Memphis To Honor Young Dolph With Street Naming

By Dulce Torres Guzman, Tennessee Lookout

December 8, 2021

Rapper Young Dolph’s life was taken away in a city that he loved and cared for through charitable acts, said Memphis residents, who asked the Memphis City Council to rename a street after him.

“It wasn’t just his rap music. It wasn’t just a fact that he was a local star that became a nationally recognized recording artist. It was the fact that he poured into people,” said Councilmember J.B. Smiley.

On Tuesday, council members listened to friends and family of Adolph “Young Dolph” Robert Thornton Jr. speak of the impact he left on his local Memphis community since his death.

Young Dolph was buying cookies on Nov. 30 at Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies when gunshots erupted through the store windows, killing him. He left behind a girlfriend and two children.

Police are currently searching for two suspected shooters.

Before his death, Young Dolph had been an active member of the Magnolia Castalia community, including funding music programs at local elementary schools, and was known for donating to local charities and residents in need.

“In short, he was a role model. He was a beacon of hope in my community and my children, and he took his responsibilities seriously,” said Carolyn Goodwin, president of the Magnolia Castalia Community Association.

Young Dolph’s aunt also spoke on his behalf.

“For me, spiritually, I’m glad it happened in his neighborhood if it had to happen, because I was able to be with him. His mother and his father were able to be with him as he lay there. Had he been somewhere else, I would not have been able to be with him and care for him in his time of need,” said Rita Meyers.

Council members passed the resolution, and the proposed street to be renamed is Dunn Avenue and Airways Boulevard located in Castalia Heights, where he grew up.

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