Young Dolph Announces New Merch Collection Inspired By Upcoming Album Thinking Out Loud

With a “Bulletproof” Vest, Bandana, Hoodie, and More Available For Purchase, You Can Stunt as Hard as the King of Memphis Himself

10.17.2017

Critical Praise:

“Young Dolph has cultivated that formula that makes the bando jump” – XXL

“What makes Dolph exemplary is his affinity for memorable hooks and catchy call-and-response punch lines” – Complex

“King of Memphis is worth myriad repeat listens: Dolph bridges the gap between his hometown and the Atlanta production that dominates rap’s mainstream.” – SPIN

Top 10 Hip-Hop Cash Prince of 2016 – Forbes

“Start paying attention to Young Dolph before you look stupid as shit,” – Noisey

The Announcement:

Devilishly clever and impossibly icy, King of Memphis Young Dolph is quickly becoming an icon in the streets. Today, you can share a piece of his shine with a brand new capsule collection of merchandise available at Dolph’s website. Inspired by Dolph’s upcoming album Thinking Out Loud, the new collection includes specially designed hoodies, t-shirts, bulletproof vests (**DISCLAIMER** this item is solely the plate carrier vest, MOLLE plates sold separately) and a bandana, all adorned with mockups of the album art or decorated with some of Dolph’s favorite phrases. The new capsule will also offer physical copies of the album, available on vinyl, CD, or cassette. Featuring appearances from 2 Chainz, Gucci Mane, Ty Dolla $ign, andD.R.A.M., with production from Zaytoven, Mike WiLL Made It, Honorable C-N.O.T.E., Cassius Jay, Drumma Boy and others, Thinking Out Loud arrives on October 20th via Paper Route Empire.

“I’m loving this shit,” explains Dolph. “My team help me put it all together It’s about being creative as possible.”

Young Dolph is also sharing “Believe Me,” his first video since being shot twice in the arm and once in the leg in Los Angeles last month. In “Believe Me,” Dolph pensively ruminates on his recent life from his hospital bed, reflecting on his shooting but emboldened by his success. The video includes rare and emotional footage of Dolph’s discharge from the hospital and his reunion with his family. Premiered by Billboard, “Believe Me” is the first video from Thinking Out Loud.

“It’s a personal ass song about what I’m dealing with, my inner life, feelings, about close friendships disintegrating over some bullshit,” explains Young Dolph. “You can hear it in the second verse, the song is about family and morals. You either get life or you don’t. When I was recording the song, I knew I had to have my kids in the video, the only difference is that I shot it in California instead of Memphis or Atlanta. This has nothing to do with the shooting. It’s calling out all the n*ggas, it’s pulling every man’s card. If you work everyday, say at FedEx or as a school teacher, you know you’re doing what you gotta to do feed your family and this song will resonate with you. If you ain’t living right, you’re gonna feel like this song is calling you out. Don’t nobody supposed to raise your kids but you. A lot of folks don’t step up to the plate. My kids are my first priority in the world. It’s really my favorite song.”

Widely known as the King of Memphis, Young Dolph has had a roller coaster of a year, defined by new projects and violent incidents. In February, Dolph shared Gelato, a hard-as-nails, feature-less album. In April, after surviving an attempt on his life in Charlotte by taking cover in his bulletproof SUV and defiantly taking the stage later that night, Dolph shared Bulletproof, a Gucci Mane-featuring mixtape with a poetic tracklist and an endless supply of slaps. After suffering three serious gunshot wounds (one to the arm, two to the leg) in September, Dolph emerges from the hospital more defiant than ever, ready to conquer the rap game with his quotable lyrics and boundless charisma. Thinking Out Loud releases this Friday, October 20th.

Visit Young Dolph’s new online store: http://www.YoungDolph.com/store

Watch “Believe Me”: https://youtu.be/ZiPwPqXeJUw

Check out the Billboard premiere: http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8005786/young-dolph-believe-me-video

Pre-order Thinking Out Loud: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/thinking-out-loud/id1295895445?ls=1&app=itunes

Thinking Out Loud Tracklist:
1. “What’s the Deal” (prod by DJ Sqeeky)
2. “Pacific Ocean” (prod by Teddy Walton)
3. “Point Across” (prod by Zaytoven)
4. “Drippy” prod by (Mike WiLL Made it)
5. “Believe Me” (prod by Cassius Jay)
6. “All of Mine” Feat DRAM (prod by OZ)
7. “Go Get Sum Mo” Feat Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz & Ty Dolla $ign (prod by Da Honorable C.N.O.T.E.)
8. “Thinking Out Loud” (prod by Buddha Bless)
9. “Eddie Cane” (prod by Buddha Bless)
10 “While U Here” (prod by Drumma Boy)

Please contact Michelle for more info.

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 “Cut It,” “Preach,” “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 including 2 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 as Anderson .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.