Who Is Kanye West's Friend, Damon Dash?

Damon Dash — who also goes by the nickname Dame — is a vital part of hip-hop culture and has been since the '90s, but these days, he's simply showing up as a supportive friend for rapper Kanye West. The former Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder flew out to Wyoming to visit Kanye West at his private ranch, sharing a photo from the visit on July 22, 2020. It seems friends are checking in on West — including comedian Dave Chappelle (per E! Online) — after a series of alarming tweets earlier in the week.

As acknowledged by his wife Kim Kardashian in a series of Instagram Stories, West struggles with bipolar disorder, which can be "incredibly complicated and painful" to understand. According to TMZ, Dash and West made a casual store run to Walmart in nearby Cody for a bit of essential shopping. How close are these two friends exactly? Well, they've known each other for far longer than many actually know. 

Damon Dash is known as an entrepreneur, who has had many business ventures under his belt over the years. According to a 2006 New York Magazine interview, Dash at one point owned "a record label, five clothing and shoe companies, a Swiss watch company, a vodka company, a television-production company, and a movie-production company." The aforementioned record label was Roc-A-Fella Records, which he co-founded with Jay-Z back in the '90s. The two businessmen sold off their final shares of the label to their parent label Island Def Jam, per MTV News, and moved on in their careers separately. However, during the Roc reign, Dash met and signed Kanye West to the label. 

Dash still has his hands in music as of July 2020, so it's possible the he and the "Jesus Walks" rapper are also discussing and working on new music together, as West is dropping his new album Donda: With Child on July 24 (via New York Times). Whatever the reason for the visit, we hope Ye is getting the support he needs from friends like Dash. 

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, or call the National Alliance on Mental Illness Helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264).