Dolphland pop-up museum a powerful exploration of Young Dolph's life and impact | Review

The presence of Young Dolph is palpable in Dolphland, a new traveling museum focusing on the late Memphis rapper. Photos, paintings, cars, personal items, multimedia displays, interactive exhibits, even a bust of the rapper, all come together to create a deeper understanding of his impactful, if brief, life and career.

After several months of touring the country, the Dolphland pop-up museum arrived at Memphis’ Agricenter last weekend, where it will be on display through May.

Dolphland celebrates the hip-hop artist born Adolph Thornton Jr. The platinum-selling rapper was killed at the age of 36 in a shooting at Makeda's Homemade Butter Cookies on Airways Boulevard on Nov. 17, 2021. Four men have been charged in connection with Dolph’s murder.

The museum, however, largely focuses on Dolph’s life and achievements rather than his passing (though a bullet-riddled car door from his murder is part of the exhibit). Curated by Dolph’s label, Paper Route Empire, and the Trap Music Museum, Dolphland has been touring nationally since January, in conjunction with the release of Dolph’s posthumous album, "Paper Route Frank."

After stops in numerous major markets — including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas — the museum opened at the Agricenter with first-weekend crowds turning out in strong numbers to experience “historic moments in Young Dolph's career, while immersed in a sensory overload of everything Dolph.”

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The museum traces Dolph’s personal journey from Chicago, where he was born, to Memphis, where he moved with his family as a child. Dolph would launch his career in the Bluff City with a series of mixtapes beginning in 2008.

Within a few years he moved up the hip-hop ranks and Billboard charts, starting in 2016 with Gold-certified hits like "Play With Yo B****" and "100 Shots," while his 2020 album — the last released during his lifetime — "Rich Slave," peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard charts.

In addition to his solo work, Dolph teamed up with fellow Memphis rapper Key Glock for a pair of hit "Dum and Dummer" albums in 2019 and 2021, and he had been featured on a range of tracks by the likes of O.T. Genasis, Gucci Mane and Lil Durk, among others.

Dolphland also focuses on the rapper’s efforts to build a hip-hop empire independently, as head of his own company, Paper Route Empire. Along with Key Glock — Dolph's cousin by marriage — other signings to the label included Memphis rappers Snupe Bandz, Paper Route Woo and Big Moochie Grape.

Beyond his musical career, Young Dolph’s charitable and community efforts, chiefly the IdaMae Family Foundation — named after his grandmother — are also highlighted as part of the exhibit.

In November 2022, on the one-year anniversary of his passing, the IdaMae Family Foundation teamed up with The Confess Project of America to honor his legacy with a series of charitable activities throughout the Memphis area and across the country. The efforts were part of official Adolph “Young Dolph” Thornton Jr. Day of Service events recognized in Tennessee, where Dolph was raised, and in Georgia, where he had been based prior to his passing.

Taken in total, Dolphland is a deeply effective look at both the art and personal impact of a man whose death has made him a hip-hop icon in Memphis.

The Dolphland pop-up will be open at the Agricenter for the next three weekends. It will run May 12-14 and May 19-21. The museum will also be open May 26, but closed May 27, and reopen again May 28, as part of a final day that will include a Celebrity Car Show event hosted by DJ Envy.

Dolphland Pop-Up Museum

May 12-14, May 19-21, May 26, May 28

Agricenter International, 7777 N. Walnut Grove

Tickets are $40 per person and available at Thedolphlandmuseum.com.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Young Dolph: What to expect at Dolphland pop-up museum