MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Rapper Young Dolph was shot and killed on Nov. 17 at a South Memphis cookie shop, shocking not only the Memphis community, but fans all over the country.
Young Dolph, whose real name is Adolph Thornton Jr., was originally born in Chicago in 1985. He moved to Memphis at the age of two and grew up in the Castalia Heights neighborhood in South Memphis.
He was a graduate of Hamilton High School in Memphis. He became one of the school’s most notable alumni when he rose to stardom after he released his mixtape Welcome to Dolph World in 2011.
He is known for owning the music label Paper Route Empire, commonly known as PRE, which includes artists Key Glock and Big Moochie.
In 2016, he released his debut album King of Memphis, which some would say was a jab at Memphis rapper Yo Gotti who had previously claimed that title.
The two rappers had been at odds years prior and were very vocal about it, stating that it stemmed before Dolph’s fame.
In 2017, Young Dolph was shot at on two separate occasions related to the beef. In one of those incidents, Dolph’s SUV was shot over 100 times.
Following the incidents, Dolph released his second studio album Bulletproof with the single “100 Shots” as a response.
Dolph’s highest charting project, Rich Slave, was released in 2020, which debuted at #4 on Billboard 200.
The proud South Memphian had fans all over the country, but it was his hometown fans whom he loved the most. He gave back to his community often.
He and his label hosted a turkey giveaway in Memphis on Nov. 15, just two days before his passing.
This wasn’t the first time he held an event like this. He held a similar event in 2018, returning to the neighborhood he grew up in to hand out turkeys before Thanksgiving. While he was there, he talked to dozens of children with the Memphis Athletics Ministry and touched on the importance of academics, preparing for life after high school and entrepreneurship.
While he was on tour last year, he stopped by his alma mater and donated $25,000 to the school for new sports equipment and supplies.
The 36-year-old will leave behind two children.