Video : Young Dolph – “I Think I Can Fly” ft. Snoop Dogg
The King Of Memphis and The Doggfather Travel Back in Time to Create an Art Deco Wonderland, Inspired by the 1989 Eddie Murphy Movie Harlem Nights
04.19.2019
The Video:
A lover of the finer things in life, Young Dolph is an icon of underground opulence. Taking a trip back in time to the sounds and fashion of the 1930s, Dolph shares “I Think I Can Fly,” his latest video, inspired by the ’30s-set comedy film Harlem Nights (1989), starring Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor, in which an owner of an illegal gambling house deals with gangsters and corrupt cops to keep his den in business. Like Eddie Murphy in Harlem Nights, Dolph runs an independent business in a world of cutthroats, trying to forge the most lucrative path for him and his family.
Directed by Gabriel Hart, “I Think I Can Fly” goes all in on the Harlem Nights homage, perfectly reproduces the look, feel, and wardrobe of the era and the film. Featuring an appearance from Snoop Dogg, who drops some weeded-out bars in his signature slang, the “I Think I Can Fly” video is a feast for the eyes, complete with period-accurate costumes, instruments, sets, and weapons. With spinning roulette wheels, acrobats in sparkling skin-suits, and comedic interludes , “I Think I Can Fly” is among the most extravagant and creative videos released in 2019. The Budda Bless-produced trap stoner’s anthem is a highlight from Role Model, Dolph’s 2018 album.
Says Young Dolph, who wrote the treatment for the video himself: “I wanted to do something epic and have fun with it but I also love anything that has to do with wardrobes, so getting everyone dressed up in Harlem Nights-era costumes was big to me. I chose to base the video on Harlem Nights because it’s a great movie – Eddie Murphy is one of my favorite actors – and I was in the zone of watching a whole lot of movies that black & white movie era and wanted to write a treatment in that same lane. Shout out to Snoop, we always have a good time when we hang. We smoked a lot of weed and I let him know the effect he’s had on my career and he shared a lot of game with me.”
Peaking at #15 on the Billboard 200, Role Model provides a new context for Dolph’s braggadocio and sets an example for rising independent rappers and anyone else trying to get out the mud. Role Model finds Dolph leveling up, experimenting with new flows and raising his boastful bars to a superhuman level. Featuring appearances from Snoop Dogg, Offset, Key Glock, Kash Doll, and Dolph’s mother on the moving intro track “Black Queen,” Role Model is Dolph’s origin story, establishing him as a symbol of hope to kids in the hood who desperately want to improve their lives. Paying respect to his legion of fans, Dolph recently announced the winner for the #ThatsMajorChallenge, inspired by his video for “Major,” featuring Key Glock, offering the choice between $30k cash or a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat to the maker of the best user-generated content for the song. Earlier this month, Dolph teamed up with Memphis icons Juicy J and Project Pat for the “By Mistake” (Remix). Stay tuned for much more from Young Dolph in 2019.
“I Think I Can Fly” ft. Snoop Dogg: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnRK-2cdVW4
Buy Role Model: https://empire.lnk.to/RoleModel
Please contact Michelle or Scott if interested in talking with Young Dolph.
Young Dolph Background
Coming on the scene with stern club bangers and cold punch lines, Memphis-based rapper Young Dolph became a local hero via a series of mixtapes before breaking nationwide around 2014. Born Adolph Thornton, Jr. in Chicago, Dolph debuted in 2008 with the mixtape Paper Route Campaign. Subsequent releases like The Weed Album and South Memphis Kingpin brought him to 2012, when he dropped the first in a successful series of mixtapes dubbed High Class Street Music. By the time High Class Street Music 4 and the “Preach” single dropped in 2014, Dolph was working with major-label producers including Drumma Boy and Zaytoven. Both provided tracks for his 2016 debut LP, King of Memphis, which featured no guest artists and debuted at number 49 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. A trio of mixtapes followed, ending with Rich Crack Baby. The album entered the Billboard 200 upon release and included guest appearances by Boosie Badazz, 2 Chainz, Wale, T.I., Gucci Mane, and 21 Savage. Another mixtape, Gelato, followed in early 2017, containing the hit single “Play wit Yo’ Bitch,” as well as tracks featuring Migos, Wiz Khalifa, and Lil Yachty. Dolph’s second studio album, Bulletproof, was released in April of 2017 and reached the Top 40 of the Billboard 200. Mere months later, he issued Thinking Out Loud, which featured guest spots by DRAM, Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz, and Ty Dolla $ign. The album was another success, hitting number 16 on the Billboard 200. In early 2018, Dolph issued the EP N****s Get Shot Everyday, following up later that year with the Key Glock collaboration “Major” and the solo track “By Mistake.” Full-length Role Model followed later in the year; the album became Dolph’s highest-charting release to date, charting at number 15 on the Billboard 200. ~ David Jeffries & Neil Z. Yeung, Rovi
Paper Route EMPIRE Background
Rising out of Memphis to become one of the South’s pre-eminent rap labels, Paper Route EMPIRE embodies the independent hustle. Home to superstar Young Dolph, heatseeker Key Glock, and Tennessee-born upstarts like Jay Fizzle, PRE partnered with San Francisco-based music company EMPIRE to provide a nationwide platform for local talent. Generating hundreds of millions of streams in 2018 alone with albums such as Young Dolph’s Role Model, which peaked at #15 on the Billboard 200, and Key Glock’s Glock Bond and Glockoma, Paper Route EMPIRE is making a major impact as an indie label, and will only grow stronger in the future.
Links:
twitter | facebook | soundcloud | youtube | instagram | official site | spotify
Bio, photos, music and more can be found at www.audibletreats.com/young-dolph
“I Think I Can Fly” ft. Snoop Dogg: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnRK-2cdVW4
“By Mistake” (Remix) ft. Project Pat & Juicy J: https://empire.lnk.to/Mistake
#ThatsMajorChallenge vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dihv5dNh3Bw
“On God” (Official Video): https://youtu.be/OpmSbsiOnhU
“Black Queen” ft. Momma Gabbana: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfnxrSygi5I
“Major” ft. Key Glock: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdMW1Ya0nHM
Role Model: https://empire.lnk.to/RoleModel
“Slave Owner”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIPRXhLF858
Shop Young Dolph’s capsule collection: https://www.youngdolphshop.com/