Overview

Roderick Anthony Burton II (November 25, 1987 – May 18, 2009) was an American hip hop artist best known by his stage name Dolla. He began performing as a teenager and attracted national attention after signing to Akon’s Konvict Muzik label. Dolla combined street-oriented lyrical themes with the melodic collaborations typical of mid-2000s Atlanta rap, and he released a handful of singles that received radio play and chart exposure.

Early life and musical beginnings

Burton was active in music from an early age. He first performed with the group Da Razkalz Cru under the alias Bucklyte before adopting the moniker Dolla for his solo work. His move from local scenes to a major-label affiliated imprint reflected a common path for Southern rappers of the era who translated regional popularity into broader opportunities through collaborations and single releases.

Music, releases and collaborators

Dolla’s most widely known release was the single often titled explicitly as "Who the Fuck Is That," issued in an era when many radio edits and alternative titles were used to secure airplay—the edited retail version was sometimes listed as "Who the Heck Is That." The track featured prominent collaborators, including T-Pain, and reached the Billboard Hot 100, giving him national visibility. Other tracks released before his death included "I'm Fucked Up" and "Make a Toast," the latter featuring Julian. His work frequently paired street-focused lyrics with melodic hooks and guest features, a hallmark of the period.

  • Notable single: Billboard-charting collaboration often credited with introducing him to a wider audience.
  • Frequent collaborators: T-Pain and other producers and vocalists in the mid-2000s R&B/hip hop crossover scene.
  • Label association: Konvict Muzik, a label linked to several mainstream R&B and hip hop releases of the decade.

On May 18, 2009, Burton was shot in the parking lot of a restaurant in Los Angeles. The alleged shooter, 23-year-old Aubrey Lewis Berry, said the incident followed an argument and claimed self-defense. Reports indicated tension stemming from an earlier altercation. The shooting occurred outside a casual-dining establishment often named in coverage; local reporting referenced the venue by name and context in the immediate aftermath. Burton was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead.

Law enforcement investigated the case and Berry was later charged, but those charges were dropped on May 22, 2010, after prosecutors said the defendant had claimed self-defense and that available evidence raised questions about the circumstances, including a previously reported confrontation. The shooting and the subsequent legal process received attention both because of Burton’s rising profile and the questions it raised about violence and safety for touring or traveling entertainers.

Funeral, burial and legacy

Burton’s funeral was held in the Atlanta area shortly after his death and he was buried at Westview Cemetery in Atlanta. For many fans and peers, Dolla represented a young artist whose career showed promise through national collaborations and a recognizable sound. His death underscored the fragile nature of emerging careers in hip hop and contributed to conversations within the community about violence and dispute resolution.

Notable facts and distinctions

  1. Dolla released a radio-friendly edit of his most controversial single to accommodate mainstream airplay, a common practice for explicit songs at the time.
  2. His signing to a label associated with a major R&B star reflected a trend in the 2000s where established performers developed imprints to promote younger acts.
  3. The legal outcome in the case — charges dropped following a self-defense claim — illustrates how criminal prosecutions can hinge on conflicting accounts and available evidence.

For further contemporary reporting and archival material on Burton’s career, public releases, and the legal proceedings that followed his death, see media and music-industry sources cited at the time of the events and retrospective pieces that examine mid-2000s Atlanta hip hop and its artists. Additional context about the label and collaborators is available through profiles of those figures and related industry coverage: artist filings, stage name references, incident reports, and local accounts that referenced the restaurant site directly in contemporaneous stories.