Indie rap star Young Dolph was shot and killed on Wednesday in his hometown of Memphis. The artist, whose real name is Adolph Robert Thornton Jr., was shot inside a bakery while he was buying cookies at around 1 p.m.
Authorities said a yet to be identified gunman drove up to Makeda’s Butter Cookies and shot the 36-year-old rapper through the car window. Young Dolph is survived by a son and a daughter.
A huge crowd gathered at the scene of the crime on Wednesday afternoon, with some individuals crying on the ground. Young Dolph was accompanied by another individual at the time of the shooting. Police are still conducting an investigation, interviewing witnesses to help identify the shooter.
Memphis mayor Jim Strickland asked for calm, telling residents to allow police to do their work in finding those responsible for Young Dolph’s death. Strickland said that the killing serves as another reminder of the outcome of violence and crime in the city.
An Up And Coming Star
Young Dolph, who has more than 4.4 million followers on Instagram, released his debut album King of Memphis in 2016. Shortly after it was released, the album peaked at number 49 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. The rapper, who is a cousin of the late artist Juice Wrld, later released another album titled Rich Slave, which featured his hit single RNB featuring Megan Three Stallion.
Young Dolph was born in Chicago and reared in Memphis by his grandmother. As the oldest of his siblings, he learned to be self-sufficient at a young age. His parents were crack addicts, and his alternatives for generating money in a violent and impoverished neighborhood were very limited.
In an interview in 2018, Young Dolph said he grew up in a “living hell,” and all he wanted to do was to make money so that he could take his family “out of the hood.” The rapper stated that he wanted to give the people in Memphis real advice and life experiences through his music and lyrics.
Young Dolph began freestyling with his friends when he was young, claiming that he started working when he was 12, and he has never stopped since then. He said music had motivated him, and that is what he wanted to share with the world.
The rapper is well known around the Memphis area for his music and for his charity work. Young Dolph reportedly handed out turkeys every Thanksgiving through the Memphis Athletic Ministries charity. He also donated money to his former high school and regularly spoke to children at events.
Previous Brushes With Death
Living in an impoverished neighborhood, Young Dolph has had several brushes with death, which he said he used to fuel his music. In 2017, the rapper got into a fight with fellow Memphis rapper Yo Gotti. The feud eventually led to an attempt on Young Dolph’s life. While traveling in Charlotte, North Carolina, Young Dolph’s SUV was sprayed with bullets.
Young Dolph later released a new album called Bulletproof, which featured the song 100 shots. Most of the lyrics were related to the shooting incident.
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