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Dolla (rapper)
Encyclopedia
Roderick Anthony Burton II (November 25, 1987 – May 18, 2009) better known by his stage name Dolla, was an American rapper
. Burton began his music career in 2000 with rap group Da Razkalz Cru under the stage name Bucklyte. The group quickly disbanded, so Burton worked as a model for the Sean John
clothing line. In 2007, Burton signed to Akon
's Konvict Muzik label and used the stage name Dolla for his releases. Dolla released three singles from 2007 to 2009. One of them, "Who the Fuck is That?
" (featuring T-Pain
), charted on the Billboard Hot 100. On May 18, 2009, Burton was shot to death outside a shopping mall in Los Angeles, and Aubrey Berry was arrested for his murder. Berry was acquitted on all charges.
and grew up in Los Angeles
and Decatur, Georgia
. Burton was born a twin but his twin brother died at birth. When Dolla was five his father committed suicide by shooting himself in front of Dolla and his older sister . He formed a rap group, Da Razkalz Cru, going by the name Bucklyte who signed with Elektra Records
in 2003 and released the single "So Fly". "So Fly" did not bring the success that was desired and the group was dropped from the label soon after. That same year, he met Akon
and P. Diddy, the latter of whom hired Burton as a model for his Sean John
line of clothes; Burton appeared on billboards for the clothing line and modeled across the United States. Under the stage name Dolla, Burton signed to Akon's Konvict Muzik label in May 2007. His song "Feelin' Myself" was featured on the Step Up soundtrack
in 2006 and was a "bite" of the Mac Dre
song of the same name.
He made his debut with the single "Who the Fuck Is That?
", which was his biggest hit, reaching #82 on the Billboard Hot 100
; the edited version substituted the profanity with "heck". He followed his debut single up with a second promo single "I'm Fucked Up" in the summer of 2008, also an edited version was released using the substitution of the word "tore" replacing "fucked". A third single, entitled "Make a Toast
", produced by General G(Leesburg/Mo'Money Ent.), was then officially released on November 4, 2008. It has peaked at #101 on the Billboard R&B chart. The song "Make a Toast" was released again with the feature of Lil Wayne.
The last appearance the rapper made was in Ciara
's video for her single "Never Ever
".
On October 20, 2008, he was arrested in Atlanta on weapons charges.
Burton flew to Los Angeles
to record the rest of his debut album, and he was shot on May 18, 2009 at approximately 3:10 pm after confronting and threatening 23-year-old Aubrey Louis Berry. Burton was with his "Brother" Scrapp Deleon and friend DJ Shabbazz when the incident occurred. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. Later that evening, an armed Berry was detained at the Los Angeles International Airport
. Witnesses say he surrendered without a struggle. His bail was set at $5 million. Bail was subsequently lowered to $1million by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Terry Bork in late May.
Berry claimed self-defense, but Burton's family disputed that; Burton family spokesman Dennis Byron stated that Berry traveled from Atlanta to Los Angeles with a firearm that was not licensed for use in California. This following a prior altercation between the two men in an Atlanta nightclub on May 7, 2009 where Berry was beaten and kicked by a group of men that included Burton. Howard Price, Berry's lawyer, said that Burton threatened Mr. Berry at the restaurant at the Beverly Center, and after Mr. Berry left, he noticed that Burton and two other men were following him to his car and after an exchange of words he thought that Burton was reaching to get a weapon. It was then that Mr. Berry shot him four times in self-defense, Burton later died from a bullet wound that pierced his heart. No gun was recovered from Burton's body or at the crime scene but Mr. Price has suggested that Burton's friend removed a weapon prior to the police's arrival at the scene.
Burton was known to have ties to a West Los Angeles street gang called the Mansfield Gangster Crips
. On May 22, Berry was charged with murder and assault, although he pleaded not guilty. As the murder trial wrapped up prior to jury deliberation, the defendant's attorney, Howard Price, made much of Burton's gangsta rap
lyrics and videos with gang members to paint the victim as a violent gang member and thug who attacked his client. Prosecutors countered that Burton's gang ties are irrelevant and that his music is simply entertainment and part of a culture where violence sells records. On May 21, 2010, a jury acquitted Berry of first degree murder and all other charges, including assault with a firearm.
Burton's funeral was held May 23 in the Word of Faith Love Center in the East Point neighborhood of Atlanta. The funeral was held in a Muslim
style, known as Janazah. He was buried in Atlanta's Westview Cemetery
. Singer T-Pain recently paid homage to the slain rapper by having a mural of Burton painted on the hood of his vintage car. Additionally, a YouTube video using unreleased Dolla song "Georgia Nights" has been made as a tribute to him. Jay Rock
sent his prayers and condolences to Burton's family and stated that these kinds of acts have to stop. Rapper Tyga produced a song called R.I.P Dolla on his mixtape The Potential. Throughout the following week after the death, Adult Swim
opened up a bumper, saying "Dolla [1987-2009]".
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
. Burton began his music career in 2000 with rap group Da Razkalz Cru under the stage name Bucklyte. The group quickly disbanded, so Burton worked as a model for the Sean John
Sean John
Sean John Clothing Inc is a clothing and fragrance company owned by hip-hop mogul Sean Combs. The apparel company takes its name from Combs' first and middle given names....
clothing line. In 2007, Burton signed to Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
's Konvict Muzik label and used the stage name Dolla for his releases. Dolla released three singles from 2007 to 2009. One of them, "Who the Fuck is That?
Who the Fuck Is That?
"Who the Fuck Is That?" or the edited version known as "Who the Heck Is That?" or the BET version known as "Who the Heck..." is the first single off slain rapper Dolla's debut album A Dolla and a Dream, as well as his mixtape Another Day Another Dolla. The song features T-Pain and Tay Dizm...
" (featuring T-Pain
T-Pain
Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,...
), charted on the Billboard Hot 100. On May 18, 2009, Burton was shot to death outside a shopping mall in Los Angeles, and Aubrey Berry was arrested for his murder. Berry was acquitted on all charges.
Biography
Burton was born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and grew up in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Decatur, Georgia
Decatur, Georgia
Decatur is a city in, and county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. With a population of 19,335 in the 2010 census, the city is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple zip codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear the Decatur name...
. Burton was born a twin but his twin brother died at birth. When Dolla was five his father committed suicide by shooting himself in front of Dolla and his older sister . He formed a rap group, Da Razkalz Cru, going by the name Bucklyte who signed with Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
in 2003 and released the single "So Fly". "So Fly" did not bring the success that was desired and the group was dropped from the label soon after. That same year, he met Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
and P. Diddy, the latter of whom hired Burton as a model for his Sean John
Sean John
Sean John Clothing Inc is a clothing and fragrance company owned by hip-hop mogul Sean Combs. The apparel company takes its name from Combs' first and middle given names....
line of clothes; Burton appeared on billboards for the clothing line and modeled across the United States. Under the stage name Dolla, Burton signed to Akon's Konvict Muzik label in May 2007. His song "Feelin' Myself" was featured on the Step Up soundtrack
Step Up (soundtrack)
The soundtrack to Step Up was released on August 8, 2006 and features new music from Mario, Ciara, Kelis, Chris Brown, Yung Joc, Jamie Scott, and Chamillionaire. The lead singles from the soundtrack are Sean Paul's " Give It Up to Me" featuring Keyshia Cole and Ciara's "Get Up" featuring...
in 2006 and was a "bite" of the Mac Dre
Mac Dre
Andre Hicks , better known by his stage name Mac Dre, was an American rapper.-Biography:Andre Hicks was born in Oakland, California but moved to Vallejo while still a child...
song of the same name.
He made his debut with the single "Who the Fuck Is That?
Who the Fuck Is That?
"Who the Fuck Is That?" or the edited version known as "Who the Heck Is That?" or the BET version known as "Who the Heck..." is the first single off slain rapper Dolla's debut album A Dolla and a Dream, as well as his mixtape Another Day Another Dolla. The song features T-Pain and Tay Dizm...
", which was his biggest hit, reaching #82 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
; the edited version substituted the profanity with "heck". He followed his debut single up with a second promo single "I'm Fucked Up" in the summer of 2008, also an edited version was released using the substitution of the word "tore" replacing "fucked". A third single, entitled "Make a Toast
Make a Toast
"Make a Toast" is the second and final single from rapper Dolla's debut album A Dolla and a Dream. The song was produced by Julian Bunetta and has an upbeat, triumphant feel to it, Julian Bunetta sung the background vocals on the chorus but was uncredited...
", produced by General G(Leesburg/Mo'Money Ent.), was then officially released on November 4, 2008. It has peaked at #101 on the Billboard R&B chart. The song "Make a Toast" was released again with the feature of Lil Wayne.
The last appearance the rapper made was in Ciara
Ciara
Ciara Princess Harris , known mononymously as Ciara, is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, actress and fashion model. Born in Austin, Texas, she traveled around the world during her childhood, only to land in Atlanta, Georgia where she met music producer, Jazze Pha...
's video for her single "Never Ever
Never Ever (Ciara song)
"Never Ever" is a song performed by R&B singer Ciara. It is the first official single from her third studio album, Fantasy Ride. The song features rapper Young Jeezy, was produced by Polow da Don, and was co-written by Ciara and Elvis “BlacElvis” Williams, who both produced and co-wrote Ciara's...
".
On October 20, 2008, he was arrested in Atlanta on weapons charges.
Burton flew to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to record the rest of his debut album, and he was shot on May 18, 2009 at approximately 3:10 pm after confronting and threatening 23-year-old Aubrey Louis Berry. Burton was with his "Brother" Scrapp Deleon and friend DJ Shabbazz when the incident occurred. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. Later that evening, an armed Berry was detained at the Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
. Witnesses say he surrendered without a struggle. His bail was set at $5 million. Bail was subsequently lowered to $1million by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Terry Bork in late May.
Berry claimed self-defense, but Burton's family disputed that; Burton family spokesman Dennis Byron stated that Berry traveled from Atlanta to Los Angeles with a firearm that was not licensed for use in California. This following a prior altercation between the two men in an Atlanta nightclub on May 7, 2009 where Berry was beaten and kicked by a group of men that included Burton. Howard Price, Berry's lawyer, said that Burton threatened Mr. Berry at the restaurant at the Beverly Center, and after Mr. Berry left, he noticed that Burton and two other men were following him to his car and after an exchange of words he thought that Burton was reaching to get a weapon. It was then that Mr. Berry shot him four times in self-defense, Burton later died from a bullet wound that pierced his heart. No gun was recovered from Burton's body or at the crime scene but Mr. Price has suggested that Burton's friend removed a weapon prior to the police's arrival at the scene.
Burton was known to have ties to a West Los Angeles street gang called the Mansfield Gangster Crips
Crips
The Crips are a primarily, but not exclusively, African American gang. They were founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1969 mainly by Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams...
. On May 22, Berry was charged with murder and assault, although he pleaded not guilty. As the murder trial wrapped up prior to jury deliberation, the defendant's attorney, Howard Price, made much of Burton's gangsta rap
Gangsta rap
Gangsta Rap is a subgenre of hip hop music that evolved from hardcore hip hop and purports to reflect urban crime and the violent lifestyles of inner-city youths. Lyrics in gangsta rap have varied from accurate reflections to fictionalized accounts. Gangsta is a non-rhotic pronunciation of the word...
lyrics and videos with gang members to paint the victim as a violent gang member and thug who attacked his client. Prosecutors countered that Burton's gang ties are irrelevant and that his music is simply entertainment and part of a culture where violence sells records. On May 21, 2010, a jury acquitted Berry of first degree murder and all other charges, including assault with a firearm.
Burton's funeral was held May 23 in the Word of Faith Love Center in the East Point neighborhood of Atlanta. The funeral was held in a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
style, known as Janazah. He was buried in Atlanta's Westview Cemetery
Westview Cemetery
Westview Cemetery, located in Atlanta, Georgia, is the largest cemetery in the South East, comprising over , 50% of which is undeveloped. Westview includes the graves of more than 100,000 people.- History:...
. Singer T-Pain recently paid homage to the slain rapper by having a mural of Burton painted on the hood of his vintage car. Additionally, a YouTube video using unreleased Dolla song "Georgia Nights" has been made as a tribute to him. Jay Rock
Jay Rock
Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr. , better known by his stage name Jay Rock, is an American rapper. He was named one of the top 13 most street artists by XXL. His voice has been called a cross between Immortal Technique and Rick Ross. He is a part of the rap group Black Hippy which also features Kendrick...
sent his prayers and condolences to Burton's family and stated that these kinds of acts have to stop. Rapper Tyga produced a song called R.I.P Dolla on his mixtape The Potential. Throughout the following week after the death, Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
opened up a bumper, saying "Dolla [1987-2009]".
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
U.S. R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
U.S. Rap Hot Rap Tracks Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single... |
|||
| 2007 | "Who the Fuck Is That? Who the Fuck Is That? "Who the Fuck Is That?" or the edited version known as "Who the Heck Is That?" or the BET version known as "Who the Heck..." is the first single off slain rapper Dolla's debut album A Dolla and a Dream, as well as his mixtape Another Day Another Dolla. The song features T-Pain and Tay Dizm... " (feat. T-Pain T-Pain Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,... ) |
28 | 24 | 2 | |
| 2008 | "Make a Toast Make a Toast "Make a Toast" is the second and final single from rapper Dolla's debut album A Dolla and a Dream. The song was produced by Julian Bunetta and has an upbeat, triumphant feel to it, Julian Bunetta sung the background vocals on the chorus but was uncredited... " (feat. Lil Wayne Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included... ) |
– | 125 | 12 | |
Mixtapes
- 2008-Another Day, Another Dolla
- 2008-Sextapes: The Art of Seduction
- 2010-Miseducation Of Dolla
- 2011-R.I.P Dolla
External links
- Obituary in the L.A. Times
- Aubrey Berry, 23, in custody facing murder charges by Alex Alonso, StreetGangs.com