After reuniting with Kanye West to present the icon with the “Honorary Vision” award at the recently taped 2015 BET Honors ceremony, Dame Dash opened up in an interview with Hip Hop Motivation about being asked to present the award, resolving his personal issues with ‘Ye, and feeling like he finally got the credit he deserves for West’s success.
The award show was taped on Sunday (January 24) and is scheduled to air on February 23.
“I didn’t really get to really hang out with Kanye,” Dame said of the experience. “It was really very impromptu.”
Addressing the lead-up to the recent award show, Dash admitted to not having spoken with Kanye for many years.
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“I haven’t really spoke to him in about ten years,” he said. “And there’s things that I did have issues with with him. But, you know, it’s just something that as men we have to speak about. So of course in that conversation it had to be addressed before we went forward. But still, I didn’t really understand what was going on so I was like, ‘I’ll go anyway for the experience.’ And also my daughter was like, ‘I’ll go. Get on the stage with you.'”
As for the speech itself, Dash characterized the opportunity as one of the first times he’s been given credit for his part in an artist like West’s success.
“When I put him on ten years ago before he got there, I knew he was going there,” Dash said of Kanye’s rise. “I wasn’t expecting for me to be the person to give it to him because it’s rare I get the credit on any level for anyone’s success as of yet from another man. It was the first time that someone had given me a platform to take some kind of credit to give them platform. When they make it they usually don’t give me a shoutout. But honestly Kanye always does give me a shout out. I gotta respect that. He always does so I can’t be mad. And he did just then and I thought that was brave of him to do that too. The issues I had with him I spoke about it as a man, we spoke, that’s between us. Whatever it is it is. I’m happy that I was a part of making history like I knew I would.”
Dash also claimed that former Vibe Magazine writer and cultural critic Dream Hampton asked him to read a speech she wrote.
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“Dream Hampton tried to hand me ten pages or something to say like ten seconds before,” he said. “She’s like, ‘Say this.’ I was like, ‘Why?’ ‘Because it’s beautiful and I wrote it.’ I’m like, ‘It’s my speech. Why would I wanna say what you wrote?’ She just stormed off. It is what it is. I thought it was admirable for them to attempt to control what I was saying.”
