Memphis officials paid tribute to Young Dolph by renaming a stretch of city street in his honor.
A ceremony unveiling the new sign took place in the Catalia Heights neighborhood on Wednesday, about a month after the Memphis native was fatally shot at age 36. Friends, family, and fans attended the event near the intersection at Dunn Avenue and Airways Boulevard, where a sign reads: Adolph “Young Dolph” Thornton, Jr. Avenue.
Dolph’s longtime partner Mia Jaye was among the speakers at the ceremony.
“Adolph was just an amazing man, he was an amazing father, he was an amazing example of what a man should be to my son,” said Jaye, who is also the mother of Dolph’s two children. “… I’m grateful to have experienced him. And I’m grateful that the world can see him for who he truly is, not the persona that most people saw him for being, but for who he truly is. I think he’s more than deserving to have a street named after him, in honor of him, to continue the legacy … I really hope that this can just be a staple in the community and just remind people that violence isn’t the way, that Black men do deserve to grow old, just as Adolph deserved to grow old.”
Councilwoman Martavius Jones and Councilman JB Smiley Jr. also attended the event.
“We shouldn’t be here celebrating Young Dolph in his passing,” Smiley Jr. said. “We should be here celebrating as he lived today.”
Dolph was shot on Nov. 17 while inside Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies in Memphis. Surveillance footage captured two masked gunmen firing at the late rapper before fleeing in a car. Authorities say the investigation is ongoing, and have yet to make any arrests in connection to the killing.
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