Dolla

Biography

Roderick Anthony Burton II (November 25, 1987 – May 18, 2009) better known by his stage name Dolla, was an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. Burton embarked on his music career in 2003, with hip hop group Da Razkalz Cru, under the pseudonym Bucklyte. The group quickly disbanded, and Burton went on to work as a model for the Sean John clothing line. In mid 2006, Burton signed to Akon's Konvict Muzik label. Burton released three singles from 2007 to 2010. The first, his commercial debut single "Who the Fuck Is That?", featuring T-Pain and Tay Dizm, charted on the Billboard Hot 100, along with his second single "Make a Toast", featuring Lil Wayne charting on the charts Hot 100 as well.
Throughout his musical career, he dropped 3 mixtapes and 2 albums during his lifetime, one of the mixtapes being called Another Day, Another Dolla (2007). Gained notable press for its then innovative sound and refreshing take on Mainstream Hip-Hop at the time.
Along with the worldwide recognition, he then dropped his official debut studio album, A Dolla & A Dream (2009), featuring hit singles like "Heartbreak Collision", "Georgia Nights" and "Guess Who's Bizzack?", the debut topped the Billboard Hot Rap/R&B charts at No. 2, only behind Drake breakthrough mixtape, So Far Gone. He also dropped his sophomore album, Made In Da ATL (2010), with singles like "California Kushin'" and "Brown Paper Bag" hitting the charts shortly after. On May 18, 2009, Burton was shot and killed at the valet stand of the Beverly Center shopping mall in Los Angeles, and Aubrey Berry was arrested for attempted murder. Berry was acquitted on all charges.

Biography

Burton was born in Chicago on November 25, 1987, and grew up in Atlanta. Burton had a twin brother who died at birth. When Burton was five, he and his sister witnessed their father commit suicide by shooting himself. He formed a rap group, Da Razkalz Cru, going by the name Bucklyte with Scrapp Deleon then known as Scrappy and SAS. They would later make up The Gang with a rapper named Streetz. They 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 (Original 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 highest chart appearance, 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", featuring Julian and 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.
His final appearance was in Ciara's video for her single "Never Ever".
After recording a song called So Fly with fellow rapper, T.I., a video was released on YouTube with the artists together a week before his death.
On October 20, 2008, he was arrested in Atlanta on weapons charges.

Death

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 by 23-year-old Aubrey Louis Berry. Burton was with Scrapp Deleon and his 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 $1 million 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 followed 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 including Burton. Berry's attorney, Howard Price, explained that Burton had threatened Mr. Berry at the Beverly Center restaurant. When Mr. Berry left, he saw Burton and two other men following him to his car, and after exchanging words with Burton, he believed Burton was reaching for 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.
On May 21, Berry was charged with murder and assault, although he pled not guilty. It was mentioned that Burton had ties to a West Los Angeles street gang known as the Mansfield Gangster Crips. As the murder trial wrapped up before jury deliberation, the defendant's attorney, Howard Price, made much of Burton's gangsta rap lyrics and videos with gang members to present 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 on 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 paid homage to the late rapper by having a mural of Burton painted on the hood of his vintage car. Additionally, a YouTube video using the unreleased Dolla song "Georgia Nights" has been made as a tribute to him.

Mixtapes

Another Day Another Dolla (2008)
Sextapes: The Art of Seduction (2008)
The Miseducation of Dolla (2010)
The Greatest Hits of Dolla (2013)