Known for collaborating widely and his deadpan bravado, his last solo album, “Rich Slave,” debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard chart last year.
Young Dolph, a deeply skilled Memphis rapper with deadpan bravado and a fierce independent streak who emerged as one of hip-hop’s most promising new stars in recent years, was killed Wednesday in a shooting in his hometown. He was 36. The news, which had been reported by Fox 13 Memphis, was confirmed by the mayor of Memphis, Jim Strickland, who wrote on Twitter, “The tragic shooting death of rap artist Young Dolph serves as another reminder of the pain that violent crime brings with it.” Mayor Strickland added, “To honor all victims of violent crime, I ask for calm in our city to allow the Memphis Police Department to do their duty to capture those responsible.” The Memphis Police Department said a fatal shooting occurred at 2370 Airways Boulevard, the site of Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies, a bakery that Young Dolph had frequented. Officers responded to the scene at 12:24 p.m. local time, locating one male victim who was pronounced dead at the scene, the police said, adding: “We will confirm the ID on the victim once the next of kin notification process has been completed.” The local Fox affiliate reported that the victim was Young Dolph, citing law enforcement sources and the owner of the shop, who said the rapper was buying cookies. A Lamborghini said to belong to Young Dolph was parked out front, according to photos on social media. No information on a suspect was immediately available. Born Adolph Thornton Jr. in Chicago, Young Dolph moved as a small child to Memphis, where he was raised mostly by his grandmother. When he was young, he witnessed drug abuse by his parents, the rapper said in interviews. By the time he was a teenager, Young Dolph had turned toward that illicit world of drug dealing and violence in hopes of helping his family, he said. “Can you imagine a 77-year-old woman trying to raise three elementary kids in the middle of the hood, with all this gang activity and drug” infestation, Young Dolph said in a 2014 interview with Vice.
