“Try going what I been thru/You’ll try to escape too… I came up from nothing/Now I’m ‘bout something.” That’s not a made up line from someone who’s trying to conjure up some kind of dramatic, hard-luck life story. It’s a hint of the real life soundtrack found within the songs of Mike Dolla, a Tampa, Florida-based Hip Hop artist who says his music is rooted in the ups and downs of his life so he can inspire fans to hang on through the highs and lows in their lives. To know where he’s coming from – to understand Mike Dolla as a person and as an artist – you literally have to go back to his very first minute of existence. Mike’s mother lost her life giving life to Mike – she passed away during his birth, denying Mike the chance to ever get to know her and leaving a huge hole in his heart. His early life in Harlem started out tragic, and it didn’t get much better from there. Mike was shuffled off into the New York foster care system, where he says (with reserved elaboration) that his childhood years were hellish. It wasn’t until he discovered the 1988 Hip Hop classic “It Takes Two” by Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock that he knew his path in life. His first performance was in third grade doing “End of the Road” by Boyz 2 Men, complete with hi-top fade hair, tight jeans and button-up shirt. As a kid, Mike Dolla was at first a shy and timid performer, but as a rising star in the world of Hip Hop, his swagger is untouchable, and his stage presence can be felt from miles away. With a highly anticipated EP about to drop and a movie soundtrack in the works, Dolla recently co-wrote and performed on Jadakiss/D Block recording artist Snyp Life’s “What They Want.” If the two songs he’s knocked out so far – “Driving Me Crazy” and “Shinin’ Bright” – are any indication of what’s to come from Mike Dolla, he’ll rapidly be breaking out of regional artist status and making a name for himself on the national and world music scene. Versatility and style are not just a given with Mike Dolla – they’re guaranteed. “I’m real, and so is my music!” he proclaims. “My sound is my own sound, and it’s my only way out… Music is my life.” From his heart-breaking beginnings to foster home drama, and from periods of homelessness and hard times, Mike Dolla has lived that trail of long pointless days and cold lonely nights. He was once a nobody, and now – thanks to his natural musical talent and rhyming prowess – Mike Dolla is on the verge of becoming a ‘somebody.’ “The funny thing is that I always felt very special, even when I was at the bottom of the barrel. I just want fans to get to know me, to build a relationship with me… to understand that I’ve been down the same road. Once they’ve felt my pain and walked through the rain with me, then we can get into the brighter things in life.”