On May 18, 2009, Hip Hop lost one of its own in Roderick Anthony Burton, II. Known to the Rap community as Dolla, the 21 year-old emcee was plugging away at his debut for Jive Records, through Akon‘s Konvict Muzik. In the parking lot of a P.F. Chang’s restaurant in Los Angeles’ Beverly Center, Dolla’s life was taken from him by a reported 12 fired bullets, by 23 year-old Aubrey Lewis Berry. In a trial earlier this year, Berry claimed self-defense, and was acquitted of Dolla’s murder on all charges, serving no time.
As Hip Hop has lost talented individuals we were simply just starting to listen to, understand and celebrate before in Mausberg and Stack Bundles, Dolla’s close friend, business partner and deejay, DJ Shabazz, spoke to HipHopDX about the man he worked side-by-side with for nearly five years, and the plans for his music getting to the people.
Just days before The Miseducation of Dolla 
mixtape released, Shabazz admitted to DX that “This whole last year has been a great big roller-coaster ride, but especially the last month with the whole acquittal and everything.” That’s highly understandable, considering when Shabazz admitted, “Dolla was like my little brother. I was with him every single day, 24 hours a day, literally, [from the last three years until] May 18th of last year. Our circle was extremely small, there were only five of us.” Just like in films of such tragedies, the friends’ last conversation was hopeful that the hard work was paying off. “We were actually sitting at lunch, talkin’ about how shit was just about to blow up, as far as the route he was taking.”
Twelve shots changed that destination forever.
Part of the reason DX spoke to DJ Shabazz was to understand that in his six or seven years of professional performing, he had gained some high profile supporters in addition to Akon. “T.I. actually had us come to his [recording] session. He was working on Paper Trail. On his own studio time, he sat there and listened to all of Dolla’s tracks, and was really like, ‘Let’s do something. Let’s make it happen.'” That meeting was particularly meaningful, as T.I. was Dolla’s favorite artist. Additionally, Dolla closely followed the music and styles of Andre 3000, E-40, Mac Dre, and 2Pac. Shabazz notes that Dolla shared some of the similar sentiments as Shakur. “You’ll hear that on the new mixtape: the anger at the poverty, gentrification, [and strong commentary on the] youth in the black community.” Scarface also influenced Dolla, as Shabazz recalled, “For a good year straight, we listened to M.A.D.E. every single day.”
Shabazz became Dolla’s official deejay after a spot-date at the famed Playboy Mansion. Shabazz handled the music, just after Dolla had signed with Jive’s A&R executive Ant Rich. The Bay area deejay felt a deep bond with the Atlanta-based rapper. “His mom calls me her son. His brothers are my brothers, his sisters are my sisters.”
However, while Dolla may have appeared green to the industry, the rapper had deep roots, and like The Clipse, a fruitless previous contract at Elektra Records with group, Da Razkalz Cru. Shabazz said, “He saw the highlights of the music industry, but once Elektra folded, that all came crashing down. It came down to, ‘Do I just go to public middle school? Or do I get this music shit crackin’?'” Like many tempted by fame and fortune, he chose the latter.
After the success of Akon, Dolla reconnected with one of his earlier collaborators. “Akon actually did a lot of tracks for Razkalz, before Akon was the Akon we know,” revealed Shabazz. “Dolla, was to my recollection, the first artist signed to Konvict. He was signed when he was like 16, 17 [years old], but 25, 30 at heart. He was beyond his time.”
Deeper than just contracts and influences, Shabazz was asked about the potency of Dolla’s songwriting. The deejay looked within his partner’s catalog and pulled out, “One of my favorite records is ‘Role Model.’ If you listen to the lyrics of the song…when he did it in the studio with T.I., I came in during the session, and I had goose-bumps when I heard it.” Speaking specifically, Shabazz noted, “The actual lyrics that he’s saying…in one of the parts he says, ‘Only niggas I knew was rappers and drug-dealers / Pretty good at the rappin’ / Damn good at the trappin’ / So picture how my life would’ve been if my daddy was an actor / A lawyer, a teacher, a judge / Probably never touched a track, probably never sold a drug.’ That’s just real powerful stuff.” The track is even more prophetic considering Dolla’s father committed suicide in front of his eyes, when the rapper was just five years old.
“He has a lot of heartfelt tracks. Hopefully, after [The Miseducation of Dolla ], it creates this ball of destruction of every artist in the industry asking, ‘Who was this kid?’,” said Shabazz of their plans with the mixtape. “We gonna pump it out now so everybody can hear what we heard.”
As Stack Bundles, Mausberg and even Big L all released notable posthumous albums, Dolla may see his work come to stores. “Fortunately for us, Ant Rich at Jive was his friend [too]. Ant is obviously gonna do as much push as he can,” the deejay said,a also acknowledging that Dolla’s younger brother has mic aspirations. One of the album-ready songs is “11/25,” where the young rapper begins his life story at his birth. Shabazz notes that the song has evoked tears among the people he’s played it for.
All of that talent accounted for, DJ Shabazz was asked to react to the acquittal verdict from the May ’09 shooting he witnessed. “It’s absolutely horrible,” he said, expressing even further frustration that the defense attorney’s on Dolla’s murderer used lyrics in their argument. “I can’t believe the eight or nine jurors actually bought into the whole story about the lyrics, ’cause at the end of the day, they’re just lyrics. They can’t prove what the camera can prove about the incident. It’s caught on film.” Video footage showed the two camps exchanging words at the popular Chinese restaurant. “They didn’t play any of the positive music he made, they only played the negative. It just shows you how fucked up our justice system is.”
“Twelve bullets, is that really self-defense?” asked Shabazz. “I’m speechless. At the end of the day, it’s all in God’s hands.” He pointed to Michael Vick’s jail-time, noting that a human killer walks free.
Given the self-dense case, DJ Shabazz was also asked if Dolla really initiated that day’s subsequently fatal confrontation. “We just happened to be at the same restaurant dude was at. I’ve never seen the dude, but I guess there was an altercation in Atlanta a couple weeks before – that I don’t exactly know all the details to, ’cause I wasn’t there,” explained DJ Shabazz. “I hear stories, but I wasn’t there. When we went to the valet, there wasn’t really any confrontation. I was standing next to Dolla when we walked out to the valet. The dude was lookin’ at us. If you go anywhere and a dude is lookin’ at you to the point where it’s lookin’ like it’s an issue, you’re gonna address it. You’re gonna say somethin’. The only words that came outta [Dolla’s] mouth was, ‘What’s happenin’?’ Dude say, ‘Nothing.’ That’s all it took.”
Moments later, gunfire erupted in the parking lot. Shabazz still does not understand the motives or the defense. “Unless he saw something different, none of us rushed out the door. If you go to the P.F. Chang’s in L.A., when you open the door, it goes right to the valet.” Citing video that suggests the same, he added, “We were all workin’ out; I had food in my hand…That was the last thing I recall before everything went down.”
On May 18, 2009, everything changed for Dolla and those who knew him and his music. Through mixtapes like this month’s The Miseducation of Dolla and more to be heard, DJ Shabazz is hoping many more can mourn with Hip Hop.
New Summer Banger by @ juganot called Dollars produced by @williebones http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjoncuLXLTA
get that fuckin shit outta here u pussy….R.I.P. Dolla….we dont care bout ur lame ass music
So sad man..Dolla was really talented. How the hell is 12 shots self defense??? And what does his lyrics have to do with anything??? They are lyrics that you use not against a specific purpose but for entertainment and expression? That is the most dumbest thing I’ve heard all year…The justice system is all fucked up, they probably were like one thug down, 10 million to go! R.I.P. Dolla!!!!
Rest in Paradise Dolla! I’ll always love you! You ARE truly amazing & I know you were a good person! I’ll forever be missing you!
R.I.P brother I like that Miseducation track, real insightful.
this mixtape goes hard…a true loss RIP Dolla
Nice, Mix Tape, I have never heard it before. It’s the next best thing to having him back!
unbelievable mixtape…i visioned this guy making it big had he not been slain.
may the murderer rot in 5 different hells…its all in gods hands now
i was wondering when hiphopdx was gonna write an article on this cat…im pretty sure he wouldve of been on top of tha game if he didnt lose his life by the way may the killer get hanged or get guillotin…one of the best mixtapes of 2010 imo its been in tha whip for about a week now r.i.p dolla
stand up click!
I hate to say it but if the camera’s told the truth then cuz would be down on the block. Bein tuff cause you a demi-Boss can have fucked up consequences.Fuck all that conversation bout anything. I dont hav to address a nigga lookin at me, but if you fuck wit me, you’ll see. Be a Boss G, but be smart. Never underestimate a nigga you may have handled ruff once. RIP Dolla, wish you a peaceful journey son…
yo fuck that bitchass aubrey next time i see him its goin down …rip dolla ..only a bitch ass nigga shoot someone while they runnin
*************************************************************
– W E L C O M E T O B l a c k W h i t e D a t e * C o m –
*************************************************************
I strongly recommend ______ B l a c k W h i t e D a t e * C o m ______ to you where I just found my interracial boyfriend! You know it is a great place to meet black men and beautiful women. What’s kind of relationship do you want?
Its sad Dolla was killed, but to answer the question on how the jury heard the lyrics and didnt find the guy guilty is easy…open your eyes. The same things that Dolla talked about as far as the community is the same things these people see. Then they hear one negative lyric and see the tattoos on his face and make an “ass”upmtion based on their own lives and personal experience. Youngins today dont think they should not do certain things. They think everything is good as long as they can do what they want. Everything you do helps people draw a conclusion about you. All I hear the youngins say is I dont give a fuck or Im doin me. Well when you do be ready for people to judge you based on their opinions whether true or false.
I agree and disagree…I disagree cuz in this country, certain groups of people are gonna be judged a certain way by society as a whole regardless of their (our) bag. It wouldn’t have mattered if Dolla was a rapper, a construction worker, banker, ball player or whatever; society woulda found SOME way to judge him, just as they judge many of us everyday. I don’t have any type of police record, wear my pants on my waist like the grown ass man I am, and don’t go out in public (or anywhere else for that matter) actin like a fuckin monkey…but that don’t stop the military-minded pigs from stoppin and searchin me whenever they feel like, like I’m some common criminal, thug or “goon”.
Now where I can agree at, is that a LOTTA our people give society good and valid reasons to judge us cuz of their actions and the way they present themselves. And they can call me an old ass “hater” or whatever, I really don’t give a fuck…but it’s like these youngins these days are takin the shit to a whole other extreme, just BLATANTLY disrespectful! Can’t completely blame them though, it’s the utter lack of home trainin in this day and age. NEVER did I think I’d see the day where BLACK kids could cuss their mothers out and leave the situation with even one of their teeth left in their mouths, let alone ALL of em! So you got all these youngsters out runnin rampant just doin whatever the fuck…and the pigs and the system are well aware that intelligence is like Kryptonite in the Black community, niggas with brains that USE em are for some reason looked down upon…so with this knowledge, they’re also aware that they can do us however they want with no qualms. Why? Cuz most of us don’t even KNOW to ask questions. Plus it’s like I said on another article…niggas talk ALL that shit about what they’ll do to another Black man, yet bitch up the second they think the pigs are in the area. Yet we wonder why they call us animals and treat us as such…
“Read between the lines, and question EVERYTHING.” — MalcolmLittle
Who is Eminem talking about on his new album? Visit my page and listen to the advice track “!” to find out!!
http://www.myspace.com/ibaronline
WHO GIVES A FUCK BITCH FUCK U AND YOUR MYSPACE
I SHIT ON YOUR SHIT BITCH
Dolla was soooo dope…dude said
Ladies way to inconsisten/its either she a dog or he’s scared of committment/so i think its best if we just kick it/love women hate bitches yeah its a difference”
but check out my Drake remix best on the next
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9FMwpwIrgs
SHUT THE FUCK WITH YOUR DRAKE REMIX BITCH
I SHIT ON YOUR SHIT BITCH
R.I.P. DOLLA AND I HOPE YOUR NIGGAZ STEP UP AND GET THAT FUCKER THAT SHOT U
DAmn he was fine, what a waste
Y IS NIGGAS EVEN NAMED AUBREY???? DID THAT NIGGA GO TO DEGRASSI HIGH TOO?
LOL Good one!
DOPE
It’s sad Dolla had to lose his life over nonsense, but he brought it upon himself. First him and his crew jumped Aubrey in Atlanta, then when they had a chance encounter in L.A., surveillance footage, and eyewitness testimony proved that Dolla and his friends followed A.B. into the valet area without even paying for their food, which showed they left in hurry. It was just Dolla’s lyrics that came into play, even forensics showed Dolla was reaching in a backwards motion as if reaching for something. One of Dolla’s friends who was with him even testified at the trial, that he could see how A.B. felt threatened because of the way they approached him.
It WASN’T just Dolla’s lyrics that came into play
Man, I’d pay $100 for a legit dolla album, i just started listening to his stuff a month ago and i think he’s the best rapper who ever lived.