Young Dolph Shot and Killed in Memphis

Alex Young

November 17, 2021 at 2:43 PM·3 min read

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The post Young Dolph Shot and Killed in Memphis appeared first on Consequence.

The rapper Young Dolph was shot and killed inside of a Memphis, Tennessee bakery on Wednesday afternoon, according to FOX 13.

Citing law enforcement sources, FOX 13 reports that Young Dolph walked into Makeda’s Butter Cookies around 1:00 p.m. local time when a car drove up and opened fire.

APA, the talent agency that represented Young Dolph, confirmed his passing in a statement: “All of us at APA are shocked and deeply saddened by the sudden and tragic loss of our dear friend and client, Young Dolph. The world has lost an icon, a great man and beloved artist who has been taken too soon. His dedication, drive, hard work and loyalty to all those around him always came first and he will be deeply missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family at this most difficult time.”

Consequence has reached out to Young Dolph’s representatives for more information.

Young Dolph (whose real name was Adolph Robert Thorton Jr.) was born in Chicago, but moved to Memphis at the age of two. After cutting his teeth as a mixtape rapper throughout the early 2010s, Dolph found mainstream success as a featured guest on O.T. Genasis’ 2015 single, “Cut It,” which peaked at No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was later certified double platinum.

Dolph released his studio debut, King of Memphis, the following year after signing a multi-million partnership deal between his label Paper Route Empire and the distribution company Empire. It was his first of what would be six albums to reach the Top 10 on the Billboard Top Rap Albums chart.

In fact, with each release Young Dolph topped a previous high water mark. He followed up King of Memphis with a pair of albums in 2017; Bulletproof, released in April of that year, became the rapper’s first Top 40 entry on the Billboard 200. Arriving just seven months later, Dolph’s third album Thinking Out Loud, placed at No. 16.

Following a Top 15 entry with Role Model in 2018, Young Dolph cracked the Top 10 in three consecutive years. He released a pair of collaborative albums with protégé Key Glock, 2019’s Dum and Dummer and 2021’s Dum and Dummer 2, as well as 2020’s Rich Slave. The latter project, buoyed by appearances from Megan Thee Stallion and G Herbo, became the best-selling project of Dolph’s career, debuting at No. 4 on the Billboard 200.

Over the years, Young Dolph also appeared on tracks alongside Lil Baby, Gucci Mane, Lil Durk, 2 Chainz, and Ty Dolla $ign.

Young Dolph had been targets of shootings twice before. In February 2017, someone fired 100 bullets at Dolph’s vehicle, but the rapper managed to escape unharmed, and later released a single about the incident called “100 Shots.” In September 2017, he survived a shooting outside of a retail store in Hollywood. Fellow rapper Yo Gotti and his associate Corey McClendon were initially named as persons of interest in the second shooting, but neither man was ultimately charged.

This is a developing story…