Paper Route EMPIRE

Remaining fiercely independent throughout his rise to fame, Memphis rap figurehead <a href="spotify:artist:3HiuzBlSW7pGDXlSFMhO2g">Young Dolph</a> released his extensive catalog via Paper Route Empire, an independently owned label he founded in 2008. By the mid-2010s, <a href="spotify:artist:3HiuzBlSW7pGDXlSFMhO2g">Dolph</a> was using Paper Route to shepherd in the next generation of local talent, signing the likes of <a href="spotify:artist:0RESbWvOMyua0yuyVrztJ5">Key Glock</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1vxMyjYYKghLsYaIbeEHPP">Jay Fizzle</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3tYObOPkxDpra3sjNdCeKa">Big Moochie Grape</a> ahead of the group's debut compilation, Paper Route Illuminati (2021).

While Paper Route Empire initially served as a home for <a href="spotify:artist:3HiuzBlSW7pGDXlSFMhO2g">Young Dolph</a>'s barrage of mixtapes, the Memphis rapper's label took on a greater purpose during the 2010s, providing a pathway to national success for a smattering of local talent. <a href="spotify:artist:3HiuzBlSW7pGDXlSFMhO2g">Dolph</a>'s first move was to sign his protégé, <a href="spotify:artist:0RESbWvOMyua0yuyVrztJ5">Key Glock</a>, and cousin <a href="spotify:artist:1vxMyjYYKghLsYaIbeEHPP">Jay Fizzle</a>, who both made their Paper Route debuts in 2017 with respective mixtapes Glock Season and Life of a Lul Gangster. While continuing to release his own work, alongside that of <a href="spotify:artist:0RESbWvOMyua0yuyVrztJ5">Glock</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:1vxMyjYYKghLsYaIbeEHPP">Fizzle</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3HiuzBlSW7pGDXlSFMhO2g">Dolph</a> began amassing a substantial roster: <a href="spotify:artist:5noIMRg61zRD7KhynZLmFX">Kenny Muney</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:3tYObOPkxDpra3sjNdCeKa">Big Moochie Grape</a> were among the label's first signees, joined in 2021 by <a href="spotify:artist:72ltK39qT3DgtiCZgOAaGs">Snupe Bandz</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:5D2pVmcsajqTCO3czYdzrF">PaperRoute Woo</a>. With the roster fleshed out, <a href="spotify:artist:3HiuzBlSW7pGDXlSFMhO2g">Dolph</a> brought together Paper Route's artists and collaborators for Paper Route Illuminati, the label's first compilation album. With contributions from all of the label's signees, alongside new talents like <a href="spotify:artist:56Q0otwbLqMNuTz38lKpWj">Bigg Unccc</a> and Joddy Badass, the project embodied the group's hard-hitting, looping take on the Memphis trap sound. After <a href="spotify:artist:3HiuzBlSW7pGDXlSFMhO2g">Dolph</a>'s tragic passing in late 2021, the group set to work on a tribute EP, Long Live Young Dolph, which was released the following January. ~ David Crone, Rovi