Tribute to dead rappers

                                  DOLLA

Date of birth:November 25,1987
Place of birth:Chicago,Illinois,U.S.
Date deceased:May 18,2009 (aged 21)
Place of death:Los Angeles,California,U.S.
Cause of death:Murder








About Dolla:
Dolla was one of the ''new age rappers'',and he was killed when he was at the very beginning of his career.Interestingly,I heard about him just about a month before his death,but didn't pay any attention to him at the time,because,to be honest with you,I wasn't really into his music at the time.

But then,in May,2009,just one or two days after his death,I saw somewhere on the internet that Dolla was killed.This got me interested in his life,and I checked on the youtube some of his songs.
Even though I'm not so much into ''new age rap'',and I'm more of mid 90s,and early 2000s rap songs fan,I really liked his song ''Who the Fuck Is That?'',which featured T-Pain and Tay Dizm.
It's kind of a party song to me,and to this day I can't imagine my parties without this song.
It's interesting to mention that Dolla stated in one interview,that he was inspired by 2pac's poem,''The Rose That Grew from Concrete''.
He was also shot,some time before his death,and had a tatoo on his stomach as a reminder.
   His death proved that unfortunately,to this day,to be a rapper is a very dangerous profession.He died way to early and way to young.

Generally about Dolla:
Dolla (real name Roderick Anthony Burton II) was born on November 25,1987 in Chicago,Illinois,U.S.However,he grow up in Decatur,Georgia.He had a twin brother,who died at birth,and two sisters.
A childhood was tough for him as he and his sister witnessed their father committing suicide by shooting himself.Dolla was only only 5 years old when that happened.
He began his career in the group called ''Da Razkalz Cru'',and later in the group called ''The Gang''.He went by the name Bucklyte,at the time.    The group signed with the label Elektra Records,and released the single ''So Fly'' in 2003.The single wasn't successful enough,and the group was dropped from the label shortly after.
  But fortunately for Dolla,he caught the eye of Missy Elliot and P. Diddy,and after the group was dropped,Dolla started working as a model for Diddy's Sean John clothes line.Shortly after,Dolla met famous R&B singer,Akon.He signed him to his Konvict Muzik in 2007.Right after that,with the help of Akon and his own manager,he signed for the Jive Records.Then,on December 18,2007,Dolla's debut single,''Who the Fuck Is That?'',(featuring T-Pain,Tay Dizm,and Akon on the song's remix),which is his most successful and most famous song.The song reached nr. 82 on the Billboard Hot 100.He also had a song on the Step Up soundtrack a year before that,named ''Feelin' Myself''.which was interpretation of Mac Dre song of the same name.Two more singles were released in 2008,''I'm Fucked Up'',and ''Make a Toast''.  
But problems for Dolla has started,when he was arrested in Atlanta,on October 20,2008,on weapon charges.







Dolla's Death:
On May 18,2009,Dolla flew to Los Angeles to record the rest of his album.At te Beverly Center in L.A.,he had an argument with Aubrey Louis Berry,with whom he had a fight in an Atlanta nightclub on May 7,2009.Berry went to the parking lot,and Dolla and his two friends followed him.After exchanging some words,Berry pulled out the gun,Dolla tried to escape,but Berry shoot him 4 times in the back.One bullet pierced through Dolla's heart,an that was the fatal wound from which he died.
Later that evening,Aubrey Louis Berry was arrested at the Los Angeles International Airport.He surrended without a struggle.
On May 22,2009,Berry was charged with murder and assault,but he pleaded not guillty.
At the trial,Berry's lawyer mentioned that Dolla and his friends beat him up in Atlanta on May 7,2009,just 11 days before Dolla's death.
Alleged motive for his beating was over the drink,which Berry accidentally spilled on a girl who was in Dolla's entourage.
It was also mentioned that Dolla had ties to a West Los Angeles street gang,Mansfield Gangster Crips,and that the lyrics of his songs were of violent content.
Berry also stated that he killed Dolla in self-defense,as he thought that Dolla was reaching for his gun.
However,prosecutors stated that no gun was found on the victim's body,and that his song lyrics were irrelevant,beacuse it is just an art,and many other successful rappers use violent lyrics too.
On May 21,2010,a jury acquitted Berry of first degree murder and all other charges.
Dolla's furneal was held May,23 in his hometown Atlanta,and was held in Muslim style,known as Janazah.


I will also add that,even though is very possible that Dolla is fault for his own death,because he did beat up Aubrey Louis Berry,and possibly threaten him,in this case,it's very hard to find out the real thruth.And there is also a video on youtube,from the Berry's trial,and to me,it was so hard to see Dolla's mother struggling through tears when a jury acquitted Berry,because the fact is that,he did kill him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtB0fX58AM0

As I said,it's hard to find out if Berry was really inocent or not,I will not make any conclusions,but I can end this post with the Dolla's own words,''Just whatever you tryna do,you gotta work hard at it,never give up,if you belive,it's gonna happen''.

Dolla discography:
Mixtapes:
2008: Another Day Another Dolla
2008: Sextapes: The art of Seduction
2009: A Dolla and A Dream
2010: The Miseducation of Dolla
2013: The Greatest Hits of Dolla