Daily Inspiration: Meet Dolla Bill

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dolla Bill.  

Hi Dolla, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always loved music since I was old enough to bop my head to the beat, whether it was Motown or Pop I could always feel the music. I was first introduced to rap through Eminem and fell in love with the sound right away. Just the way words could be put together to create such a story while still rhyming put me in awe. Around 5th grade I started to branch out from Eminem, finding all different types of artists through the magic of YouTube. At first, I wanted to find the “fastest” rapper and learn what they were saying so I could rap it myself, but that all changed when I came across Lil Wayne. I started listening to what rappers were saying instead of just how they were saying it. This realization of how much one person can say in the short time of a song made me think about all of the things I wanted to say. I began making songs in my head while doing chores or work, just daydreaming about lyrics all day long. But it wasn’t until 9th grade that I started writing any of these ideas down. Of course, looking back, I know they aren’t anything special, but at the time I thought these lyrics would completely change the genre. I released my first song in 2016 as a part of a school project in health class, and it’s actually still uploaded to my SoundCloud. It was recorded through my built-in laptop microphone while the beat was playing through the same laptop speakers. As you could probably imagine, the quality was lacking. But with the support of my mom and dad, family, and peers, since then I’ve continuously upgraded my equipment and honed my craft to be at the point it is today, and I couldn’t be prouder. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I definitely wouldn’t say a smooth road, but I think my struggles were always a little more self-inflicted than others. I tend to get in my own head when it comes to my art and sometimes that leads to criticisms I wouldn’t notice in someone else’s song even if you played it to me 100 times. Something as little as my voice inflection on a single word can completely ruin how I feel about one of my own songs. If that doubt wins, that song never sees the light of day, even if it’s something experimental I’m trying. For example, I’m not a singer whatsoever, but if I hear a beat and feel like it needs a certain melody on it, I’ll attempt it myself. That day I record it I may think it’s the best song ever, but in 2 or 3 days I may return to it and hate every single thing about it. So yeah, there have definitely been struggles, but very rarely external. Yeah, a song may not do quite the numbers I wanted it to do, but it’s about my art over everything and as long as I made the song I wanted to make, that’s all I’ll ever reflect on. But if I can’t make that song sound exactly how it was in my head, that’s where the road gets bumpy. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
So, I am a rapper and a musical artist. I mostly rap, but I never want to be boxed into just one genre if I decide to make something different. I think that what I love most about my music, is that with each song or project I put out, no one really ever knows what exactly it’ll sound like. I listen to all different types of music, and especially all different types of raps, so when I’m in my studio, there’s never really a ceiling on what I want to make. Some days I want to rap and make the most creative lines I can come up with. Other days I want to make a song that when I’m hanging out with my friends, we can turn on and go crazy to. And some days I have something weighing on me that I need to get out of, and that might be what I’m most proud of. Being able to take any emotion I’m feeling and somehow translate it to music. One of my more recent projects “When the Moon Turns Green” was made when I was going through a rough patch in life, and each song reflects a different moment of that rough patch. But after that project, I put out a song that I’ve seen played at multiple parties. While other artists are definitely capable of doing that with their art, I think what sets me apart from the others is that no matter what, my music will always be authentically me. 

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I’m just excited to have the ability to express myself in such a creative way. With each new song or project I put out, it’s like a new chapter gets written in my life as a person and as an artist. For each project, I challenge myself to say whatever I want to say but do it in a way that I haven’t heard before, by myself or others. It’s fun and always authentic to me. And I want to give a shoutout to my mom and dad for always supporting me and listening to the songs that I send to them. Along with my family, especially my aunt who coined my name Dolla Bill based on my real name Billy. And of course, to all of my friends who have supported me since day 1 no matter how rough the early songs were. From helping with the cover arts to promoting my songs to showing up to my first concert and rapping my lyrics along with me, it means the world. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/dollabillsimps
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/dollabillsimps
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/dollabillsimps
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVrtvtm0r_4r3ztlxPwsGYQ
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-943351127
• Other: https://tiktok.com/@dollabillsimps

Image Credits
Timmy Hunt