Dame Dash is setting the record straight and explaining why he appeared in R. Kelly‘s ‘Fiesta’ music video despite allegations against the singer involving Aaliyah.
Dame Dash Explains Appearing In R. Kelly’s ‘Fiesta’ Music Video
Earlier this week, Dash took to Instagram to share a clip of himself. In the video, Dash read a question from a fan that appeared to reference R. Kelly: “Especially considering what the entire industry knew about him, why did you appear in the ‘Fiesta’ video?”
In turn, Dash explained:
“…when Jay was proceeding to still do business with R. Kelly, I went back and told Aaliyah, like, ‘Yo, they’re still doing projects, they got singles together, they’re shooting videos. I don’t want to go to the video. I don’t want to be or have any parts of it.'”
Dash said that in response, Aaliyah, urged him to still participate in Jay’s business with Kelly.
“What she told was that, ‘I don’t want to start any trouble. It would probably trigger more attention on it. I just want to heal. I just want to leave this alone and get as far away from it as possible. I don’t want to hear about it.'” Dash said, recalling Aaliyah’s alleged words.
Furthermore, Aaliyah allegedly told Dash she was “happy” with their romance and where it was going. Before concluding her thoughts, the singer allegedly shared two rules for Dash to abide by.
“‘Just don’t appear in any scene with him and don’t take any pictures with him,'” the singer allegedly instructed Dash.
Ultimately, Dash explained that during the music video shoot for ‘Fiesta,’ he “stayed” in his trailer most of the time. However, when it was time for him to appear in the video, he only did scenes where he appeared solely alongside Jay-Z.
Social Media Reacts
Social media users shared mixed reactions to Dash’s explanation in his comment section.
Instagram user @emiliaisemmalee wrote, “it means a lot for people who go through sexual assault etc. to have loved ones by their side & open enough to listen to how they’d prefer to navigate life & complex situations. i’m really thankful you two had each other. eye hope more people experience love & support like that, in public & private. from biz inspo to character insights, thanks for everything dame ”
While Instagram user @keyknozart added, “its sad u have to explain yourself you made this clear before and no reason to cap Aaliyah from how I remember hearing how she articulate things I believe she thought like this so it make sense and believable! Didnt have to know her to figure this! Thanks for staying solid for queen you a real one dame for being open and candid its respected!”
Instagram user @jacked_johnfitness wrote, “Watching the video I never would have guessed his girl had told him R Kelly was her victimizer.”
While Instagram user @razorramone1 added, “But you’re still in the video! Terrible explanation. You’re either on board, or you’re not.”
Instagram user @mizhyatt022 wrote, “Thank you for being supportive of her.. after what she went through I know that your actions made her feel safe and supportive. Dont listen to the negative people.”
While Instagram user @rangesport1 added, “I dont believe this nonsense. If Dame had an issue with R. Kelly, he would have not been in the video period…”
Instagram user @promotionsbytahra_ent wrote, “You dont have to keep explaining yourself cause if they were not around back then they will not understand”
The Music Exec Previously Spoke On Jay-Z Choosing To Work With R. Kelly Despite The Allegations Involving Aaliyah
As The Shade Room previously reported, in July 2023, Dash appeared on the ‘That’s F*****d Up’ Podcast, where he spoke about knowing what Kelly “did” to Aaliyah.
At the time, Dash also explained that he “couldn’t believe” Jay-Z opted to do a full-length project, ‘The Best of Both Worlds,’with Kelly “knowing that he had raped my girl.”
“If you look at it, Im not on there as an executive producer Just dont put my name on that. I don’t want no money from that. ” he said at the time. “And the did the s**t twice it was just flagrant.”
Jadriena SolomonJadriena “Jade” Solomon is a journalist and editor, specializing in beauty, fashion, entertainment, and culture. A graduate of CUNY Brooklyn College’s Journalism and Media Studies program, she began her career in 2015, publishing independent op-ed articles, and has since built a strong digital media portfolio across reporting, editing, and hosting for major media companies. As The Shade Room’s Senior Editor, Jadriena helps lead editorial direction, manages writers and editors, and has contributed more than 2,600 stories with over 45M page views since her start in 2022. Her past roles include contributing and staff positions at HelloBeautiful, Blavity News, 21Ninety, and Bronze Magazine. She has interviewed talents such as Tamron Hall, Eboni K. Williams, Tia Mowry, LeToya Luckett, Salt-N-Pepa, and more.
