Rapper Young Dolph killed in Memphis shooting

Rapper Young Dolph, best knownfor his 2020 album Rich Slaveand collaborations with his cousin and fellow Memphis rapperKey Glock, has died in ashooting in Memphis, Tenn.He was 36.

The shooting took place at Makeda's Homemade Butter Cookiesin South Memphis on Wednesday afternoon, local station FOX News13 reported. The owner of the store told the outlet thatYoungDolph walked in to buy cookies at around 1 p.m. when someone drove up and shot him.

Young Dolph, whose real name was Adolph Robert Thornton,Jr., was born in Chicago but moved to Memphis at a young age. Hewas cousins with rapper Juice WRLD, who died at 21 of a drugoverdose at Chicago's Midway International Airport inDecember2019.

Making his studio album debut, Young Dolph released King ofMemphisin 2016, which reached No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100chart. He dropped seven albums from 2016-2021, the most recentbeing Dum and Dummer 2, his collaboration withKey Glock, which peaked at No. 8.

He was signed to Paper Route Empire, and his most successfulalbum was 2020's Rich Slave,which debuted at No. 4 on theBillboard 200 and was his highest-charting release. Between 2008 and 2017, he dropped more than a dozen mixtapes and EPs.

In September 2017, Young Dolph was shot outside a retailstore in Hollywood and hospitalized in critical condition. Hespent two weeks in hospital recovering from three gunshotwounds.

The rapperwas well known in the Memphis area and on Thanksgivingwould donateturkeys to Hamilton HighSchool, which he attended, and speakto students.

Tributes for Young Dolphpoured in on social media from fans and fellow artists.