Young Dolph will be remembered not only for his music but also for his mission to elevate Memphis, and his family and foundation are calling on supporters across the country to give back in his name on Nov. 17.
The Ida Mae Family Foundation has announced the 2025 Dove Day of Service to honor the late rapper’s legacy through acts of kindness and community support.
The date marks four years since Dolph, whose real name was Adolph Thornton Jr., was fatally shot inside Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies in Memphis.
“On Monday, November 17, we ask that everyone who loved and respected Dolph return to their communities in his name,” the foundation said in a statement. “Buy someone a meal. Support a small business. Donate coats, toys, or essential items. Volunteer at a local school, shelter, or youth program.”
“No act of service is too small if it comes from the heart. Do it with love, do it for the city, do it for Dolph,” the foundation added.
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The years-long legal saga surrounding the murder of Jan Dorff has come to an end, but lingering questions remain, leading to an appeal for services.
In September 2024, Justin Johnson, known in the rap world as Straight Drop, was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Prosecutors allege Yogotti’s brother, Anthony “Big Jock” Mims, arranged a $100,000 contract to kill Dolph.
District Attorney Paul Hagerman alleged that Big Jock lured Johnson with the promise of a CMG recording contract and suggested that Dolph’s murder was a condition of the offer.
His co-defendant, Cornelius Smith, testified that both men were promised $40,000 each but received only a fraction of that amount. Smith said he was only paid $800 before his arrest.
The case against alleged mastermind Hernandez Govan collapsed in August 2025, when a jury acquitted him due to insufficient evidence for his role in the plot.
Another defendant, Jamarcus Johnson, reached a plea deal and received a reduced sentence after cooperating with investigators.
The killing was the culmination of a long-running feud between Dorf’s Paper Route Empire and Yo Gotti’s CMG, which allegedly began in 2014 when Dorff publicly rejected an offer from CMG.
The rivalry escalated with diss stalking and multiple attempts to kill Dolph, including a 2017 shooting in Charlotte when more than 100 rounds were fired into his bulletproof SUV. He survived and later released the album Bulletproof, which included the song “100 Shots.”
Yo Gotti’s road manager Howard “Keon” Wright pleaded guilty to charges related to the 2016 shooting and was sentenced to 10 to 14 years in prison.
Later that year, Dolph was shot again outside a Los Angeles hotel. Yo Gotti’s associate, Corey McClendon, was arrested for attempted murder in that incident.
The last attack occurred on November 17, 2021, when two armed men approached Dolph in a cookie shop he frequented in Memphis. He was shot 22 times in the head, neck, back and arms.
Surveillance video captured the attacker getting out of a white Mercedes and opening fire. Smith and Johnson were both injured when Dolph’s brother, Marcus Thornton, returned fire.
The suspect fled, abandoning the car in Orange Mound and changing clothes at a nearby apartment.
Big Jock, who prosecutors have portrayed as the mastermind of the attack, was killed in a targeted shooting outside a Memphis restaurant on Jan. 13, 2024.
No arrests have been made in the case, and authorities have not publicly linked his death to Dolph’s murder.
Although justice was served, the full extent of the conspiracy behind Dolph’s murder remains unclear. His family hopes Dove’s day of service will shift the focus from the tragedy to the impact.
