little attention despite Cam's crazy public statements that apparently stood in for a publicity campaign and basically flopped for an artist at his level of visibility.

Damon Dash News: Toronto Conference, Bun B Sneaker, Rocawear Sale, Sigel Leaves

With the upcoming premier of Ultimate Hustler, it seems appropriate to see what else Damon Dash has been up to lately.

In December, the How Can I Be Down? conference makes its way to Toronto in conjunction with the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network. The Damon Dash Music Group is involved with the conference and Dash is expected to be a panelist.

Bun B has a sneaker deal with Damon Dash's Pro-Keds for a limited edition line of sneaks.

Damon Dash has cashed out of Rocawear and "is severing business ties with former partners including Jay-Z":
"They gave me $30 million and 75% of Team Roc. I'm real happy with the deal. I got $22.5 million in cash and the rest in companies (like State Property, Team Roc, Pro-Keds and other entities)."

Though Beanie Sigel recently thanked Damon Dash for his support and described him as "just like my brother", Sigel is leaving the Damon Dash Music Group in order to be independent of drama between Jay-Z and Damon Dash:
"I got my own [State Property imprint] with Universal . . . I didn't want to be in the situation where I had to pick between my homies. They both good homies of mine. . . I just said the best thing for me to do as a man and true friend was to back up from both situations. I would have my friends on the same level. I don't gotta worry about one feeling no type of way because I'm riding with this one. That's a real uncomfortable feeling."

Official website: Damon Dash Music Group

Damon Dash's Ultimate Hustler Premiers Oct. 4th

I've actually seen very little online about Damon Dash's "reality" tv show Ultimate Huster that premiers Tuesday, October 4th 9:00 ET/PT on BET. However, I just received this press release with the basic information about the show.

The show will run for 13 episodes and feature 16 contestants in what sounds like a combination of MTV's Real World, whatever that Donald Trump show is called and Survivor.

The contestants include a "party promoter from Atlanta, fashion designers from Miami and New York, a street hustler from New Orleans and even an adult entertainer from Long Island." They will be housed "in Harlem in the former home of legendary 1970's gangster, Nicky Barnes; fully equipped with state-of-the-art technology which delivers their weekly challenges." Furthermore, "'You are being watched' is the consistent theme throughout the series with the contestants under constant surveillance by Dash, even in their private quarters." That's the Real World voyeuristic element.

The Survivor element comes in with the kind of tasks given that sound like an endurance contest:
"In each episode viewers watch as contestants face a series of mental and physical challenges. Tasks put forth by Dash, run the gamut from boxing ring stamina, innovative street sales to all night studio sessions --- the hustle never stops."

An instant death option is built in to create additional stress for the participants, dramatic tension for the viewers and leaving Dash free to go off and eliminate people on a momentary whim:
"Dash does not follow the usual formula of one contestant eliminated per episode. Contestants may be asked to leave the show at any given point, sometimes in multiples."

Not surprisingly, the opportunities for product placement in the show are incredible, including Dash's own properties:
"Each task will focus on a different arena of Dash's empire. Dash's vast array of businesses includes America Magazine, Damon Dash Music Group, Dash Films, Armadale Vodka, Dash Management, PRO-KEDS, State Property, Team Roc and Dash/DiBella Boxing."

But the prizes also represent branded entertainment:
"The ULTIMATE HUSTLER winner receives a position within the Damon Dash Empire to shepherd their winning "big pitch" idea, a platinum and diamond chain worth $15K, a 2006 Jeep Commander, and a myriad of additional prizes (Roc Box, clothing, etc.) fit for an Ultimate Hustler from Damon Dash."

Damon Dash states, "This program will be the blueprint on how to become an entrepreneur and BET is the perfect place to demonstrate it to my culture." Whatever. Despite my reservations, I will probably be trying to check this out but I certainly won't be drinking the kool-aid.

In related branded entertainment news, the NY Times has an extended piece on the ever more extensive desires of advertisers as tv viewers Tivo out ads and "brands go from props to stars".

Conference Report: How Can I Be Down?

Brett Sokol, aka Kulchur, has a report from the How Can I Be Down? conference in Miami. In addition to his own observations about the rap game, such as the point that rappers still need a "chilling backstory" involving criminal activity because the "specter of approaching middle age and a stable domestic life" can be damaging to one's career, Kulchur shares some of the advice from Sahpreem King and Damon Dash.

Panelist, Sahpreem King, a producer from Miami held forth:
""A lot of cats went out and spent $500 to $600 on an outfit to prepare for this conference . . . And they only spent five to six dollars on their disc." He held up an unadorned, home-recorded CD, one of the many generic-sounding demos thrust into his hands: "They should've spent that $500 to $600 in the studio." As for the array of eye-catching oversize tire rims he'd noticed slowly cruising up and down Collins Avenue, "brand-new spinners are not going to get you a record deal.""

King also found it necessary to remind folks to "write their names and phone numbers on their demo CDs before handing them over."

In a replay of the questions from the audience at the Bay Area Rap Summit that I still haven't written about, Kulchur describes Damon Dash as being, "more than willing to discuss the hidden dangers of "recoupable advances" and warn of ill-formed distribution arrangements. Instead he received an incessant line of questioning about "negativity" and "haters.""

Peep the article for more, including the fact that Beanie Sigel could have gotten out of jail but "some kid called him a snitch and he broke the brother's nose," putting a serious crimp in promotions for The B.Coming.

More On Boxing, Dash and Lou DiBella

I was inspired to follow up on my previous post about hip hop and boxing by a brief biting comment from Janice, who I assume is Janice Spence of Write On Point!, a UK based online hip hop zine. If you check out the 2004 Archives on her site, you'll see an earlier more hopeful take on Damon Dash's possible effects on the UK hip hop scene that haven't gone as well as hoped. Mostly I recall the Posh Spice deal devolving into scandal.

As I wrote about back when Dash/DiBella Promotions was getting off the ground, some folks in boxing welcomed the partnership, though I also recall a lot of scepticism in the comments sections following various articles on boxing sites. However, I mostly think that Damon Dash is a good fit for boxing promotion.

Last month, BallerStatus.net ran an earlier interview with Dash regarding his interest in boxing and what he'll bring to the sport:
"Back in the day when we first started to get a few dollars, it was a big event to go to a fight. We would get dressed up and wear our best jewelry. It was status to have good seats and there was electricity. It's like being in a club; you're not only watching the fight, but you're looking to see who is there. That made you want to go to more fights. I developed a love for the sport from that perspective, and because of the art and skill of it. I'm trying to bring it back to suit-and-tie status because I feel boxing deserves that kind of attention and should be that kind of event."

He also commented on what he and Lou DiBella bring to their partnership:
"Lou knows the business of boxing, and I learned that and I know the business of marketing, enough where I could bring in other demographics. Together and combined -- once any of these fighters win a bunch of fights and become champions -- we'll be able to put together the ideal event because he has the infrastructure to facilitate the business part of boxing and promoting, and I have the infrastructure to facilitate the awareness and also make sure the girls look good, the jewelry is correct -- everything."

So Dash brings marketing skills and infrastructure allied with an understanding of girls and jewelry. His comments make me smirk yet they also support my feeling that he might do ok. More importantly, they confirm Janice's comments that the promoters are ultimately dependent on the boxers doing well or the glitz and glamour won't follow.

SecondsOut.com has a really great feature on Lou DiBella about whom I have to admit I knew very little. Thomas Hauser describes DiBella's decision to leave his position at HBO Sports where he was "once one of the most powerful people in boxing." Going independent and trying to reform boxing is not an easy thing to do.

Back in 2000, DiBella said:
"I'll work for the fighter . . . I'll hire the promoter, who will be responsible for promoting each fight in accordance with the laws of the state in which the fight is held. The promoter will control the legal administration of the show, but I'll negotiate the site fee and close the television deal. In other words, the promoter will work for the fighter. I'm trying to make a point. I'm trying to rattle the cage and do things differently. I can't turn boxing upside down overnight. But it's as important to me now to shake this business up as it is to make money."

He ran into a lot of problems, overspending on a boxer who didn't do so well and getting ditched by a boxer who did. Hauser describes critics as saying that "he gave new meaning to the word 'lou-dicrous' and could start a fist-fight in an empty room." A story that suggests he and Dash may have been meant for each other, at least in terms of their personalities!

Hauser discusses DiBella's current status in the "second tier of promoters behind Top Rank and Don King Productions." About his partnership with Damon Dash, DiBella states:
"For a long time, I've thought that something had to be done with marketing to revitalize the sport . . . The idea is to create a synergy between boxing, rap music, and urban style; particularly with African-American fighters. There have been attempts to sexy-up the sport for the young urban market before. But for the most part, they've been undertaken by white television executives, who are the wrong people for the job."

After being burned by his early business endeavors, he looks at boxers a bit more cynically now and has some choice words about the business of boxing:
"I've been tempered by reality. I still think boxing is a miserable business. Everything is a deal. People lie all the time and don't even consider it lying. Sooner or later, virtually everyone in the business adopts a go-along mentality or they get crushed. I've come to the conclusion that I can't change the way other people do business. So I operate my own company consistent with my conscience and no longer get a stomach ache every time I see an injustice in boxing. I can't say that I enjoy the business, but it's addictive. And I don't want to be pushed out by the bad guys. I won't let the bastards beat me. If I quit, I want it to be when I'm on top. Maybe then I'll decide that I don't want to be a big fish swimming around in a sewage tank."

Believe it or not, there's plenty more worth reading in Thomas Hauser's article, including a discussion of DiBella's Broadway Boxing endeavor and a great trash talking encounter between DiBella and boxer Bernard Hopkins. If nothing else, it sounds like Damon Dash and Lou DiBella will provide plenty of material for future discussion.

Hip Hop to Revitalize Boxing?

Last week, NY Times' writer John Eligon considered the possible effects of hip hop on boxing with a special focus on Damon Dash and promoter Lou DiBella with whom Dash founded Dash-DiBella Promotions. Dash is hoping to revitalize the audience for boxing by revitalizing the sport's showmanship.

Dash stated:
"I think boxing in general has lost a little bit of the glitz and the glamour that it used to have, and I think hip-hop brings back that glitz, that glamour and that intrigue . . . Over all, what I'm trying to do for boxing as a whole, I want to bring the sexiness and the charisma of the glitz and the glamour and the diamonds back to the sport. I want people to look at the fights more as an event as well as loving the sports aspect of it."

And a variety of people in the world of boxing agree with him or, at the very least, welcome such attempts. For example, Dino Duva of Duva Boxing thinks that folks like Dash can be particularly helpful in raising interest for black boxers, who some feel have been underpromoted of late:
"I think that they can be great for the sport if they do what they do best for the boxers . . . That has to do with helping market and publicize fighters. They obviously have a huge vehicle to be able to market and get exposure for fighters through the hip-hop industry. I think that can be great for African-American fighters."

As Sugar Ray Leonard put it:
"Hip-hop is major . . . It would help the kids and young boxers cross over to the newer generation."

The article has a lot of other interesting bits and pieces but I'm particularly drawn to its closing comments:
"Boxing does not have to worry about hip-hop tarnishing its image because corporate sponsorship is scarce and the sport's reputation is already in question because of perceived corruption. 'We don't have many corporations that are running to boxing,' said the promoter Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank Inc. By turning to hip-hop, he added, 'We got nothing to lose.'

Now that's the kind of enthusiasm that's certain to bring the bling back to boxing!

Followup: More On Boxing, Dash and Lou DiBella

Damon Dash's ODB Plans Blocked on Both Sides

Damon Dash's plans to create an ODB Pro-Keds sneaker are being met with legal threats from Ol' Dirty Bastard's widow Icelene Jones. Attorneys for Ms. Jones state that only she can approve the creation of such a line of sneakers.

Former ODB manager Jarred Weisfeld has also gotten into a beef with Dash demanding that he "remove his name, his voice and all scenes in which he appears from an ODB documentary scheduled to be released with the album." Supposedly, Darrin Chandler, an associate of Damon Dash, responded to Weidfield's demands with the following email:
"We will make sure his b*tch ass is out of the special and for the record your [sic] a f--g clown."

Weisfeld's response?:
"I got a good laugh at his unprofessional remarks, and they made me realize why Jay-Z is Def Jam president and Damon is yesterday's news."

Bloggers on the Rocbox & DJ Green Lantern, WritersWeekly.com on The Source

Hashim Warren considers the rocbox Blog, written by a purchaser who's discovered that there's little customer support for the Rocbox and is in the process of hacking the firmware.  The author also links to the official website which looks kind of cool but I'm not the one hoping to get information on my discounted Rocbox.

The Hip Hop Blogger also comments and suggests that the "Rocbox really could benefit from a fresh marketing plan."  It sounds like a job for Jameel Spencer who recently joined Roc Brands.  Maybe they're waiting for the Rocbox 2.

Mixtapes Etc.'s Ahsmi rounds up the news on DJ Green Lantern's departure from Eminem's camp due to fallout from 50 Cent's many feuds.

The Source was recently added to the Whispers and Warnings file at WritersWeekly.com.

Damon Dash: Death of a Dynasty, State Property 2

Damon Dash directs, produces and stars in Death of a Dynasty and State Property 2. Recently he talked to VH1 about other movies that influenced him.

The pseudocumentary about Roc-A-Fella, Death of a Dynasty, which was apparently completed in 2003, opens at the end of the month. Cinematical reviews the trailer for an amazingly similar film about a label they call "Rock-A-Fella."

State Property 2 is out and is being described as better than the first in places like the NY Times. The first was pretty weak but I haven't seen the second. However, according to the Village Voice, Beanie Sigel is as unconvincing as ever. The guy just can't act and he may be scary in real life but he's certainly not on the big screen. Peep the trailer.

Damon Dash and His Elusive Music Group

If you can find the Damon Dash Music Group website, apparently you can participate in ODB Forever: The Remix Project contest. But where is it? The group itself is mentioned on the Beanie Sigel B.Coming page at Roc-A-Fella but that's about it for Universal, Island Def Jam, Roc-A-Fella resources. Nothing separately identifiable for the DDMG, as far as I can tell.

Actually, I just found the Damon Dash Music Group website. It looks like they put Damon Dash frames around the Roc-A-Fella website. There is some artist info specific to DDMG like the ODB section but nothing on the remix contest.

The NY Times considers Dash's "Problematic Roster" while the NY Post takes a broader view. Such coverage leads Hashim Warren to point out that Dash is supposedly promoting Beanie's new album but that Sigel's playing second fiddle to Dash's self promotion.

Look forward to a whole season of people competing to play second fiddle as Damon Dash's version of Apprentice premiers on BET.

Sony's PSP Had Help from Kimora, Russell & Damon

The launch of Sony's PSP has been helped along by hip hop business people (sans artists). Recently, a fashion show called Pret a PSP featured "one of a kind" PSP accessories, including a "pure gold case with seven carats of yellow and black diamonds encrusted on the front and back" from "Baby Phat By Kimora Lee Simmons featuring Simmons Jewelry Company". I tell you, those joint ventures result in some long names

Apparently, "one of a kind" also means prototype, as the Simmons PSP case is now reportedly retailing at $35,000. The fashion show was part of an extensive campaign that included tv spots and print ads and turned standing in line into an event.

Various launch parties featured Russell Simmons and Stan Lathan, of Simmons Lathan Media Group, and Damon Dash with Carson Daly. Apparently Carson got booed extensively when introduced and responded with, "No go ahead. Soon you’ll be playing the Carson Daly game on your PSP. You can kill me as much as you want.” Engadget took the opportunity to ask Damon Dash about the Rocbox 2 but apparently squandered the moment.

GameSpot has a cool PSP Resource Center while Joystiq's coverage seems to be beating out Kotaku.

I had a PSP moment on one of San Francisco's Muni light rail cars when we were stopped beside one of the posters for the PSP. This kid that must have been no more than 8 was peering around various grownups to see the ad and then turning around to his sister to get her to verify that it was the PSP. I totally blew the moment but I would have loved to hear what the kid had to say cause he looked intensely focused without being overly excited. Honestly, I'd rather see a launch party with kids like that than Kimora, Russell or Damon.

State Property, Beanie Sigel and Damon Dash

Shaheem Reid and Sway Calloway have a great article about the response of State Property (non)members to recent statements that Beanie Sigel is breaking up the collective. Basically they seem to be saying that it was a manufactured crew and that folks weren't all that tight as a group until after they were signed. Plus, they weren't signed as a group so there's nothing that Sigel can dismantle in that sense. Actually, if they were signed as a group it's unlikely that he could break it up on his own but Sigel's actually with the new Dame Dash Music Group while the others are signed with Jay-Z's new Roc-A-Fella.

I'm wondering if this is a trend, cause some of the discord between The Game and 50 Cent seemed to come from The Game being brought into a crew that he didn't really fit. The whole concept of crews and fams and so forth comes from real connections and if major labels are going to start manufacturing them for marketing purposes, then it's only going to lead to more problems. But I've never really thought about this topic so maybe it's been going on all along.

Peedi Crakk had some strong words about Damon Dash:
"He don't listen. . . He's so smart, he's dumb. He's got so much money, he thinks he's the sh--. A cloud just hovers over his head so much, it f---s with his common sense. That's why he's losing. He don't know how to pick music, what song to do a video for, how to shoot a video. If you tell him this, he feels disrespected because he's got so many people kissing his ass. When you talk to him on a man-to-man level, on a regular level, he feels disrespected. He's got three, four, five assistants holding his two-way, holding his money, holding his phone. All this super Hollywood sh--."

In addition to Sigel's album The B. Coming, it's reported that:
"The Gunz's Brothers From Another is out May 24 and Freeway's Free at Last is due July 5. Peedi Crakk's solo album and an Oschino and Sparks LP have no release dates yet, but Crakk's is well into production and Oschino and Sparks say that they are done. Sparks has even moved on to his own solo project."

In related news, two Beanie Sigel documentaries from Dash Films are setting the stage for the upcoming release of The B. Coming and the April release of State Property II.

Dame Dash may have simply abandoned a rental property in London without informing the landlord, leading to court action against him. Maybe he's just burning those bridges.

Jameel Spencer Leaves Blue Flame for Roc Brands

In a further blow to the disintegrating empire of P. Diddy, Blue Flame Marketing + Advertising's president, Jameel Spencer, has resigned from Blue Flame and joined Roc Brands where he intends to "reorganize Roc's dissipated marketing structure" and bring the scattered brands into harmony "under the 'Roc for Life' theme."

His work will include a relaunch of the Roc Box MP3 player which appears to have been a dismal failure to date, judging from the lack of any significant press coverage beyond initial announcements. Regarding Blue Flame, one unnamed source claims that "Combs couldn't understand that his clients' needs had to take priority over his own individual projects—such as the marathon-running stunt and the voter registration drive."

Damon Dash: Bootcamp Cult, Fancy Watch, 4-Bedroom Loft

This Guardian profile of Damon Dash gives a little glimpse of his working world. You know, I get the feeling that most of these people are real assholes to work for. The description of his bootcamp approach to new employees probably gets lots of people all excited, but the signs of a cultlike approach to the workplace are catching my attention.

In related news, Dash and Tiret pals will unveil some no doubt stupefyingly impressive watch in April. Plus, the Feb. 21 issue of People is reporting that Dame's selling his four-bedroom loft in Tribeca. The "5,200-sq.-ft. duplex includes 3 1/2 baths, 20-ft. beamed ceilings and access to the building's roof deck" and can be yours for only $4.95 mil.

And What Happened to Damon Dash?

In more Damon Dash related news, AllHipHop.com has an interview with Dash that starts out with the statement, "Dame Dash's image is reeling." I guess I just didn't realize that so many people think Dash isn't doing so well. I mean, his wide range of partnerships are probably performing unevenly but he's also working through an adjustment period. In the interview he clarifies that he was originally developing an entity known as Roc Films that's now Dash Films due to undetailed differences with his partners, but that's all to the good for his future prospects.

The reality is that the ball is Dame's to drop. To be perfectly frank, forging new business relationships outside of The Roc is going to take him a lot of interesting places. Barring weird ass backstage stuff, his involvement with The Woodsman alone will have introduced him to players that he couldn't access through a movie like State Property. In the short term, Jay-Z might look better because he's following a long role and roll as a leading artist. Though Jay-Z may record again, the fact that his biggest moves now are old moves should say something about the long term. But that's very much outside speculation on my part and it will be fun to watch whatever occurs at a safe distance.

Wes Jackson Ponders the Fate of The Roc

Wes Jackson, of Seven Heads Entertainment and Room Service Productions, has an interesting editorial entitled What Happened To The Roc?. I was really hoping for something that dug into more behind the scenes details of corporate agreements cause so much of interest stays hidden. But Jackson's emphasis at one point on looking at why Jay-Z and Damon Dash were basically separated in the course of dealmaking is an interesting one, especially since Dash is doing deals with Def Jam.

I'm sure the art of war has much to say that could be usefully applied to the above scenario. But I bet the best parts were behind the scenes psyops campaigns. Currently I'm reading RZA's Wu-Tang Manual and, in addition to discussing various old war texts and philosophies, he mentions that Lyor Cohen gave him a copy of Macchiavelli's The Prince. Quite telling because, ultimately, bullying just doesn't hold up without additional forms of manipulation.

Fashion: Ron Artest, Damon Dash, J. Lo

Ron Artest will make his fashion debut in a print ad campaign for Rocawear. As Pacer Stephen Jackson says about this photo, "that's a real nice picture."

Later this month Damon Dash and Gordon Parks will be honored by the Fashion & Arts Xchange for their respective contributions. Whoa, does this represent a thawing of relations between the generations?

More on NY Fashion Week where Jennifer Lopez will close the show.

Damon Dash's Big Wednesday

If I'd read this on Wednesday I'd have known that at Damon Dash's press conference, not only did he announce Dash/DiBello Promotions and the Damon Dash Music Group, but he also announced a line of Pro-Keds sneakers to premier today, a new Roc Box and line of watches coming soon and a future line of Pro-Keds with the Yankees' Gary Sheffield. Plus, Irv Gotti was there after being released earlier on bail because he manages two of the fighters that Dash and DiBello will be promoting. Quite a day for Dame.

Update on Damon Dash Music Group

My previous post on the Damon Dash Music Group revealed my confusion about the business relationships, but it looks like that was an early, incomplete report from Billboard. Thursday's press release from Island Def Jam Music Group clarifies that this is a joint venture with Island Def Jam and that Dash will also serve as a consultant for IDJ.

So it looks like the early reports from NY Daily News were correct. This looks really good for Island Def Jam. Not only do they get the benefit of new Dash projects but they also have Dash to maintain the loyalty of Roc-A-Fella acts.

Boxingtalk Blesses Dash/DiBella Promotions

Boxingtalk's Kirk Lang believes that Damon Dash's foray into boxing with Dash/DiBella Promotions should be a particularly strong partnership. Lang notes that, though Dash is not well known in boxing, he has actually long been a fan and that Roc-A-Fella sponsored junior welterweight Zab Judah. Lang also states that:

"Dash once said in a Hip-Hop magazine that one of his prized possessions is a pair of personalized autographed boxing gloves that Muhammad Ali gave to him."

Nice bit of "instant" credibility based on actual personal involvement.

The Damon Dash Music Group

Damon Dash has formed The Damon Dash Music Group with Kareem Burke, the third founder of Roc-A-Fella. Dash's new enterprise will both sign artists and oversee Dash's label partnerships. Current partnerships include Dream Factory with 7 Aurelius and Militain Musica, a reggaeton label that will be launched with N.O.R.E. Future plans include label partnerships with the Wu-Tang Clan and M.O.P./First Family.

This seems like big news for multiple reasons. One is the reggaeton aspect with N.O.R.E.'s involvement. Reggaeton's on the move and N.O.R.E.'s the lead man in the States, as I understand it. The other is the idea of having an umbrella company for artist-oriented labels. Hip hop artists have been particularly aggressive about wanting their own labels either when they sign with a major or after they chart. It gives them ownership and a way to bring on other artists. Forming a group focused on such endeavors by already established artists seems like a sharp move, though I'm not clear if this involves the artists' current labels or if these are entirely separate entities. However, I am sure we'll be hearing more about this endeavor and the relationships will become clear in actual practice.

The Woodsman and Damon Dash

NPR interviews Kevin Bacon regarding The Woodsman, the new movie that Damon Dash co-produced. My favorite news account related to Dash's involvement to date is Gawker's piece about Dash cross-promoting at the opening back in December. Although I'm still bemused at Dash's shamelessness, I am impressed that Dash put his money up for this one. Fortune recently profiled this entrepreneur who was "multitasking from the start."