The memorial — previously adorned with flowers, stuffed animals, cards, candles and tear drops along the pavement — for Memphis rap star Young Dolph has been removed.
According to local Memphis TV station WREG, all that remains at 2370 Airways Boulevard is a couple of posters on the boarded up storefront that used to be Makeda’s Homemade Cookies.
The outlet reports the words “Dolph Land” is spray painted in blue letters on the walls and a billboard that reads, “Black Men Deserve to Grow Old” still hangs above the memorial site. Paper Route, the name of Dolph’s independent record label can also be seen written along the store.
WREG spoke to Mario Young, a local Memphis resident, who walks along Airways Boulevard and passes by Dolph’s memorial daily.
“It’s gon’ hurt a lot of people because this is where he passed,” Young said. “He was a great guy. He always gave back. The day [after] they took his life, he was [planning on] giving out turkeys. That’s sad.”
Jasmine Edwards, a fan from New York, told the outlet that the memorial serves as a connection for fans to Dolph.
“I’m a huge fan of Young Dolph. I feel like it’s a tragedy what happened to him,” Edwards said.
Makeda’s Cookies has been closed since Dolph was fatally shot outside the store in November 2021. Ownership originally planned to reopen its Airways Boulevard location and include the memorial in its aesthetics, however, they changed their minds a few weeks ago — citing online threats against them.
The popular neighborhood cookie shop originally opened its Airways location in 1999. The company owns a downtown Memphis store and sells online orders as well.
The property owner Lloyd White has not disclosed his future plans for the memorial site. But a new memorial is expected to be erected in Dolph’s Castalia Heights neighborhood soon