Following the tragic loss of iconic Memphis rapper Young Dolph in November 2021, Long Live Young Dolph sees many of his collaborators and friends come together for an eight-track collection of musical tributes. The material here is sourced from Dolph's own label, Paper Route Empire -- staple PRE artists like Jay Fizzle, Big Moochie Grape, and Kenny Muney make their presence known on tracks like "LLD," "Role Model," and "In Dolph We Trust," while the titular rapper makes a posthumous, slick-flowing appearance on the breezy "Love for Me." As might be expected, the project's most potent moment comes at the hands of Dolph's protégé and second-in-command, Key Glock, who writes with rain-drenched motivation on the tribute-heavy "Proud." His raw, pick-up-the-pieces mindset is fleshed out by jarring descriptions of daily life: "I'm f***** up, no cap, just the other day, caught myself cryin'/Then I wiped my face, shook that s*** off and got back on my grind."
Yet while the project's opening trio is comprised of steely homages to Dolph's legacy -- Jay Fizzle's "LLD," Kenny Muney's "Role Model," and the aforementioned "Proud" -- its second half feels outright disrespectful. While Big Moochie Grape gets a pass for the vague "In Dolph We Trust," the rest of Paper Route pulls up in poor taste: Snupe Bandz delivers a self-indulgent barrage of boasting on "I Know Why" before teaming up with Joddy Badass for a garish thirst anthem on "I Like." PaperRoute Woo's "Fully Equipt" -- a track as underbaked as it is out-of-place -- is a gleeful glorification of the violent cycles that led directly to Dolph's passing. It's hard to understate how jarring, disrespectful, and outright uncomfortable listening to this material feels, especially given Glock and Fizzle's family ties to the late rapper.
Considering how much Dolph did for Memphis, it's frustrating to see him celebrated with such a poor homage: while LLYD's first half unites his inner circle in tribute, it swiftly goes up in smoke with a closing run of tasteless brag-rap. Dolph deserves better.