Keystone Cowboy

Dame Dash and Jay-Z built Roc-A-Fella Records from nothing. they were brothers. nobody wanted to sign Jay, so they created their own label and made him famous. "Jay's my best friend. I'm not ashamed to say it." then Dame fell in love with Aaliyah. it started as a friendship. "our intention wasn't even to be in love. it was almost an accident." but Aaliyah was still healing. at 15, R. Kelly had secretly married her. Dame knew everything. "we talked about it up to the point where it hurt." she'd just say: "that's a bad, bad man." Aaliyah asked Dame one thing: leave it alone. don't start anything with Kelly. let her heal. he respected her wish. August 2001: Aaliyah flew to the Bahamas to shoot a music video. her last text to Dame: "I don't like the plane." he replied: "don't get on." she got on. the plane crashed minutes after takeoff. Aaliyah was 22. "if I'd have been an asshole that day and really stood behind what I believed in, she wouldn't have got on that plane." five months later, Jay-Z released a joint album with R. Kelly. Best of Both Worlds. then a tour. t-shirts. merchandise. everything. Dame: "you know that I got a girl that your man r**ed. I tell you. and you're gonna still work with him. what you think I felt?" Jay's response: "I mean, I wasn't there. I had nothing to do with that." Dame couldn't speak out – he'd promised Aaliyah he'd leave it alone. so he watched his best friend tour with the man who abused the woman he loved. the partnership collapsed. Jay became CEO of Def Jam. the media blamed Dame. "Dame is bitter. Dame burned bridges." Jay called it "growing apart." for 20 years, Dame held it in. then the "Surviving R. Kelly" documentary aired. dozens of women came forward. Dame broke his silence. "if people would've protected Aaliyah, so many other girls wouldn't have got touched. she was the sacrificial lamb. she didn't deserve none of that." R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years. "there hasn't been one day in 20 years that I haven't heard her name, heard her record, or seen a picture of her. every single day she's present in my life." someone asked Dame what people should remember about Aaliyah. "she was magic. I never thought I'd see that magic again."