Young Dolph’s record label, Paper Route Empire, is prepping an album-length tribute to the revered Memphis rapper, Paper Route EMPIRE Presents: Long Live Dolph, set to arrive Jan. 21.
Accompanying the announcement is the compilation’s titular first single, “Long Live Dolph,” helmed by Jay Fizzle. The track pairs a mournful piano loop and a stirring vocal breakdown with Jay Fizzle’s raw, heartbroken verses about his late friend and peer: “I fuck up plenty times, but you ain’t never threaten to cut me off/Always had my back and everybody know I wanted to be like Dolph/The way I talk, the way I walk, the way I act, the way I dress/The way I do my thang up in the booth, I learned it from the best.”
Along with Jay Fizzle, Long Live Dolph will feature contributions from PRE artists Key Glock, Snupe Bandz, Big Moochie Grape, Kenny Muney, and more. Daddyo, Paper Route Empire’s CEO tells Rolling Stone: “My best friend, brother, and loyal business partner, Dolph was loved and admired by people all over the world. He led by example and influenced so many people both near and far. The world will never be the same without Dolph but I know he’d want me to continue his legacy by working hard to push all our artists to the next level and make PRE an international brand. I hope his fans love it as much as I do.”
‘Long Live Dolph’ Cover Art (Photo courtesy of Paper Route Empire)
Young Dolph was killed in a shooting at a Memphis bakery on Nov. 17, 2021, and last week authorities identified a suspect, 23-year-old Justin Johnson, who is now the subject of a first-degree murder warrant. Johnson also has an outstanding warrant for violation of federal supervised release in a weapons case and “has ties to organized criminal gangs,” per a release issued by the Memphis Police, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
From Rolling Stone US
