Dame Dash Forced to Surrender Film Company and Copyrights to Pay $823K Debt

Dame Dash’s financial troubles just hit a new low. The Roc-A-Fella Records cofounder is being forced to part with some of his most prized business assets — including copyrights, companies, and film rights — in a court-ordered move to settle over $800,000 in unpaid damages.

According to a report published by AllHipHop.com on Wednesday (June 11), Dash failed to pay $823,284 in damages awarded to filmmaker Josh Webber in 2022. The payout stems from a 2019 lawsuit over defamation and copyright infringement related to the film Dear Frank.

As a result, U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger ruled on Tuesday (June 9) that Dash and his company, Poppington LLC, must hand over full ownership of Bluroc LLC, Blakroc LLC, and Dash Films Inc. In addition, Dash must forfeit his interests in several other business entities, including 1996 Songs LLC, Lebanon Improvements LLC, and Ocean East Improvements LLC.

It doesn’t stop there — copyrights to several of Dash’s independent films will also be seized to satisfy the debt. Among the titles affected are Honor Up, Too Honorable, We Went to… China, and Welcome to Blackroc.

Dash and his legal team have until Monday (June 16) to contest the federal forfeiture ruling. If no objection is filed, the U.S. Marshal will begin auctioning off the listed assets within the next 180 days.

This isn’t the first time Dame Dash has had to give up major assets due to financial struggles. In a similar case last year, Dash was ordered to surrender his remaining stake in Roc-A-Fella Records, which was ultimately purchased by the State of New York for $1 million to help settle millions in back taxes.

Despite his past achievements in the music and film industries, Dash’s financial empire appears to be crumbling under mounting legal and debt-related pressures — a harsh reality for a once-dominant mogul now watching his legacy slip away piece by piece.