Roderick Anthony Burton II, better known by his stage nameDolla, was an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. Burton embarked on his music career in 2000, 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 2007, Burton signed to Akon's Konvict Muzik label. Burton released three singles from 2007 to 2009. The first, his commercial debut single "Who the Fuck Is That?", featuring Akon and T-Pain, charted on the Billboard Hot 100. On May 18, 2009, Burton was shot to death at the valet stand of the Beverly Center shopping mall in Los Angeles, and Aubrey Berry was arrested for his murder. Berry was acquitted on all charges.
Biography
Burton was born in Chicago, Illinois on November 25, 1987 and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. 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 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, 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 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 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, explained 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. On May 21, Berry was charged with murder and assault, although he pleaded 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 prior to 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 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 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 his death, Adult Swim opened up a bumper, saying "Dolla ".
