Young Dolph facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Young Dolph
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Young Dolph in 2017
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| Born |
Adolph Robert Thornton Jr.
July 27, 1985 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
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| Died | November 17, 2021 (aged 36) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
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| Cause of death | Murder |
| Burial place | Memphis Tennessee |
| Nationality | United States |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 2008–2021 |
| Partner(s) | Mia Jaye |
| Children | 2 |
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| Musical career | |
| Also known as |
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| Origin | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
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Adolph Robert Thornton Jr. (July 27, 1985 – November 17, 2021), better known by his stage name Young Dolph, was an American rapper, songwriter and entrepreneur. In 2016, he released his debut studio album, King of Memphis, which peaked at number 49 on the Billboard 200 chart. Young Dolph's fifth album, Rich Slave, was released in 2020 and became his highest-charting project, debuting at number four on the Billboard 200. Young Dolph created Paper Route Empire, an independent music label and Memphis rap group. On November 17, 2021, he was shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee.
Contents
Early life
Adolph Robert Thornton Jr. was born on July 27, 1985, in Chicago, Illinois. When he was two years old, his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee. He had two sisters and two brothers; he and rapper Juice Wrld were second cousins. Thornton was mostly raised by his grandmother, Ida Mae.
Thornton said that the community he was from in South Memphis, many of his peers were raised by their grandmothers due to the issues experienced by their parents. As a teenager, Thornton attended Hamilton High School, being a barber on the side from the ages of 12 to 15. From the ages of 16 to 17 and onward, he turned to the streets for a means of income.
His grandmother often did not allow Thornton to have friends visit their home, but on occasion let homeless friends stay with the family. On March 5, 2008, she passed away due to a battle with lung cancer.
Career
2008–2014: Career beginnings and early successes
In 2008, due to encouragement from his friends, Young Dolph released his first mixtape Paper Route Campaign. Seeing its local popularity, he decided to fully invest himself into rap. Two years later, he formally established his label Paper Route Empire in 2010, an independent record label inspired by the likes of Master P and Baby, and subsequently released his first mainstream mixtape Welcome 2 Dolph World that same year, hosted by Atlanta DJ DJ Scream with features from 8Ball & MJG, 2 Chainz (then known as Tity Boi), and in-house artists Tim Gates and Money Makkin Murda. With the release of mixtapes High Class Street Music and High Class Street Music 2 in 2011, Young Dolph began to develop his own rap flow, shifting away from a style similar to Memphis rappers Three 6 Mafia and 8Ball & MJG instead to a personal style described as "vociferous" with a "magnetic delivery and uniquely deep voice". In 2012, Young Dolph released the mixtapes A Time 2 Kill and Blue Magic on April 12 and November 14, respectively. The former's title was inspired by the movie of the same name, and the latter's title inspired by the movie American Gangster. Following multiple collaborations along with a personal connection with Atlanta trap rapper Gucci Mane, Young Dolph released the collaboration mixtape EastAtlantaMemphis on March 15, 2013, with features from Young Scooter and Big Bank Black. On May 13, 2013, he released the third installment of the High Class Street Music series, Trappin' Out a Mansion. On October 15, 2013, Young Dolph released South Memphis Kingpin, with the song "South Memphis" achieving high popularity. On April 15, 2014, Dolph released Cross Country Trappin. On July 8, 2014, Young Dolph released the fourth installment of the High Class Street Music series, American Gangster. This mixtape included the song "Preach", which received nationwide fame, as well as features from Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz, Fiend, Trinidad James, Shy Glizzy, Trae tha Truth, Problem, and Cap 1.
2014-2017: Debut album and feud with Yo Gotti
On February 24, 2015, Young Dolph released the fifth and final installment of the High Class Street Music series, The Plug Best Friend. It included features from 2 Chainz, Shy Glizzy, and Peewee Longway, as well as a remix of "Preach" featuring Rick Ross and Jeezy. On June 30, Dolph released a collaboration album with Gucci Mane and Peewee Longway titled Felix Brothers. On July 28, 2015, Dolph released mixtape 16 Zips with features from T.I., Slim Thug, Paul Wall, Jadakiss, and fellow Paper Route artist Jay Fizzle. In September 2015, Young Dolph was featured on O.T. Genasis's double platinum hit single "Cut It". On October 8, 2015, Young Dolph released Shittin on the Industry, an 11-song mixtape including the hit single "Get Paid".
In February 2016, he released his debut album King of Memphis under his independent Paper Route Empire label, which peaked at number 49 on the Billboard 200. Other Memphis rappers (including Yo Gotti and Gotti-affiliated Blac Youngsta) took offense at the album title, with Blac Youngsta leading an armed group attempting to find Young Dolph in Memphis and releasing a diss track, "SHAKE SUM (Young Dolph Diss)" in response.
In 2017, Young Dolph released a diss track against Yo Gotti, prompting Yo Gotti to release a response song. Two weeks later, in February 2017, Young Dolph released a music video for it. The next day, his vehicle was the target of gunfire in Charlotte, North Carolina, while in town for a performance at the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association tournament. His car was reportedly shot over 100 times but was outfitted with bulletproof panels, and no one was hurt. He performed the same night.
Following the shooting, Blac Youngsta and two other men were arrested, but the charges were later dropped due to insufficient evidence. Young Dolph used the publicity from the shooting to promote his second studio album Bulletproof. In September 2017, he was shot multiple times. In February 2018, he released the extended play, referencing this prior incident.
2017–2020: Charting singles and first top 10 album
In 2017, Young Dolph signed his cousin-by-marriage and fellow Memphis rapper Key Glock to his Paper Route Empire label, after the two had met at family gatherings. In 2018, they released the single "Major", which peaked at number 47 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. That same year, Young Dolph said that he had been offered a $22 million label deal which he turned down. Preferring to stay on his own independent label, Young Dolph stated, "It really was a good deal, a super good deal to tell you the truth. But it's just, I see something else".
Young Dolph later revealed that he signed a distribution deal with Empire Distribution, and his September 2018 album Role Model was released under the label Paper Route Empire, a joint venture between Paper Route Empire and Empire Distribution. In July 2019, Young Dolph again collaborated with Key Glock, this time releasing his first collaborative album entitled Dum and Dummer, imitating the title of the Farrelly brothers' film Dumb and Dumber.
The album peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200, earning each of the artists their first top 10 album. The album was produced by BandPlay, who used a variety of styles of beats in the album's tracks. Reviewers for the album noted Young Dolph's greater "songwriting range", with "depths of self-loathing and despair" that were complemented by the younger Key Glock's "celebrations of himself".
2020–2021: Retirement plans and top 10 solo album
Rumors emerged in early 2020 that Young Dolph was considering his retirement from music in order to spend more time with his children, and was seen more frequently in Memphis. On his Instagram, Young Dolph wrote, "Highly considering quitting the music business because I really wanna be with my kids 24/7". During the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Young Dolph released the single "Sunshine" and released edited album covers of previous releases on streaming services to feature individuals wearing surgical masks to highlight and address the global situation.
Young Dolph's seventh album, Rich Slave, was released on August 14, 2020. It was preceded by the singles "Blue Diamonds", "RNB" featuring Megan Thee Stallion and "Death Row". Young Dolph explained the album's title, stating "It's the reality of being Black in this country". Rich Slave was Young Dolph's highest-charting album, peaking at 4th on the Billboard 200.
On March 5, 2021, Young Dolph and Key Glock released the single "Aspen", and subsequently their second collaborative album, Dum and Dummer 2, was released on March 26, 2021. It is a sequel to 2019's Dum and Dummer, and combined solo songs with tracks featuring both artists. The project's cartoon artwork references Beavis and Butt-Head. The album was released by Young Dolph's independent Paper Route Empire label. In a review on Pitchfork, Nadine Smith gave the album a 7.5/10 rating, stating that "Dolph & Glock fashion themselves in the image of pop culture dunces even if at the same time they're poised, extravagant, and immaculate—there's a casualness to their rapport and respective flows that never announces itself too much."
Posthumous releases
A posthumous tribute album titled Long Live Young Dolph was announced on January 10, 2022, and was officially released on January 21, 2022, through Paper Route Empire. It was preceded by the release of the single "LLD (Long Live Dolph)". The compilation album contains guest appearances from PRE associates.
A posthumous album from Dolph, titled Paper Route Frank, was released on December 16, 2022.
Personal life
Thornton had two children with his partner, Mia Jaye. He said that he was somewhat strict with his parenting due to his upbringing with his grandmother. Thornton often collaborated with his cousin and fellow rapper Key Glock and was a distant relative of the rapper and singer Juice Wrld, learning of the familial relation with the latter in 2017.
Thornton was shot outside a retail store in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on September 26, 2017. He was listed in critical condition at the hospital, but within a few hours doctors reported he was expected to survive. He spent two weeks in the hospital recovering from three gunshot wounds. Yo Gotti was initially named a person of interest moments after the shooting but was later cleared. Yo Gotti's friend, Corey McClendon, was arrested for attempted murder, only to be released the next day with no charges.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Thornton began to stay with his family in Memphis more frequently and did so amid rumors of retirement. He was known in the area for his philanthropy, donating $25,000 to his alma mater, Hamilton High School, and providing motivational speeches to students. Known for handing out Thanksgiving dinners, Thornton gave away two hundred turkeys to individuals at the West Cancer Center days before his death and was scheduled to donate additional meals days later.
Death
On November 17, 2021, Thornton was fatally shot in Memphis whilst visiting Makeda's Homemade Butter Cookies, a bakery he frequented whenever he was back home. Two gunmen in a white two-door Mercedes-Benz gunned him down.
Thornton was laid to rest on Tuesday, November 30, 2021. A service was held at First Baptist Church Broad Street. The family's caravan of black SUVs was escorted by security and Memphis Police to the cemetery across from Hamilton High School, Young Dolph's alma mater.
Remembrance
The city of Memphis approved street-renaming for a street in the honor of Thornton. The street was changed to Adolph "Young Dolph" Thornton Jr. Avenue, which is located on the intersection of Dunn Avenue and Airways Boulevard, just east of Castilia Heights (where Dolph was raised) and not far from where Dolph was killed.
In February 2022, two Tennessee lawmakers (Representative Torrey C. Harris and former Senator Katrina Robinson) proposed a bill which would make November 17 – the day on which Dolph was killed – the "Adolph Thornton Day of Service". The bill listed several of Dolph's acts of philanthropy and described him as "an exemplary gentleman and consummate professional who worked assiduously to improve the quality of life for his fellow citizens in numerous capacities". It also stated the holiday's goal is to "celebrate the memory, music, and community service contributions of [Dolph] and to encourage Tennesseans to help others."
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||||||
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| US |
US R&B/HH |
US Rap |
US Ind. |
CAN |
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| King of Memphis |
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49 | 9 | 5 | 5 | — | |||||||||
| Bulletproof |
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36 | 19 | 14 | 7 | — | |||||||||
| Thinking Out Loud |
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16 | 9 | 8 | 2 | — | |||||||||
| Role Model |
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15 | 11 | 9 | 6 | — | |||||||||
| Dum and Dummer (with Key Glock) |
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8 |
5 | 4 | 16 | 83 |
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| Rich Slave |
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4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 84 |
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| Dum and Dummer 2 (with Key Glock) |
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8 | 5 | 4 | 2 | — | |||||||||
| Paper Route Frank |
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25 | 9 | 4 | 3 | — | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||
Compilation albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
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| US |
US R&B/HH |
US Rap |
US Ind. |
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| Paper Route Illuminati (with Paper Route Empire) |
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22 |
13 | 10 | 1 |
Mixtapes
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
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| US |
US R&B/HH |
US Rap |
US Ind. |
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| Paper Route Campaign |
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— | — | — | — | |||||||||
| Welcome 2 Dolph World |
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— | — | — | — | |||||||||
| High Class Street Music |
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— | — | — | — | |||||||||
| High Class Street Music 2: ... Paradise |
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— | — | — | — | |||||||||
| A Time 2 Kill |
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— | — | — | — | |||||||||
| Blue Magic |
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— | — | — | — | |||||||||
| East Atlanta Memphis (with Gucci Mane) |
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— | — | — | — | |||||||||
| High Class Street Music 3: Trappin' Out a Mansion |
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— | — | — | — | |||||||||
| South Memphis Kingpin |
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— | — | — | — | |||||||||
| Cross Country Trappin |
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— | — | — | — | |||||||||
| High Class Street Music 4: American Gangster |
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— | — | — | — | |||||||||
| High Class Street Music 5: The Plug Best Friend |
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| Felix Brothers (with Gucci Mane and Peewee Longway) |
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— | — | — | — | |||||||||
| BagMen (with Peewee Longway) |
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| 16 Zips |
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| Shittin' On The Industry |
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— | — | — | — | |||||||||
| Bosses & Shooters (with Jay Fizzle & Bino Brown) |
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— | — | — | — | |||||||||
| Rich ... Baby |
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132 | 14 | 13 | 15 | |||||||||
| Gelato |
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54 | 22 | 13 | — | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Extended plays
| Title | EP details | Peak chart positions | ||
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US R&B/HH |
US Rap |
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| Tracking Numbers (with Berner) |
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| ... Get Shot Everyday |
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59 | 29 | 24 |
Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||
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| US Bub. |
US R&B/HH |
US Main. R&B/HH |
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| "Get Paid" | 2016 | — | — | — | King of Memphis | |
| "Play Wit Yo ..." | 2017 | — | — | — |
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Gelato |
| "100 Shots" | 10 | 49 | — |
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Bulletproof | |
| "Bagg" (featuring Lil Yachty) |
— | — | — | Gelato | ||
| "While U Here" | — | — | — | Thinking Out Loud | ||
| "Believe Me" | — | — | — | |||
| "Drippy" | — | — | — | |||
| "Major" (featuring Key Glock) |
2018 | 1 | 47 | 18 |
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Role Model |
| "Sunshine" | 2020 | — | — | — | non-album single | |
| "RNB" (featuring Megan Thee Stallion) |
1 | 46 | 5 |
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Rich Slave | |
| "Blue Diamond" | — | — | — | |||
| "Death Row" | — | — | — | |||
| "Aspen" (with Key Glock) |
2021 | — | — | 29 | Dum and Dummer 2 | |
| "Hall of Fame" | 2022 | 17 | — | 37 | Paper Route Frank | |
| "Get Away" | 4 | 40 | — | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||
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| US |
US R&B/HH |
US Rap |
US Main. R&B/HH |
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| "California" (Colonel Loud featuring T.I., Ricco Barrino and Young Dolph) |
2015 | — | 32 | 21 | 8 | California EP | |
| "Cut It" (O.T. Genasis featuring Young Dolph) |
35 | 11 | 6 | 3 |
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Rhythm & Bricks | |
| "Bling Blaww Burr" (Gucci Mane featuring Young Dolph) |
2016 | — | — | — | — | Woptober | |
| "Downfall" (Lil Durk featuring Young Dolph) |
2018 | — | — | — | — | Signed to the Streets 3 | |
| "Drip Like Dis" (Bankroll Freddie featuring Lil Baby and Young Dolph) |
2019 | — | — | — | 23 | From Trap to Rap | |
| "Blood All on It" (Gucci Mane featuring Key Glock and Young Dolph) |
2022 | 98 | 32 | — | — | So Icy Gang: The ReUp | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||
Other charted songs
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
US R&B/HH |
US Main. R&B/HH |
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| "Preach" | 2014 | — | — | 24 | Cross Country Trappin and High Class Street Music 4 | |
| "Pulled Up" (featuring 2 Chainz and Juicy J) |
2015 | — | — | 39 | High Class Street Music 5 | |
| "Facts" | 2016 | — | — | — |
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King of Memphis |
| "Get Paid" | — | — | 35 | |||
| "Royalty" | — | — | 33 | |||
| "Foreva" (featuring T.I.) |
— | — | — |
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Rich ... Baby | |
| "Stunting Ain't Nuthin" (Gucci Mane featuring Slim Jxmmi and Young Dolph) |
2017 | 95 | 39 | — | Mr. Davis | |
| "Go Get Sum Mo" (featuring Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz and Ty Dolla Sign) |
— | — | 29 | Thinking Out Loud | ||
| "By Mistake" | 2018 | — | — | 36 |
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Role Model |
| "1 Hell of a Life" (with Key Glock) |
2019 | — | — | — |
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Dum and Dummer |
| "Water on Water on Water" (with Key Glock) |
— | — | 35 |
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| "Hold Up Hold Up Hold Up" | 2020 | — | — | — |
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Rich Slave |
| "To Be Honest" | — | — | — |
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| "No Sense" (featuring Key Glock) |
— | — | — |
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| "1 Scale" (featuring G Herbo) |
— | 45 | — |
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| "Penguins" (with Key Glock) |
2021 | — | — | — | Dum and Dummer 2 | |
| "Love for the Streets" | 2022 | — | — | — | Paper Route Frank | |
See also
In Spanish: Young Dolph para niños
