Young Dolph died on Wednesday afternoon in a shooting in his hometown of Memphis. The news was originally reported by Jeremy Pierre of the local Fox affiliate, and soon after, authorities confirmed that Dolph, born Adolph Robert Thornton Jr., was shot outside of a bakery after going inside and buying cookies. TMZ added to the reporting of the incident, saying that “Dolph went into the store, and a vehicle pulled up, firing through a front window and striking the rapper.” He was 36 years old.
The music world was devastated over the loss, something that applied to a number of NBA players, too. In the aftermath of Dolph’s death, basketball players took to Twitter and offered up their prayers and condolences.
Dolph had mentioned on multiple occasions that he was contemplating retiring from rap, but said earlier this year that he was unable to get to a place where he felt he could walk away, saying “I can’t do it, real talk. I can’t do.” Dolph released a number of mixtapes, EPs, and full-length albums over the years, most recently the 2021 release Dum and Dummer 2 alongside Key Glock. One year prior, Dolph dropped Rich Slave, which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it the highest-charting release of his career.
As a song, “I Love You, I Hate You” is the fulcrum of Little Simz’s devastating and beautiful album, Sometimes I Am Introvert. It’s incredibly vulnerable and visceral songwriting from the British rapper, as she dissects the relationship (or lack thereof) with her absent father. When you dive into lyrics like, “You know what was destroyed, but you don’t know what was left,” it’s clear that there was deep soul-searching required to arrive at the stunning final track, produced by Inflo.
Now, Little Simz has just released a short film commissioned by WeTransfer’s “WePresent” platform and it adds depth and context to Simz as a songwriter. With a story conceived by the rapper, it marks her film debut in the 22-minute piece written by Caroline Adeyemi and directed by Sam Pilling (who has been behind a number of The Weeknd clips and also directed the epic Run The Jewels and DJ Shadow “Nobody Speak” visual).
In the film, Simz’s lead character is a writer on a deadline, spending time in the British countryside with her partner and close friend. It’s beautifully shot and spares no emotions as the imagery and collateral damage of creating lasting work is depicted in numerous ways.
In a statement, Simz shared some thoughts on the project:
“I Love You, I Hate You is the story of abandonment. How trauma can affect us in our adult lives if never confronted. I wanted to make this film because I feel it’s a universal story that many people can relate to. It’s been incredible to work with a partner like WePresent (the digital arts platform of WeTransfer) who are so invested in telling stories like this. They understood and trusted my vision from the jump and had my back to create the film I set out to make.”
Up next in the WePresent series will be a performance film by Moses Sumney entitled Blackalachia, out on December 8th. In it, Sumney and his band come to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, to play songs off his albums Grae and Aromanticism. “The film is a wild imagining of what can happen when we seek not just to reclaim nature, but to reintegrate with it,” Sumney said.
Little Simz’s I Love You, I Hate You the film is out now and you can watch it above. Check out the trailer for Moses Sumney’s Blackalachia here.
The music world was met with some tragic news this afternoon when it was confirmed that Memphis rapper Young Dolph died at 36 years old. It was reported that the rapper was shot while visiting one of his favorite businesses in his hometown, Makeda’s Butter Cookies, with TMZ noting, “Dolph went into the store and a vehicle pulled up, firing through a front window and striking the rapper.”
Dolph’s career had been enjoying a steady rise since releasing his 2016 debut album King Of Memphis. In recent years, he found his way into the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart with multiple releases: The two albums he made with Key Glock, Dum And Dummer and Dum And Dummer 2, both peaked at No. 8, while 2020’s Rich Slave rose all the way to No. 4.
Beyond that, he had also collaborated with people like Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Yachty, and Gucci Mane. So, he had some friends in the music industry, and as his peers learn about his passing, they are sharing reactions to it on social media.
Check out some posts about Dolph’s passing from folks like Megan Thee Stallion, Chance The Rapper, and Lil Yachty below.
I am sooo sick rn I am in disbelief! Praying for his family and friends ! Rest In Peace to my friend a true legend dolph
God bless Dolph Real independent Memphis rapper born in chicago. loved by millions of ppl. Always showed love everytime I seen him this is tragic God bless his family man
I ALWAYS give flowers to the living, Dolph is one of the only ppl to make me go harder believe it or not, my fuckin FAV this Tweet was 4yrs ago https://t.co/1O3ADW0zow
Sending love to the family ,friends, & fans of @YoungDolph Rest in power young Brother. I pray your children and family are covered and lifted up by the almighty.
Young Dolph (real name Adolph Robert Thornton, Jr.) is dead after being shot in his Memphis hometown today (November 17). He was 36 years old.
Reports starting surfacing on social media this afternoon, with one of the earliest coming from ABC13 Memphis’ Jeremy Pierre, who shared photos of the crime scene and reported, “On the scene of a shooting on Airways. I’m hearing Memphis rapper Young Dolph may be a victim in the shooting. Shooting happened at Makeda’s Cookies.” FOX13 Memphis later reported that “three independent law enforcement sources confirmed” the rapper died in the shooting.
On the scene of a shooting on Airways. I’m hearing Memphis rapper Young Dolph may be a victim in the shooting. Shooting happened at Makeda’s Cookies. pic.twitter.com/Dw1nTcKV3C
FOX13 also reports that Maurice Hill — owner of Makeda’s Butter Cookies, where the shooting took place — noted that his employees said Dolph walked into the store and bought cookies before somebody drove up and fatally shot him. FOX13 further notes that at the crime scene, “a massive crowd gathered around, some people laying on the ground in tears.”
Makeda’s was apparently one of Dolph’s favorite places in Memphis: On November 10, the Makeda’s Instagram page shared a video of Dolph outside the store and captioned it, “Young Dolph says every time he comes home he has to stop by Makedas Cookies.”
The Memphis rapper had steadily been increasing his profile in recent years. His highest-charting album is 2020’s Rich Slave, which achieved a peak at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart. His latest album, a joint project with Key Glock called Dum And Dummer 2, peaked at No. 8. Aside from Glock, Dolph has also collaborated with artists like Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Yachty, and Gucci Mane. His highest placement on the Hot 100 chart was his feature on OT Genasis’ 2015 single “Cut It,” which peaked at No. 35.
This summer, the rapper announced he was retiring but then changed his mind, saying, “I can’t do it, real talk. I can’t do. It’s like I’m the spokesperson for all of the street n****s and all of the n****s that’s on some independent sh*t […] and really come in the game on some sh*t… The n**** that really want to do this sh*t, like, I don’t really wanna tie myself to no major label — do this sh*t on my own. I’ma hustle this sh*t. I’ma grab that.”
Dolph was fresh off a performance at this year’s Rolling Loud New York festival at the end of October.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
This month is a big one when it comes to the release of new music from today’s top stars. The smash-hit duo of Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars, Silk Sonic, shared their debut album. On the same day, Taylor Swift graced fans with the rerecorded version of her classic LP Red. Though Silk Sonic had one of their singles previously top the charts, Swift’s new album seems to have wildly out-performed Silk Sonic’s when it came to first-week album sales, leaving .Paak with a few regrets.
A few days after the release of his collaborative LP An Evening With Silk Sonic, .Paak shared a screenshot of the projected numbers for this week’s Billboard 200 albums chart. It show Swift’s music at No. 1, having nearly five times the amount of streams as Silk Sonic at No. 2. As a result of the numbers, .Paak joked that he wishes he formed Silk Sonic with Swift rather than Mars.
“Looks like I linked up with the wrong pop star,” he wrote. “Hey @taylorswift13 is your number still the same!? Lmk if you need help with 1989, I’m available! #ShakeItOff”
Despite the joke at Mars’ expense, .Paak has said he really does admire working with the singer. .Paak recently commended Mars as “one of the greatest vocalists” he’s ever worked with, going on to say that Mars has been able to push him “to a different level.” Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
As I interview rising rapper Kalan.FrFr, I’m struck by his humility. The 26-year-old is generous in his assessments of the burgeoning wave of new rappers from the Los Angeles area, yet he nearly always deflects praise for his own accomplishments. “It didn’t have to be me,” he says repeatedly. “It could be anybody.”
Maybe that mentality is a result of his upbringing, shuttling back and forth between his dad in Compton and his mom in neighboring Carson, or perhaps it was instilled when he avoided extended prison time on a breaking-and-entering charge from his early adulthood. At the time, he was attending San Diego State University, where he was on the football team — an endeavor he dropped as a result because he didn’t want to have to tell the team about his arrest.
However, he finished school and switched focus, picking up the threads of an interest in music stemming from his high school days throwing parties with his friends. After an initial run of buzz in Atlanta failed to pan out, he returned home to LA, released a pair of mixtapes in 2018, and saw his fortunes change for the better ever since.
Now, he signed to Roc Nation, his latest tape, TwoFr 2, is generating the sort of buzz that suggests a big breakout in the coming year, and he and his South LA cohort, which includes members like the 1Take crew, AzChike, BlueBucksClan, Blxst, Roddy Ricch, Rucci, and others, are beginning to draw more attention from both critics and fans with songs that nod to LA’s homegrown G-funk while also incorporating melodic impulses from Atlanta rap, the snickering punchline style from Detroit, and the off-kilter cadences of the nearby Bay Area.
While on a Zoom call with Kalan (his real name), we swapped stories of growing up in Compton, participating in separate “New West” waves a decade apart, and how his prior experiences prepared him for the nearly inevitable fame coming his way.
First of all, I want to say thank you for coming through Uproxx and doing the UPROXX Sessions with us. How did you like doing that man?
Man, that was dope. Seeing all the other artists that have done it and when they do it, it’s like different stepping stones. So when I was able to do that I probably was happier to be there than you all was happy for me to have done it, bro. I ain’t going to lie, that was big to me, man. So I really appreciate it.
I don’t know about that man because I’ll tell you, I get excited for two kinds of artists. I get excited for artists who I’m a really big fan of and I get excited for artists from Compton. Usually, I like to ask this question at the end of all my interviews, but I know that as a newer artist, a lot of journalists have to ask the who, what, where, why, when questions. Know that gets boring. So the question I like to close out all my interviews with I’m going to start this one with this one is, do you have any topics or subjects that you want to talk about that nobody ever asks you about?
Nobody ever breaks down my songs. Nobody ever really breaks down my lyrics. They get the outer layer of it, but like, it’d be, sometimes it’d be so much deeper than what I just be saying. It might mean something totally different than what people be getting. I’ll just be wondering if people be catching on or see how I see.
Do you have like a specific example of a song where you know you got off and people don’t really see it?
Ain’t going to lie, gang, I be making so much music. I’ll be lying if I try to just pull one up out of nowhere right now. [laughs]
So are you from Compton or Carson? Because I’ve seen both and I love a definitive answer.
So my daddy from Compton and my mom from Carson. I lived in between both houses. I went to school in Carson. I went to school in Compton. Half the time I was at my momma’s house. The other half, the time I was at my daddy house, and it ain’t nothing but five minutes away from each other. It’s literally separated by a freeway bridge.
It’s definitely within walking distance if you have enough time.
You feel me? If you walk across the freeway bridge you right there in Compton so it ain’t no separation. So that’s why I say I’m from Compton and Carson.
If you had to compare, which is the one that you would really stick to?
I love both, man. I love both.
Did you have a specific goal in mind when you were recording TwoFr 2 What were your expectations for it?
I try to do everything with no expectations. Because I’m real emotional and if some shit don’t go how I wanted it to go, my feelings going to be hurt. I’m going to hate it. I try to do everything just being thankful that I got the opportunity to do it. I know if I put some music out, somebody going to listen to it. Somebody that’s doing the same thing, working just as hard as me, might be better than me at doing music. And ain’t nobody listening to their music right now. So I’m just happy to be here. I’m blessed.
So I ain’t really had no expectations really. I wanted it to be better than my last project. That’s it. I don’t never want nobody to go back and say that “That wasn’t it.” I always try to make sure you don’t have to skip a song. You can walk all the way through every song. Just make sure it’s undeniable.
It definitely rides straight through. So something about that last response hit a chord with me: When people ask you why you are special, you always come back to I’m blessed. Where does that come from?
This could be over tomorrow, bro. It ain’t no telling. And at the end of the day, I just wanted to be able to take care of myself. I like to do music. Even if I wasn’t getting paid for making music, I would still be making music. I probably just wouldn’t be able to make as much music because I would have a job or something. Now that I’ve learned how to take care of myself forever, making music in the long run, I know I can make some money doing this and I’m going to be able to be okay, I’m going to have residual income for a long time.
That’s why I don’t complain about shit because it’s what I asked for. So you got to be able to take everything that come with it, the ups and the downs. I remember sleeping on the couch in Atlanta and dropping a song, dropping “Fine Ass” and coming back to LA and then just start getting booked for shows.
It just started happening so fast I’m not really noticing, but just looking back I was like, “Damn I was like damn near homeless like last month.” It’s a blessing, man, because it didn’t have to be me. It could be anybody.
What was the biggest difference, internally and externally, between before and after, and where would you put the line?
I think it was literally July 1st, 2018. I dropped the first TwoFr. And then I think maybe the same day I got booked to perform in Arizona. I got booked 4th of July to go perform. It cost me more money to get to the show than what I made. Got this Airbnb because nine homies want to come. We got to drive out of here. It looked like I’m just going to walk away with $200, $300. It’s going to be a rough day, a rough little weekend. But it was all a blessing because it didn’t have to be me.
I’m forever grateful for every experience. Because every day I can see it. I’m going back and performing at the places I used to go open up for people. Listening to older music that I made, hearing it and how hearing how different I sound now. The different shit I would never do again. So everything just started coming full circle, man.
What I find really special is that when I was about your age, the last big wave of West Coast artists, when it was, Pac Div and U-N-I and Kendrick and everybody was coming up, we were all coming up together.
Overdoz and all them. I used to go watch that shit. I was like one of them kids. My cousins was older, so they was like really up on it. I was in like sixth grade and fifth grade and I used to really be in to like Pac Div and Overdoz, they got a lot to do with like my musical influence. I would never take that away from them because I really with music bro. I really with Casey Veggies a long time ago.
I hear that in your music. And now you are part of the new wave with Blxst and Roddy Ricch, who I hear you getting compared to a lot. Is that more of an advantage or a detriment, getting comparisons to those guys are also blowing?
I just look at it like, if they think that these guys are the best guys and you want to put me around whoever you feel are the best guys, I appreciate it. I’m not in competition with none of these n****s. At the end of the day, God got a plan for me. It’s already written. So whatever going to happen, going to happen. I got too much shit to be worried about for me to be worried about what’s going on with somebody else. I got to do what I got to do. I got people depending on me. I got people that took chances on me. I take all this serious.
I find that interesting because the things that I was originally initially pursuing, wound up informing my current job so much that it gives me certain insights I don’t think anybody else has. So I look at your story, playing football and going to school, and I wonder how it informs your current grind.
I can’t find the excuse for nothing. If it’s an excuse, it’s a goddamn good one. It don’t make no sense because I do whatever. I done waited for my homies to be done with they studio session so I could get an hour or try to squeeze the song out the last hour. Wait until they was falling asleep so I can record some. I had to learn how to mix my own shit so I could put music out. Because I couldn’t afford to pay for no engineer. So it’s not no excuses at all.
Whatever I needed to do, I’ll make sure it got done. So, with football, either you going to swim or you going to drown. If you not doing what you supposed to do, they going to get rid of your ass. You going to get the same results you put in. You might not never play in the game. They might call you and if you’re not ready, you ain’t never get called up again.
Where do you see Kalan.FrFr in 2022?
My album LP Two. I want to have had that out and be working on just the EP. I just want to be bigger than what I am now, man. I just want results, that’s it. I would never say like, I want to have a million followers and this. Because maybe I’m not supposed to have it right then. If I get it that fast, how long is it going to last? I just want to get better every time really. I just want it to be better than the last one. I wanted to be better than the last one I would like to be performing at night at Rolling Loud.
It’s no secret that Louisville rapper Jack Harlow credits his success to the hip-hop greats that came before him. One of the musicians that he looks up to the most is Drake, who he previously named his favorite rapper. While he’s also noted that Andre 3000, Lil Wayne, Eminem, and Jay-Z have also influenced his music, Drake is definitely at the top of his list. That’s why he stopped a recent concert when he looked up to realize that among the crowd was none other than the Certified Lover Boy rapper.
Harlow made a tour stop in Toronto this week in support of his 2020 album, Thats What They All Say. After performing a few songs from his set, Harlow stopped the show once he saw Drake leaning over the balcony. “Tonight was a dream come true to me for more than one reason. First off, you sold this b*tch out,” he said into the microphone. “Second, I was halfway through my performance and I seen my idol looking at me, man. Toronto, make some noise for the G.O.A.T. one time!”
Watch Harlow show love to Drake at his Toronto show above.
Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
It’s been a while since Smino delivered a full project to the world, but that could be changing very soon. He returned with “Rice & Gravy” in May, his first single since 2020’s “Tempo,” and it would begin a return to form that brings us to his latest single, “I Deserve.” The track is a mellow effort, one he dedicates to a let friend Pooh, and on Tuesday he shared the music video for it.
In the visual, Smino learns that his neighbor is facing eviction after failing to pay rent. Here, the rapper decides to plan and promote a “rent party” for family and friends around the block. The funds that were made from the event were collected and given to Smino’s neighbor which saved him from eviction. Prior to releasing the track, which Smino previously revealed was dedicated to his late friend Pooh Man, he spoke about its importance to him.
Tbh I ain’t gave much of a fuck bout bein onna internet or eem bein a artist since bro left…I’m talented/blessed af tho so I can’t stop.. God gave me a lot to share so i did my best @ channeling this shit into sumn meaningful…
“Tbh I ain’t gave much of a f*ck bout bein onna internet or eem bein a artist since bro left,” he wrote in a tweet. “I’m talented/blessed af tho so I can’t stop.. God gave me a lot to share so i did my best @ channeling this shit into sumn meaningful.”
The new video arrives after Smino teamed up with Syd for their “Right Track” collaboration. More recently, Smino lent his vocals to Terrace Martin’s new album Drones as he appeared on “This Morning” with Arin Ray.
Now that Silk Sonic has released its debut album, An Evening With Silk Sonic, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak are ready to give something else a try. In fact, they just announced their next endeavor: The duo is hosting a new limited Apple Music radio series, which shares its name with the new album. They also shared a trailer for the show today.
The series premieres today at 10 p.m. ET on Apple Music 1 and press materials note of the first episode, “On the debut episode, Bruno and Anderson, with the help of Bootsy Collins, invite listeners to join them on an after-hours journey with music from The Jackson 5, Con Funk Shun, Thundercat, The Isley Brothers, Partynextdoor, and much more.” Of the series as a whole, press materials also say, “Over the course of four one-hour episodes, the pair feature Silk Sonic-inspired sets of all of their favorite records, ranging from old-school hits to R&B jams, hip-hop, funk, disco, and everything in between. From surprise guests to even more surprising conversation, it’s your turn to be a fly on the wall and spend some time with the kings of smooth.”
Mars says of the show, “Apple Music asked us to host a radio show to talk about the album. We had so much fun that we’ve decided to retire from music and become full time radio personalities. We want to thank Apple Music for helping us find our new calling. Goodbye cruel world of music. Hello radio. See you at the top.”
.Paak added, “When we come together on those rare instances when the clouds open and the stars unite, we go as Silk Sonic. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s never too late to turn it around, and speaking of never too late, I think we right on time.”
Watch the teaser clip above.
An Evening With Silk Sonic is out now via Atlantic Records. Get it here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Brintey Spears has been in high spirits for nearly a week now. After 13 long years, a judge finally ruled that her highly-publicized conservatorship should be terminated. She celebrated the decision on her social media, writing, “Good God I love my fans so much it’s crazy. I think I’m gonna cry the rest of the day !!!! Best day ever.” Days later, Britney remains all smiles as she took to Instagram to share a longer message and hint at what could come next.
In the video, Britney began by reflecting on the struggles of her conservatorship and what she appreciates the most about her newfound freedom. She then took a moment to thank the #FreeBritney movement for their support. “You guys rock,” she said. “Honestly, my voice was muted and threatened for so long, I wasn’t able to speak up or say anything. Because of you guys and the awareness of kinda knowing what was going on, and delivering that news to the public for so long, you give it awareness to all of them. Because of you, I honestly think that you guys saved my life in a way 100%.”
She continued, “I know there’s a lot of jokes about the #FreeBritney movement — we’re not free, we’re expensive. Okay birdies, I’m expensive too. Anyways, with that said, let’s move forward. God bless you all, we’re gonna have a good year, good Christmas, and rock on!”
In the post’s caption, Britney also hinted at a special tell-all interview in the future. “I might as well do a hint of my thoughts on the gram before I go and set things square on @Oprah,” she wrote. “I mean who knows … I do know how embarrassing is to share the fact I’ve never seen cash or wasn’t able to drive my car …. but honestly it still blows my mind every day I wake up how my family and the conservatorship were able to do what they did to me … it was demoralizing and degrading !!!!”
rule #1
Real independent Memphis rapper born in chicago. loved by millions of ppl. Always showed love everytime I seen him this is tragic God bless his family man
(@coi_leray) 
this Tweet was 4yrs ago 
(@KAASHMYCHECKS) 
(@BRSKash) 
(@1DJFirstClass) 
