Memphis rapper Young Dolph was senselessly shot dead at a cookie shop in Memphis. Adolph Robert Thompson Jr. had built his hip-hop career on fearless authenticity and an unwavering desire to retain control over his music. He consolidated his fan base by releasing a series of mixtapes before dropping his debut album, King of Memphis.
Dolph’s creativity and work ethic made his rise inevitable. His heart of gold made him a valued member of the community and endeared him to fans. Young Dolph’s death hurts, but we can take solace in the fact that his legacy will live on through his music and his family.
Young Dolph and his girlfriend Mia Jaye shared two children, Tre and Ari
Mia Jaye and Young Dolph started dating in 2012. They welcomed their son Tre in June 2014, and their daughter, Ari, in April 2017. In October 2020, Mia shared an Instagram photo showing how much the duo’s family had grown in six years. She captioned the post:
“Look at us now… 2 beautiful creations later, years of growing pains later, years of lessons learned, later… kids healthy and happy & we still are pushing through showing up to our Call of Duty & Responsibility everyday… It’s such a blessing to look back on how we started vs. how it is going.”
In May 2020, Young Dolph gushed about spending time with his kids during the quarantine period. He told GQ that he’d turned into a bit of a kid again after spending so much time with his children.
“Aw, man, we watching movies, we having [toy] gun fights, we on the trampoline, we doing everything,” Dolph said. “Everything they like to do, everything they play, I’m all in that world right now. I’m just a big-ass kid right now.”
Dolph announced his retirement from rap in early 2020 before having a change of heart. He told the outlet that he got back into the industry because Tre wanted to hear new music. Dolph explained:
“Man, my little boy wanted to hear some new music. So, it was like, I can just play all my music around him, so I got to go ahead and make a whole project so I can get it clean and have a clean version of all the songs just so he can listen to my music, you feel me?”
Young Dolph’s ‘CEO first’ mentality will benefit Mia and the children. Dolph owned his masters, so most of the funds from his music will go to his family.
Mia Jaye runs an organization that supports victims of gun violence
‘Black Men Deserve to Grow Old’ reads the motto of Mia’s organization MOM.E.O. Via a 17th August 2021 Instagram post, Mia Jaye stated that black men deserve to grow old so they can achieve their purpose in life.
For a man like Young Dolph, that purpose was to raise his children and impact the community positively. “Dads who actively participate in the lives of their families provide a steady source of stability and support,” the post reads. Jaye continued:
“When I advocate for all the black men who are 20 times more likely than their male counterparts, to die prematurely due to violent crime that happens within our community… I am advocating for these men to live out their purpose and positively impact the black community.”
Mia Jaye least deserves to have her young black partner die, considering the work she’s done to sensitize people about the value of black lives. Via her organizations Instagram page, Mia has asked for space and time to mourn Dolph:
“Due to the tragic loss of Adolph Thornton Jr., also known as Young Dolph, the team will be taking over social media and shop activities to give our CEO Mia, time to mourn. Black men deserve to grow old. It’s important we stay together in solidarity and choose love instead of hate. Mia asks for space and prayers during this difficult time.”