Dame Dash's Roc-A-Fella Share Has Been Bought By The State Of New York

Dame Dash’s Roc-A-Fella share is no longer up for sale.

As previously reported by AFROTECH™, Dame Dash was hit with an $800,000 judgment stemming from a copyright infringement and defamation lawsuit. Soon after, it was announced that his Roc-A-Fella share, valued at $1.2 million, would be put up for auction to cover his debt.

The auction generated buzz as the share included partial ownership of Jay-Z’s debut album, “Reasonable Doubt,” and its associated songs.

“Based on feedback I have received from interested parties (and I can’t mention names), this auction will likely bring out many household names in the sports and entertainment industries as well as those interested in a piece of a historically significant company, which holds an interest in a timeless debut album,” Dame Dash’s attorney Natraj Bhushan explained to Billboard at the time.

The auction attracted attention from artists, including Drake and, unsurprisingly, Jay-Z, who allegedly made public claims that he would obtain full rights to “Reasonable Doubt” in 2031. However, the state of New York disputed this.

“Jay-Z has issued widely publicized statements warning potential bidders that copyright ownership will revert back to him in 2031,” the city’s attorney, Gerald E. Singleton, wrote in a letter to the court, per All Hip-Hop. “Those statements are false and extremely damaging to the city’s interests in ensuring that the auction will generate sufficient funds to satisfy all existing child support arrearages and secure future child support payments.”

In a recent turn of events, New York State has assumed ownership of Dame Dash’s share through a federal auction on Nov. 14, 2024. According to Complex, this will facilitate the retrieval of $8.7 million in back taxes owed.

The outlet also reported that an unnamed Albany representative moved forward with a $1 million creditors’ bid during the auction. As a result, the buyer is not required to pay the $1 million immediately but can still sell the share.

“The auction is over, but the work is not complete,” said attorney Chris Brown, who represents other plaintiffs in the matter. “Mr. Dash’s legacy is now New York state property. I will work with New York state and New York City as the next phase of ownership of the shares.”