Five Young Dolph songs that will live forever
Young Dolph will go down as one of the greatest to come out of the new generation of Memphis rappers. Adolph Thornton, who was originally born in Chicago but moved to Memphis when he was two years old, helped pioneer the current movement of artists from the city, including Yo Gotti, NLE Choppa, Key Glock, Moneybagg Yo, Blac Youngsta, and Duke Deuce.
Across 21 mixtapes and five albums during his lifetime, Dolph proved formidable in the trap space, staking claim as the “King of Memphis” for a reason. While he operated comfortably on his own, he was also a prolific collaborator. Throughout his career, he worked with Wiz Khalifa, Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz, Ty Dolla $ign, and Megan Thee Stallion, to name a few.
His life was cut short on November 17th, 2021, after he was fatally shot in his hometown. He was visiting Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies when two people gunned him down, inflicting 22 gunshot wounds in his body.
At the age of 36, Dolph was taken far too soon. Despite living a short life, he managed to leave behind a strong legacy of music that he will forever be remembered for. Below, we take a look at five tracks that cement his dominance.
Five Young Dolph songs that will live forever:
‘By Mistake’
‘By Mistake’ is a song that finds Dolph bragging about his wealth. The Memphis rapper had so much money that he wasn’t concerned about the amount he was spending. Whether it’s $500,000 on furniture, $100,000 on a watch, or $40,000 in a department store, he could afford to drop a ton of money on things that people could only dream of.
The track also comes with other reckless lyrics like driving under the influence, with lyrics like, “I’m DUI right now, I don’t belong behind the wheel,” and, “I can’t stop at that red light, I keep goin’, I don’t yield.” Take his energy, but don’t follow in his footsteps.
‘Water on Water on Water’
Dolph was cousins with Key Glock. The pair made a bunch of music together, including two collaborative albums titled Dum and Dummer and Dum and Dummer 2. One of the best songs they ever recorded was ‘Water on Water on Water’, which is one of his platinum songs.
The track is all about diamonds, with Dolph nicknaming himself “Dolph Gabbana” after Dolce and Gabbana, and rapping about baguettes around his neck. Water on water on water, fashion on fashion on fashion; that’s how he rolled.
‘100 Shots’
‘100 Shots’ is one of Dolph’s most-streamed songs for a reason. On the track, he addresses an incident that took place on February 25th, 2017. When he was in Charlotte, North Carolina, Dolph’s bulletproof SUV was shot at over 100 times. He was left uninjured, with three men later turning themselves in and facing charges. Blac Youngsta was one of them, but his charges ended up being dropped.
In the chorus, he raps, “A hundred shots, a hundred shots/ Me and my n*ggas pull up in a hundred drops/ My role model used to get a hundred blocks/ Street n*ggas in a tuxedo, we the mob.” It was a miracle that he survived.
‘Royalty’
Dolph wasn’t part of a royal family, but with the amount of success he had, he sure as hell felt like he was. His song ‘Royalty’ is a reflection of that, wanting people to treat him and his friends with the utmost respect.
He keeps up the royal theme in his lyrics, rapping about how loyal his girlfriend was to him. “My lil bitch just asked me, ‘Dolph, what do you need, your highness?'” he raps, considering himself to be on the same status as a king or queen. The music video is also extreme, making his way around a mansion with a monkey on his shoulder.
‘Large Amounts’
Whatever Dolph did, he was doing it to the fullest. On ‘Large Amounts’, Dolph talks about his strong work ethic and dedication to those who came up with him. To him, anyone he didn’t grow up with was immediately an enemy and didn’t deserve to be on his winning team.
In the first verse, he touches on selling his soul to the trap and being the “hardest worker in show business.” Comparing himself to the legendary James Brown, known for his singing, dancing, and songwriting capabilities, is some statement, but that’s just how much effort he put into his career.