Authorities say the rapper Young Dolph, who is widely praised in the hip-hop world for his authenticity and strong independence, was shot and killed at a beloved local biscuit shop in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee on Wednesday.
The police tweeted that they had no information about the possible suspects in the shooting, which occurred at Makeda’s Cookies near Memphis International Airport.
The Mayor of Memphis, Jim Strickland, said in a statement: “The tragic shooting of rap artist Young Dolph once again reminds people of the pain caused by violent crime.”
The Memphis Daily reported that the young Dorf’s cousin, Marreno Miles, said the 36-year-old rapper had been visiting an aunt with cancer in the city since Monday and was also distributing Thanksgiving turkey.
“He’s in (Makeda’s), someone just rolled him up and ended his life,” Miles said.
Just last week, the cookie shop posted a video on Instagram, introducing the rapper to promote the cookies of this shop, saying that as long as he is in Memphis, he will return to this shop.
After the shooting, a large group of people gathered near the store. At a press conference on Wednesday night, Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis asked the public to remain calm and advised residents to stay at home tonight. She did not say whether the police believed that the other shootings under investigation on Wednesday were related to the killing of the rapper.
A city councillor called for a curfew. Davis does not rule out issuing one at some point.
Like the Los Angeles rapper Nipsey Hussle who was killed in 2019, Young Dolph pursues an independent music career. His Paper Route Empire label retains control of his music. “I have another vision for it-strictly 100% ownership,” he said in a mini documentary called “Turned Dirt Into Diamonds” co-produced by his brand in 2018. “A lot of people, they can’t see what I see.”
“God bless Dorf,” rapper Chance tweeted. “The truly independent Memphis rapper was born in Chicago. He is loved by millions.”
According to the business appeal, he was born in Chicago, named Adolf Thornton Jr., and moved to Memphis when he was 2. He said in the documentary that he was raised by his grandmother, and once successful, he tried to help his parents “clean up his life.”
He has released many mixtapes, starting with “Paper Route Campaign” in 2008, and several studio albums, including his 2016 debut album “King of Memphis”. He has also collaborated with other rap singers Key Glock, Megan Thee Stallion, TI, Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz, etc. to produce other mixtapes and albums.
Young Dolph has three albums that have entered the top 10 of the Billboard 200, among which the 2020 “Rich Slave” has reached No. 4.
In his music, Young Dolph tells about his life as a drug dealer and the streets of Memphis. He recently performed at a concert at the University of Memphis and played during the break of the Memphis Grizzlies game. He was admired in Memphis as the torchbearer of the city’s rap legend III 6 Mafia.
The young Dorf considers himself a workaholic and has focused on developing his business in recent years. “I am a CEO first, and then an artist,” he told writer Gary Suarez in an interview with Forbes in 2020, and said that he had strategically postponed a contract with a major brand. “As long as I continue to improve and continue to work, my value will increase.”
“I know what the street wants to hear, I know what the street is going through, jargon, fashion, everything. Nothing; this is my real life,” he told Suarez.
The young Dorf survived the previous shooting. In September 2017, after fighting outside a Los Angeles hotel, he was shot multiple times. In February of the same year, his SUV was shot more than 100 times in Charlotte, North Carolina. This event was the inspiration for the song “100 Shots”. According to a business appeal report, he said he survived because of the bulletproof panels in his car.
Memphis officials, athletes and many people in the music industry expressed their condolences on social media.
“Tell my friend Dolph, it broke my heart,” Gucci Mane wrote on Twitter.
The rapper’s agency APA expressed shock and sadness at his death.
The agency said in a statement: “The world has lost an icon, a great man, and a beloved artist, but he was taken away too early.” “His dedication, motivation, hard work and The loyalty of everyone around him always comes first, and he will be deeply missed.”
On October 20, Young Dolph posted on his Twitter account that a doctor told him that he needed some time to be alone.
“I never knew what anxiety meant until my doctor told me that I had anxiety this morning,” said another tweet posted that day.
In a tweet in August, he said: “Still can’t believe that I have reached my goal in life. Still feel untrue.”
This is the fourth high-profile shooting in the Memphis area in the past two months. Other incidents include school shootings, where a 13-year-old student wounded a classmate, a third postal worker shot and killed two postal employees before committing suicide, and a Kroger in a suburb of Collierville. Mass shooting at a grocery store. Two people including the gunman were killed and more than ten others were injured.
Pearson reports from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Joshua Housing in Minster, Indiana; Kristin M. Hall in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed to this report.
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