Young Dolph to be inducted into the Memphis Shelby County Schools Alumni Hall of Fame

Young Dolph, the Memphis-based rapper who was shot and killed last November, will be posthumously inducted into the Memphis Shelby County Schools' Alumni Hall of Fame on August 26.

The rapper, whose real name is Adolph Thornton Jr., is an alumnus of Hamilton High School.

Young Dolph's rap career began in the mid-2000s after he released his first mixtape in 2008. He would go on to launch his own record label, Paper Route Empire, in 2010.

His first studio album, "King of Memphis," released in 2016, broke into the top 50 of U.S. Billboard Top 200 charts. His sophomore album, "Rich Slave," debuted at number four on the U.S. Billboard Top 200 charts.

Previous coverage: Young Dolph mural in South Memphis defaced week before unveiling

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Even as his music career soared, Thornton could be frequently found in Memphis.  He would deliver speeches, but also regularly made donations.  Each Thanksgiving, he would give away turkeys to Memphians in need, and, in 2020, he donated $25,000 to Hamilton High School for various school supplies, including athletic gear.

Thornton was shot and killed by two men Nov. 17, 2021, at Makeda's Homemade Butter Cookies in South Memphis. He was 36 years old and scheduled to make multiple charity stops throughout the city that week.

Lucas Finton is a news reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @LucasFinton.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Young Dolph will be inducted into the MSCS Hall of Fame