A mural honoring the late Young Dolph was recently vandalized with paint, according to FOX13 Memphis. Surveillance footage shows two people defacing the mural — located at a shopping center in South Memphis off Norris Road — in the early hours of Thursday morning (July 21).
The mural was painted by local artist Cameron Hill who idolized the rapper. Hill was working on the mural on Monday (July 18) and Tuesday (July 19) at the King of Discounts Mini Mart, but says he took a break due to hateful messages he was receiving.
“Young Dolph meant everything to me,” he said. “I’m 26 years old, so I grew up looking and watching Young Dolph. I started receiving hateful messages, hateful phone calls, so I paused for a day.”
Hill believes he knows who’s responsible for vandalizing the mural, but doesn’t plan to press charges.
Young Dolph mural vandalized with paint in Memphis. pic.twitter.com/xeHPO5HJPn
— SAY CHEESE! 👄🧀 (@SaycheeseDGTL) July 24, 2022
Young Dolph was shot and killed inside Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies on November 17, 2021, suffering 22 gunshot wounds when he was attacked in broad daylight. Two men named Cornelius Smith and Justin Johnson have reportedly been charged with his murder.
In an Instagram post, Cameron Hill talked about painting the mural where Young Dolph filmed his “100 Shots” video ahead of what would have been his 37th birthday on Wednesday (July 27).
“SMH,” he wrote. “I was commissioned by the Ida Mae Foundation to create a mural in South Memphis of Young Dolph were he shot his most famous video 100 shots in South Memphis to honor him for his birthday that’s coming up next week. The Ida Mae 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 claims people have been harassing him since he started working on the mural, but it isn’t going to stop him doing what he loves to do.
“The certain group of individuals have been trying to ruin my art career and tarnish my name since last year,” he said. “I have been harassed and also threatened for the last two or three days for trying to do something for the foundation and to make the community look better. I have been getting calls and text from different numbers from people trying to plot on me. They have been sending people up there to try to intimidate me and spy on me.”
He added, “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. 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.”
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