MEMPHIS, Tenn.– Chances are if you’re a Memphis music fan, you probably remember where you were and what you were doing one year ago today when word got out that rap superstar Young Dolph had been killed.
November 17, 2021, is a day many, including Grammy award-winning producer and engineer Boo Mitchell, say they’ll never forget.
“I remember when I got that news. I remember exactly where I was and exactly what I was doing. Yeah, it’s a day I’ll never forget,” Mitchell said.
It’s the same day when Memphis superstar rapper Young Dolph was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting at Makeda’s Cookies on Airways Boulevard.
Mitchell remembers being at a Royal Studios recording session when he learned his friend was dead. He talked to us about why Dolph’s senseless murder was and still is so painful.
“I just wanted literally went outside to and had to, you know, just catch my breath because I had just worked with him (Dolph),” he said.
At FedExForum, Mitchell and his sister Oona Mitchell Bean also produce entertainment for the Memphis Grizzlies halftime show and Dolph had done his second performance with them. Photos show Dolph and Mitchell hanging out.
“He was so influential and ahead of his time. I mean we still listen to his music and his flow, his energy and voice, it’s just one of the things that made him a superstar,” he said.
Mitchell said he knew Dolph was a superstar in the making the first time he saw his concert at the New Daisy Theater back in 2016.
“Dolph was there doing a concert and the crowd, like everybody, knew every word to every song. I remember watching him from the balcony and I was like wow, this is a legend in the making,” he said.
Those who knew the rapper say there was more to him than just his music and sometimes he’d show it with just a simple text message. Mitchell says Young Dolph loved being a father
“We were texting on Father’s Day. He was like telling me Happy Father’s Day. It floored me literally,” he recalled. “I still remember him being at the FedExForum in the dressing room with his two-year-old son in his arm the whole time. It was our first-time meeting, and he didn’t know me from Adam, but he talked to me like, yeah, I want to leave a legacy for my kids, you know.”
Mitchell says part of Dolph’s legacy was how he treated others.
“He touched people from all walks of life that you wouldn’t necessarily expect a rapper from South Memphis to do,” he said.
Mitchell says the rapper from South Memphis didn’t deserve to be murdered and he’s hoping his family finds justice and closure.
“I hope the young man who is responsible change their ways and realize they’ve made a huge mistake in taking, wrongly taking the life of a young man who touched so many people,” he said.
Young Dolph left a lasting impression for the man that he was and with his music.
“Long live Young Dolph. His music is timeless and immortal, and people will be listening to him and following his story for a long time,” Mitchell said.