MEMPHIS – Another rapper murdered in the United States. Young Dolph, a leading figure on the scene, admired for his authenticity and independence, was shot dead inside Makeda’s Cookies, a well-known bakery in Memphis, his hometown. For the omentum, the police let it be known that they have no information on the perpetrator of the murder and the motive. A cousin of the artist told the local press that Young Dolph had been in town since Monday, visited an aunt with cancer and distributed turkeys for Thanksgiving. Another detail: last week Makeda’s Cookies posted a video on Instagram in which the rapper extolled the goodness of his cookies, claiming to visit the shop every time he was in Memphis. After the murder, a large crowd gathered around the business. Mayor Jim Strickland in a statement commented on the tragic event as “a warning about how much pain violent crime brings.”
Young Dolph had survived other attempts to kill him. He was shot repeatedly in September 2017 after a fight outside a Los Angeles hotel. In February of the same year, someone unloaded shots at his SUV in Charlotte, North Carolina, which inspired his song “100 Shots”. Obviously the vehicle was bulletproof armored. Like Nipsey Hussle, a Los Angeles rapper who was himself murdered in 2019, Young Dolph has always pursued an independent approach to the music business, securing control and ownership of his music through his own label, Paper Route Empire. A profile remembered by colleague Chance The Rapper on Twitter: “God bless Dolph, a true independent rapper loved by millions”.
Born in Chicago as Adolph Thornton Jr, Young Dolph moved to Memphis at the age of two. In a documentary, he recounted that he was raised by his grandmother and that he always went to great lengths to help his parents “put their lives in order” once they achieved artistic success. Since 2008 Young Dolph has produced numerous mixtapes, the first album in 2016, “King of Memphis”, then three others finished in the Billboard Top Ten, in particular “Rich Slave”, which placed fourth on the prestigious chart. Among the many collaborations, the one with Key Glock, Megan Thee Stallion, TI, Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz. The most popular themes in his music, drug dealing and life on the streets of Memphis. “I know what the street wants to hear – he declared in an interview in 2020 – I know what happens on the street. I know its jargon, its fashion, everything. Because it is my life”.