Fans of Young Dolph do not want the Makeda’s Cookies to disassemble the memorial that has been up in the artist’s memory since his death last November.
Protestors outside of the private business demanded that the memorial stay intact and threatened to rebuild one should the owners of the building remove it.
AllHipHop.com reported that the owners of the cookie shop had been in contact with the deceased artist’s family about breaking down the four-month-old memorial and have received their blessing to do so.
The “Preach” rapper was murdered in a drive-by shooting outside of the family-owned business, and since the shooting, the brick and mortar has remained closed.
One of the owners, who initially thought she could reopen the shop, said that she no longer feels safe in the location.
According to ABC 24, the building owner that housed the cookie company decided if Makeda goes … so does the memorial.
Members of the community, fans of the artist, and his label, Paper Route Empire, are adamant that they are not saying goodbye to the tribute, vowing to resurrect it.
Not everyone was as defiant.
Community activist Frank Gotti said that he understands the owner’s perspective.
“I understand you have to lease it out and run a business. I understand it. It’s his building, and nobody can argue with him on that. I appreciate him for keeping it up this long,” he said.
Another way that fans remember Young Dolph is through his music. After his death, streaming platforms and radio stations are playing his songs more, and the deceased rapper is acquiring new fans like Lil Wayne.
While interviewing on Mack Tight Radio, the Young Money Rapper said he recently started listening to Dolph and compared him to 2 Chainz.
When asked what made Young Dolph special, Weezy said, “His authenticity. Just being himself and learning how to make that s### make sense.”
Wayne is not the only person listening. According to Billboard, only one month after Young Dolph’s death, his streams shot up 573%.