The late and great Young Dolph’s hometown legacy is being kept alive through a back-to-school drive in Memphis, Tennessee.
Wednesday, marked what would have been the “On the River” rapper’s 37th birthday.
About 300 backpacks filled with school supplies were distributed through the drive, which was the 20th Annual Back to School Stop the Violence event, according to WREG.
The drive was held in the neighborhood of Castalia Heights, where Young Dolph, whose government name is Adolph Robert Thornton Jr., grew up.
“It’s Dolph’s day. We are doing it for Dolph,” fellow Memphis rapper Snupe Bandz commented, WREG reports.
This initiative was an attempt to keep Young Dolph’s legacy alive, as he remained active within the Memphis community even after reaching big-time fame and recognition.
“Young Dolph stayed connected to his roots here in Memphis, and we want all of our kids to stay connected to their roots in Memphis,” Jonathan Torres, president and CEO of Memphis Athletic Ministries, said, ABC24 Memphis reports.
“He was always pushing kids to look to mentors and to look to those who would push them in the right direction,” Torres added.
Michael Bates, the former principal of Hamilton High School, which is where Young Dolph graduated from, also previously spoke on Young Dolph’s community efforts.
“He was an entrepreneur; he gave hope to an entire community,” Bates shared, according to ABC24 Memphis.
“Scores of young people, I look at the lives he changed in that community, he’s made some millionaires in an area that’s typically impoverished,” he continued.
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Despite Young Dolph’s contributions to the Memphis community, he managed to rack up a few haters within the area, as he was gunned down outside a bakery about eight months ago while visiting his hometown.
A mural dedicated to the late rapper was also vandalized just before his birthday, as Blavity previously reported.
Young Dolph mural vandalized with paint in Memphis. pic.twitter.com/xeHPO5HJPn
— SAY CHEESE! 👄🧀 (@SaycheeseDGTL) July 24, 2022
Despite the hate that some may harbor for the rapper, others within the Memphis community are working to keep his legacy alive with initiatives like this back-to-school drive.
