Young Dolph

By Jack Barnes

There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it, Young Dolph is one of rap’s hardest flexers and he continues to prove that in the video for “If.” Filmed in black and white, the video for the stand-out track from Rich Crack Baby finds Dolph in the spotlight, flashing his jewelry, cars, and clothes. Enjoy this video stream below after the jump.

Over a hazy bass-rattling beat, Dolph does what he does best and drops boastful verses, showing off his place at the top of the game while demonstrating how he got there. “If” is the third video from Rich Crack Baby, following up “Trappa” and the title track, “Rich Crack Baby.” With a features list that includes T.I., Gucci Mane, and 2 Chainz and tracks produced by Zaytoven, Drumma Boy, and Honorable C-Note Rich Crack Baby shows that the artists in hip-hop have recognized Dolph’s tremendous talent. His recent nomination for the BET Hip-Hop Awards’ “People’s Champ” Award makes it clear that the rest of rap world can’t deny it anymore either.

Dolph is continuing his busy 2016, with the release of Bo$$e$ and $hooter$ in May and King of Memphis in February. Noisey described the project as “a solid debut album from one of the most quietly popular artists in the South right now.” In addition to dropping three full length projects, the Memphis kingpin also consistently releases high-quality visuals, including the hilarious “Get Paid,” the sensual “On My Way,” co-starring Deelishis, and the absurd “Royalty,” which features cameo appearances from a capuchin monkey, a giraffe, and even a white tiger. In January, Forbes named Young Dolph one ofThe Hip-Hop Cash Princes of 2016, placing him alongside Fetty Wap, G-Eazy, and Metro Boomin, among others. With his star guest turn on “Cut It“ the hit by OT Genasis, Dolph made a foray onto the Billboard charts, peaking at number 35 on the Hot 100.

Buy Rich Crack Baby: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rich-crack-baby/id1147461104?ls=1&app=itunes

The Background:

Young Dolph Background

Born on the South Side of Chicago and raised in notoriously known Castalia Heights neighborhood in South Memphis, Young Dolph emerged in the urban music scene and amassed a large dedicated fan base.

Dolph grew up in a hectic environment, surrounded by drugs and alcohol, but that never completely defined him. He always had a passion for music, but it wasn’t until his peers recognized his talent and suggested that he take rap seriously. Eventually his hustle mentality and creativity led him to consistently dropping mixtape after mixtape. With authentic punch lines and stern club bangers, he created his own lane of High Class Street Music.

On the strength of releasing consistent quality mixtapes, Dolph became one of the only independent musicians to have multiple Top 20 records with “Preach” and “California” and Top 40 records with “Make the World Go Around” and “Pulled Up.” Yet to release an album, the success Dolph has gained from his mixtapes have led to collaborations with some of the most influential artists in hip-hop including2 Chainz, Juicy J, Young Jeezy, and Rick Ross. In 2015, Dolph headlined his own tour selling out throughout the country. – HotNewHipHop

EMPIRE Background

EMPIRE was founded in 2010 as an artist-friendly, progressive digital distribution company. After early success, and identifying future icons such as Kendrick Lamar, Sage The Gemini, and Rich Homie Quan, EMPIRE was quickly regarded as a tastemaker in the industry and throughout the past five years evolved into a full-fledged record label, distributor and publisher for independent musicians. With the company and roster growing at a breakneck pace, EMPIRE has effectively disrupted a stale business model by bringing its energy, expertise, and acumen to its artists and labels. Given its reputation, EMPIRE works with today’s hottest talent from superstars such as T.I. and red-hot newcomers such asAnderson .Paak. While remaining 100% independent, EMPIRE has also partnered with Atlantic Records for a joint venture, home to breakout star D.R.A.M. and joined forces with Republic Records for the release of Sage The Gemini’s Remember Me album.