Source: Justin Ford / Getty
An artistic tribute to the late rapper Young Dolph has been marred days before its official debut before the public, and the artist has stated they’ve been targeted as well.
According to reports, the mural that was created to honor the late Memphis rap star was defaced by two unidentified men last Thursday (July 21st). The act was caught on a surveillance camera, which showed the two vandals wreck the progress the artist had made to that point on the piece. The mural was being painted at the same shopping center in South Memphis where Dolph shot the video for “100 Shots”. It was slated to be unveiled on Wednesday, July 27th, which would’ve been Young Dolph’s 37th birthday.
Cameron Hill, the artist commissioned to create the mural, shared a video of what the piece was supposed to look like on his Instagram account. He was hired by the IdaMae Foundation, an organization created by Young Dolph’s family to promote positive endeavors in Memphis.
View this post on Instagram
(@cam_theartist)“The IdaMae foundation and I have been talking about doing this project for the last 4 months. Money has been spent on the project from the foundation and everything just to have a group of hating individuals come and destroy what I was working on,” Hill wrote in the caption.
He continued by revealing that he has been the target of threats against his life from various people because of his work, but he is undeterred. “One thing y’all must understand is that y’all are not gone stop my shine nor are y’all going to try and down play my god given talent that I have been blessed with,” he wrote. “I’m a king and I’m going to conduct myself as such. One thing for sure I don’t fear no man and I’m not going to tuck my tail and run. I stand on what I believe in.”
The family of Young Dolph has asked that further work in the mural be canceled. The news of threats and harassment from various figures have also been visited upon Makeda’s Cookies, who recently announced that the Airways location that Dolph was murdered in front of last November would not reopen as a result.
