Damon Dash
How can another man call another man boss? That's like calling another man 'Daddy.'
If I have an accountant that just reports I just invested $10 million in my business, and he doesn't exactly itemize where every cost goes, it gives a flag to the government. They want to make sure that the reason I'm not paying taxes is because I'm reinvesting in these businesses and not trying to hide stuff.
I'm never gonna owe money because every time I get a dollar, I put it into another business, whether it's to buy goods or develop other companies. You don't have money; you have companies. That's one business model. That's mine. And I only associate with other people that are putting up their own money, 'cause they're the only ones that can relate.
I want to be as creative as I want. I don't ever want to have to compromise; I don't ever want anybody ever to tell me what to do, I don't ever want to argue with somebody because of my vision.
I don't see the reason for sugar coating anything.
It's important for people to believe in themselves.
If you remember 'The Best of Both Worlds,' you don't see my name on that... I never wanted no part of that.
I monetized my life so I never do anything that I don't like or that I'm not participating in 100 percent.
I'm not a complainer.
'Hustle & Flow' came out, and I was really rooting for 'Hustle & Flow' because, you know, it was a hip-hop movie, and it was a good movie. It was well acted.
I don't think my success or me having the opportunity to have success is from our generation. I think it's from the generations before us. I think it's the fact that people like Martin Luther King and Medgar Evers and people like that fought for us to have the freedom to do and say what we want and have the opportunity to make money.
Number one, I am a true movie maker. And, you know, I am very much - I don't want to say infatuated, but I'm impressed with the art of making a movie and invoking emotion. You know, when I started making movies, I thought it was easy, and then when I got into it, I was like, 'This is not easy at all.'
I think I'm extraordinarily motivated.
I always knew that content was the best way to sell things, but my thing was, why sell other people's stuff if I have a point of view?
What I've been noticing with the milennials is that they'll pay for quality.
Fashion week is always going to be necessary, but it's not going to be for everybody.
I know how cool I look when I look in the mirror.
It's important to be enlightened.
I'm sick of talking about it. I wanna talk about something else. No more Jay Z questions. I answered them.
I'm not a mogul; I'm a tycoon.
I think Jay-Z is probably my best student, and I can say that he listens, and that's what always made him special.
People have to listen to somebody speak, that the person that you're listening to is saying the right stuff, and that's all that really counts.
I have been diabetic since I was young.
The thing is, I have been diabetic, and I've been saying I'm diabetic; it's just, people don't write about it to showcase it or to bring awareness to it. So those are just the things that weren't spoken about. And, just like everything else, I had to do it myself to be heard.
I'm an authentic person: I can talk about diabetes and how it affects you because I'm actually diabetic, and I know how much help a person needs, whether it's support physically or just understanding and being conscious of what diabetes really is.
I'm not one to be paying too much attention to what another dude's doing.
No one's taken anything from me.
Those people are corny. You think I'm rolling to a club with Lyor Cohen or John Meneilly?
I got cribs all over the place and offices all over the place, and sometimes I lose track of my stuff.
I fire lawyers frequently.
I'm gonna direct, like, a real movie. At least an hour and some change.
My thing is to have a good, profitable company, for it to be 100% owned independently.
I was in 'Fiesta,' but only because Aaliyah said she wanted me to do it that way.
It's funny: when the press knows someone's gonna say something stupid, they're quick to pass them a mic and put a camera on them, and everybody talk about it.
If you give a bipolar man a mic, I don't know what you expect.
It's hard not to be confident when you put in business the biggest black male in comedy, Kevin Hart. I know I took him off a stage and put him in his first four movies. I know I did that.
Everyone I put in business, I must've taught them something. They all have reaped the benefits of it. A lot of them haven't done right by me, but it's all gravy.
I might have companies, I might have buildings, I might have art. But money? No, I'm not holding that.
Lee Daniels, even though he owes me $2 million, I picked that. I put him in business.
When I had daughters, I realized that I wouldn't never do anything to a girl that I wouldn't want done to my own daughter.
There's things that I see that I did on videos when I was younger that I be like, 'Damn, I was bugging.' Champagne Dame, that dude, he was bugging. I don't even know that guy.
If I feel that somebody is hurting other people, then I'm going to make sure other people know - other people know about them.
I enjoy business, being an entrepreneur on every level. I really enjoy it.
I enjoy doing businesses without anyone's help.
God does things and put certain things in front of you to see how strong you are.
Just cause you don't agree with a man, 'cause you're black, don't mean you gotta fight, argue. You just have a different perspective.
I always approach logic without emotion. The math always equals the math. Regardless of whether I discovered the math before anyone else, or I just decided to accept it, I know what logically makes sense, and I'm going to speak on it every time.
I work hard, so I surround myself with people that work just as hard. It's important if you want to create a successful brand.
I try to get to the gym at least three to four times a week.