Damon Dash stirred controversy during a recent interview while promoting his rock album 365 by comparing his new artist to the late Aaliyah, which many found inappropriate and disrespectful.
While speaking with The Art of Dialogue, Dash introduced Nicolette, a member of his band Black Guns, and made a jarring comparison that quickly drew criticism online.
“She has her own solo albums as well, but she’s a big part of the Black Guns,” Dash said. “It’s funny because you know, to me, she’s like if Aaliyah was white. If Aaliyah was white, she’d be a lesbian. That’s her and she has the same everything,” he added, while opening Nicolette’s jacket to show her body.
Nicolette appeared visibly uncomfortable during the moment, looking confused as Dash continued to describe her contributions to the band. “She has a little bit of rhythm too,” he added. “But she can play instruments, and she writes and sings and she also did a lot of the administrative stuff with the album. So she helped me with my dream, and she earned her way into the band by working with the band.”
The reaction online was swift and critical. One viewer commented, “Shorty definitely ain’t no Aaliyah.”
Another said, “Calling that girl Aaliyah is crazy lmao.” A third added, “Kinda cringy… ‘she is Aaliyah if Aaliyah was white’ then he opens her jacket to show how her body is like Aaliyah’s.”
One person summed up the mood by writing, “That’s wild disrespectful to the Queen Aaliyah. Dame is my dogg but he’s gotta stop always talking about Aaliyah. Especially in that context. Let her rest.”
Dash’s remarks come as he promotes 365, a rock album created with Black Guns and rapper Freeway, marking a shift from his Hip-Hop background into rock territory.
Damon Dash and Aaliyah began dating in 2000 and remained together until her death in a plane crash in the Bahamas in August 2001.