Recently Southern heavyweight concert promoter and manager Dollah Dae spoke to AllHipHop about developing talent and booking shows throughout the South. While some promoters are more focused on the big festivals and huge markets like Los Angeles and New York, Dollah Dae has found value and a ton of fans in the smaller markets across the south. From Texas all the way over to the Carolinas and as far north as West Virginia, Dollah Dae is reviving the once historic Chitlin Circuit of cities and Black owned clubs throughout the South.
Dollah Dae started as an artist after making a few mixes in high school in New Orleans, but wanted to showcase a bigger side of the music industry down South with concerts and shows in smaller markets that were not exposed to the bigger artists.
Developing his Splash Life Booking brand with bigger and bigger shows in smaller markets, Dollah Dae eventually found himself booking a full fledged tour for Lil Wayne during his Sorry 4 the Wait promotional run (see video below).
Expanding past just the common show in major markets, Dollah Dae really focused on the areas of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi knowing just how much potential for growth there was within those smaller markets with tons of fans but no real access to the artists and their tours.
His pursuit of the perfect show ultimately led to work with legendary music manager Cortez Bryant, as they brought Lil Wayne on a club run in the South booking one of his biggest tours yet. Not only was it a huge tour, but Dolla Dae expanded his network and created a vision for his company beyond his work with Lil Wayne.
“We want to make sure every fan gets a chance to enjoy the waves, regardless of what region you live in. Most promoters move for a check, I’m moving to change the game and I’m using my promotional skills to flip these appearances into full-blown tours. That’s how the Sorry 4 The Wait Tour was born,” Dollah Dae said.
But it didn’t stop there, Dollah Dae had the keys to the south, city to city and promoter to promoter. After that, the momentum carried into the booking of Boosie and Kevin Gates and eventually Pooh Sheisty. While there’s too many artists to name Dollah Dae explained that his company has since booked Kodak Black, Jacquees, Lil Keed, YK Osiris and Fetty Wap in recent years. In addition he is eagerly awaiting Pooh Shiesty’s release so they they can get back to booking shows for him.
He knows the ins and the outs of those deep south club runs and now it’s become paramount to call Splash Life Booking for developing a fanbase throughout the South from Texas all the way to the Carolinas, Florida and up the I-95 north.
Specializing in Tours Across the South Booking Agent Dolla Dae Has Revived the Famous Chitlin Circuit And Expanded to Markets Across The Country
“Just because these fans are not in huge markets did not mean that they were not an important part of the equation.” Dollah Dae explained,” We had to meet the fans halfway and that has allowed us to grow our marketshare across the industry.”
Maneuvering through the game and becoming a cornerstone of Southern music by building and maintaining these relationships is what separates Dollah Dae from the rest. Business comes first, but it comes with respect as opposed to careless lust for monetary gain targeting the big shows and larger markets
Beyond just booking shows across the south Dollah Dae has ambitions to develop his brand on the management side of the industry and has taken on Dallas, Texas bred female rapper Tay Money. Developing her fan base with each show Tay Money is proving she is worth her price to promoters and she’s bringing out the fans.
Dollah Dae is a legendary piece of Southern Hip-Hop history and yet very few understand the validity of his name. Some may look at these quick flips as an unsustainable plan, but the passion and tenacity turned late-night party buys into a legacy that is reviving shows in a whole region.