Jay-Z’s $8M Favor: Dee From Ruff Ryders On How Hov Freed DMX From Def Jam Debt

Ruff Ryders’ Dee reveals how Jay-Z forgave DMX’s $8 million Def Jam debt without requiring payment, a move Dee calls one of the most solid acts in Hip-Hop.

Ruff Ryders co-founder Dee sat down with Tony Yayo and Uncle Murda on “The Real Report” to break down one of Hip-Hop’s most generous acts of business leadership.

Jay-Z wiped out DMX’s entire $8 million debt to Def Jam without requiring the legendary rapper to pay a single dollar. The story goes back to when Dee was still hustling on the streets. His brother was already working with DMX in the music industry, but Dee was skeptical.

“I was like, ‘All right, you know, sounds good, but you go ahead, and I’ll figure it out as we go,’” Dee explained. Everything changed when the feds started closing in.

“I probably just got arrested a couple of more times. The feds on me heels, so they f### with me every day. So, I said, ‘You know what? I’m going have to try something else.’”

That’s when Dee made the switch to focus entirely on the music business. Once Dee committed to Ruff Ryders, he applied the same hustle mentality he used on the streets.

“If you are a hustler, you out street outside hustling. You use that same hustler formula and put it to the positive. Same grind but doing something positive,” Dee said.

He knocked out 15 albums in 8 years, moving with the same 24-hour intensity he once brought to the block. DMX became the label’s biggest star. The rapper went diamond, a rare achievement in Hip-Hop.

He dropped two albums in one year, and both did massive numbers.

DMX was outselling Jay-Z on Def Jam during that era. But when X became uncomfortable with the label, Dee went directly to Jay-Z, who was running Def Jam at the time.

“X was in the hole over there for about a good $8 million at least,” Dee recalled. Instead of forcing DMX to stay and pay off the debt, Jay-Z made a power move.

“That n#### Hov f### wiped the whole s### out. He ain’t had to pay nothing and let him go. Straight like that,” Dee said. Jay-Z essentially forgave the entire debt and let DMX walk free.

Dee emphasized how rare and solid that move was.

“That was probably 20 years ago, but I remember that. You know what I’m saying? So I got to always say I got to give him that cause it could have went a different way if he didn’t just say, ‘All right, go ahead, man. F### it. Do what you got,’” Dee explained.

He credited Jay-Z with understanding the bigger picture and doing what was right for the artist.

The Ruff Ryders brand expanded far beyond music. The motorcycle culture became a worldwide movement. Dee created chapters in every city—California, Chicago, everywhere the label had a presence.

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