Ariel Cobbert, The Commercial Appeal , Memphis Commercial Appeal via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Memphis rapper Young Dolph killed in a shooting

By Megan Armstrong | Last updated Nov 17, 2021 3:57 PM ET

Young Dolph (born Adolph Thornton Jr.) was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon. He was 36 years old.

The rapper was the victim of a shooting outside Makeda's Cookies in Memphis.

On the scene of a shooting on Airways. I’m hearing Memphis rapper Young Dolph may be a victim in the shooting. Shooting happened at Makeda’s Cookies. pic.twitter.com/Dw1nTcKV3C
— Jeremy Pierre FOX13 (@JeremypierreFOX) November 17, 2021

According to FOX13 Memphis, "three independent law enforcement sources" confirmed Young Dolph's death.

"Maurice Hill, the owner of the shop where the shooting happened, Makeda’s Butter Cookies, told FOX13 his employees said Young Dolph, 36, walked into the store to buy cookies," the news outlet relayed. "Someone then drove up and then shot and killed him around 1 p.m. on Wednesday at the bakery in South Memphis."

Dolph, a proud native of Memphis, was dedicated to the community:

young dolph's family operates a community non-profit in memphis called the ida mae family foundation. they hold a youth conference, donate clothing to victims of domestic violence, and run thanksgiving programs, too. you can donate here:https://t.co/qbs5T0WS0o
— (@grantrindner) November 17, 2021

His 2016 debut album was aptly titled King of Memphis.

"Since then, Young Dolph has scored three top 10 albums on the Billboard 200, with his 2020 Rich Slave project peaking at No. 4 on the chart," wrote Billboard's Carl Lamarre. "His albums earned a combined 2.6 million equivalent album units and sold 221,000 copies, according to MRC Data. His catalog tallied 3.9 billion on-demand U.S. streams, according to MRC Data."

Young Dolph was also an executive, running his own Paper Route Empire record label.

Megan Armstrong

Megan Armstrong (@megankarmstrong) is a writer whose work has appeared in places such as Billboard, GQ, Esquire, Bleacher Report, Uproxx, and others. Megan has also produced various podcasts and hosted a daily radio show at Mizzou. She grew up obsessed with sports — impressing adults by memorizing NFL statistics as a kindergartner — and grew into an obsession with music

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