The hip hop mogul who co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records and Rocawear, and presided over a set of lifestyle brands ranging from sneakers to vodka, Dash has had as many business as he has pairs of shoes. His ex-wife is Rachel Roy.

Dash grew up in Harlem, and after getting his GED, he started party-promoting and managing a few unknown hip-hop acts. His career really took off, though, after he met Jay-Z in 1994: With Jay and silent partner Kareem "Biggs" Burke, Dash founded Roc-A-Fella Records and the apparel company Rocawear, landing on the musical map in 1996 with Jay's seminal album Reasonable Doubt. Dash went on to produce a series of hit rap records for artists like Cam'ron, Kanye West, and Beanie Sigel at Roc-A-Fella. He left the company in 2004 after Def Jam, which had purchased a 50 percent stake in Roc-A-Fella in 1997, acquired the remaining 50 percent and hired Jay-Z as president of the label (Jay stepped down in 2007). After a falling out between the partners (they've since reconciled), Dash eventually sold his stake in Rocawear to Jay-Z, who in turn flipped it for more than $200 million in 2006.

Dash continues to produce music through his Dame Dash Music Group, although he doesn't have the A-list roster he once had with Roc-A-Fella. In recent years, Dash has turned to film—he produced The Woodsman, starring Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon, for example. Dash also branched out into various other businesses: he launched a vodka brand, invested in a sneaker company, started a boxing talent agency called Dash/DiBella Boxing, and published a short-lived lifestyle magazine called America Magazine.

Dash dated a string of famous women over the years, including the late R&B singer Aaliyah. At one time he was married to designer Rachel Roy, who used to work at Rocawear. The pair have two daughters, but had a messy divorce when Roy found out that Dash fathered a child with another woman while they were married. [Image via Getty]