Today we’d like to introduce you to Dorian (i.e. Notta Wrd) Lee.
Hi Dorian (i.e. Notta Wrd), thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up surrounded by music. My parents always had something playing — from Beyoncé, the Black Eyed Peas, and Mariah Carey to legends like Prince and Michael Jackson. Those sounds were my earliest education in rhythm and melody.
As I got older, my taste started jumping all over the place. I went through a rock phase with Green Day and Red Hot Chili Peppers, then into the 2000’s club wave — all that high-energy stuff that made you want to move. Eventually, I got pulled into the 2000’s rap scene: Lil Wayne, Ying Yang Twins, Soulja Boy — even artists around my age at the time, like Bow Wow and Lil Romeo. That era made me realize how accessible music could feel, like anyone could leave their stamp if they had something to say.
The first time I recorded anything myself was on the T-Pain autotune app on my phone. My friends and I even made our own dance song back then — it was all fun, no pressure. But after that, I didn’t really touch music for years.
It wasn’t until my freshman year of college that I fell back into it. College exposed me to so many creative people chasing cool hobbies and entrepreneurial ideas. One of my friends actually airdropped me Logic Pro X, and that moment changed everything. I was hooked. I started making beats every day, experimenting nonstop, and eventually saved up for my own recording setup. I even taught my friends how to make music too.
Balancing music with my engineering studies wasn’t easy — and honestly, it still isn’t. But it’s part of what makes the journey real for me. I didn’t start releasing music until I reconnected with my high school friend, Toni Frio. Together, we started a collective called ROTY Collections, and we’ve been grinding ever since.
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?
It’s been anything but smooth. I’ve definitely had moments where I felt like I was going mad — sacrificing my youth chasing something that wasn’t giving much back at first. It’s like living a double life: one side handling responsibilities, school, and work… and the other side obsessed with music.
There are times I’ve wondered what it would be like if music was the only thing in my life — if I could just lock in completely without all the other noise. But to work on my craft the way I do, it’s really been a labor of love and compromise. I’ve missed out on moments with family and friends. I’ve been discouraged when the traction doesn’t match the vision.
And the logistics — putting on events, performing, managing the creative and the business sides — that’s a whole different beast. The scene is saturated, and I’m constantly thinking about how to stand out without losing myself.
Still, when the crowd starts moving and you see people vibing to something you made from scratch — it makes every late night and setback feel worth it. That connection reminds me why I do it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
ROTY Collections is a creative collective built around music, culture, and collaboration. We’re a small but versatile team that wears a lot of hats.
I’m the main recording artist in the group — I handle the recording and audio engineering for pretty much everything we do. That includes voice acting for animations, capturing live sounds, recording vocalists, and mixing and mastering our tracks.
Toni Frio is our DJ, producer, and networker — he’s the one making connections, setting up collaborations, and doing a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to planning our events.
James is our multi-instrumentalist, DJ, and producer. He brings live musicianship to our sets and adds that human feel that makes our performances hit different.
Together, we perform at our own events, host vendors, and create spaces where people can just have a good time and experience something genuine. We’ve started producing for other artists, hosting them at our shows, and doing collaborations where I feature on their tracks.
Beyond music, we’re expanding into beat tapes, live gigs, merchandise — and soon, even games, animated shorts, and digital art. ROTY is really about blurring the lines between art forms and creating a full-on creative ecosystem.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
What’s gotten us this far is being humble, open, and bold.
You have to stay humble enough to listen, to take feedback, and to learn from other people doing great things. You have to be open to new experiences — whether that’s working with someone from a completely different background or trying something that’s outside your comfort zone.
And at the same time, you’ve got to be bold enough to experiment. To try new ideas, sounds, and ways of creating — even if they don’t always work. That’s the only way to find your voice and make something real.
For us, it’s never been about ego. It’s about growth, community, and staying fearless in how we express ourselves.
Pricing:
- $100/beat
- $100/mix
Contact Info:
- Website: http://Rotycollections.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notta_wrd/
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nottawrd
- Other: https://linktr.ee/notta_wrd?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=6a1a3767-723a-42f5-acba-86e3c0ee2adc
Image Credits
Photos by James Juice
https://www.instagram.com/james.juice/
