RIP
Is this what they call black lives mattering? Black lives matter so much that a successful black rap artist tries to promote black business by buying his favorite cookies from a black-owned cookie store in a predominantly black neighborhood and gets gunned down by black people.
Memphis street legend Young Dolph (Adolph Robert Thornton, Jr.), 36 lost his life in a hail of at least 50 bullets (according to a witness) on November 17, 2021 while paying a visit to a store called Makeda's Cookies in Memphis, Tennessee. The shots were fired by vicious thugs who took the opportunity to brazenly kill the popular rapper while he was in town. It was a brutal and violent end to Young Dolph's short and chaotically successful life.
Before getting killed, Young Dolph had barely survived at least 2 previous shootings. In February 2017, his bullet-proof SUV was shot at 100 times in Charlotte, North Carolina. Miraculously, he was able to walk away that scare unscathed. After the harrowing incident, he was inspired to make one of his biggest hits, a defiant track called "100 Shots." However, only a few months later, in October 2017, Dolph didn't get as lucky. He got shot in Hollywood after getting into an altercation with some guys. Dolph was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, but fortunately, he received emergency surgery and was able to make a full recovery. Refusing to back down one inch, Dolph recorded an audacious song called "Believe Me" and released a flashy video for it while he was still recovering from the shooting.
But given that Dolph had such close brushes with death in the past, it's sort of surprising that he would make the obvious misstep of returning to the hood, especially since he does have beef. It's a terrible tragedy for sure, but it seems as though Young Dolph dropped his guard. As a person who understood the harsh realities of living the street life, he probably should have known better. Dolph got too comfortable and he paid for it by getting mowed down in broad daylight.
Unfortunately, it is a fact that rich and successful black people often can’t go back to the black neighborhoods that they came from. Ignoring that rule can be deadly. The BLM nonsense has no effect whatsoever on the reality of how black people generally view each other. There is actually a lot of hostility among black folks. The cold truth is that blacks are not coming together and “uplifting” each other. They’re often harming each other and taking each other's lives.
With all of his money, Dolph should have never gone back to the hood. He shouldn't have shown love to the community, and taken the time to praise the local cookie store Makeda's, while he was in town. That careless action sealed his fate because his killers figured out exactly where to find him. He should have stayed away from “the hood” completely. Dolph figured that he could support the black community and be among his "peeps." That was his natural inclination. But very often times, there is little to no reward for that. Usually, trying to “give back” or "show love" to the hood ends up being counterproductive.
Of course we must acknowledge that Young Dolph was a real street rapper with real beef and real gang ties. Live by the gun, and die by the gun, as they say. He often rapped about his street exploits as a drug dealer, and frequently dissed other rappers and people that he had problems with. Young Dolph had some well publicized beefs over the years with figures like Yo Gotti, Blac Youngsta, and more recently, Moneybagg Yo and Key Glock. Dolph also had a checkered history with the law. So Dolph definitely brought some of this energy on himself. But still. The violence certainly came with the lifestyle that he lived but it’s still tough to see him get killed.
To end on a more positive note, I first discovered Dolph back in 2011 when he had a song called “I Think I’m Sprung” with one of my favorite artists of all time, Juicy J. Ever since, I've listened to his music from time to time and I have to say that I did enjoy his material. Dolph became a street legend in the rap game by boasting about being a certified trapper, bragging about his money and cars, glorifying his frequent drug use, and of course, describing his hedonistic escapades with women. Wonderful topics, I know. He did it all with his extremely distinctive and recognizable Memphis drawl. I really liked the way he would raise his voice at the end of his bars for emphasis. If you’re familiar with Dolph, you know what I mean.
Some of my favorite tracks by him include:
“Dollar Signs” from High Class Street Muzik 4: American Gangster
“Money Power Respect” from 16 Zips
"They Watching" from 16 Zips
“Grew Up" ft. Young Scooter and Project Pat from High Class Street Muzik 3 (Trappin’ Out A Mansion)
“Preach” from High Quality Street Muzik 4: American Gangster
“Cut It Remix” (O.T. Genasis ft. Young Dolph)
"Bling Blaww Burr" (Gucci Mane ft. Young Dolph)
"Penguins" (Young Dolph, Key Glock)
It’s really too bad for Dolph to get his life cut short like this. Hopefully the perpetrators get caught soon and get severely punished. RIP Young Dolph and prayers to his friends and family.
Yorumlar