Key Glock and Young Dolph of Paper Route Empire

“Paper, paper and more paper.” That, in the words of Key Glock, is what’s on the agenda for the aptly named Paper Route Empire (P.R.E), which is spearheaded by two of Memphis’ juggernauts, in Key Glock himself and the label’s CEO, Young Dolph.

Amongst the almost ‘conveyor belt’ of artists churned out in US mainstream hip hop, a few names have consistently stayed within the limelight or at least within touching distance of it; Young Dolph is one of the few to do this. Since his first mixtape ‘Paper Route Campaign,’ released in 2008, Dolph has remained as a stalwart of hip hop and has been a major factor for Memphis’ re-establishment as a southern hip-hop hub, within the new wave of Atlanta artist dominance. In some ways, a resurgence since the days of the legendary Project Pat & Three Six Mafia so now in 2019, the current roster and spread of Memphis artists is arguably stronger than ever. Dolph’s cutthroat & metaphoric delivery firmly sets him aside from his peers – it’s a major factor as to why his music has been able to transcend from the early days of the new trap music wave (Migos, Futute etc) from 2012-13 to this current day.

“What was the most important lesson you learnt in 2019?” I ask Dolph. “Always keep an ear out to scout new talent.” It was this question and answer that summed up Dolph’s career trajectory for me; an artist who, whilst still building their own lane and career, wants his legacy to transcend his career. Beyond Young Dolph, beyond the glitz, cars & jewellery, his record label Paper Route Empire, is his crown jewel. P.R.E has allowed him to build a structure and legion, which will become the focal point of his own legacy. “I look for work ethic in my artists,” Dolph exclaims. An ethos that is apparent through all of PRE’s artists. It’s reason as to why he looked to sign Key Glock, Kenny Muney and Jay Fizzle; they were all artists grinding, with an evident passion for music. It’s exactly this that sets P.R.E apart from the traditional labels we hear about everyday – within the music industry, underneath the soft layer of the charts and hit songs, lies a grungy game of 360 deals, music royalties and old men in suits who are quick to exploit new artists.

Dolph’s independent approach has enabled him to not only enjoy the lion share of profits his music has amassed over the years, its also given him the ability to unearth and uncover new talents, Key Glock in particular. Since his debut project, ‘Glock Season’ in 2017, Key Glock’s career has gone from strength to strength and has allowed for him to move from an artist with potential, to an established star. The braggadocious style that had become a fixture of Dolph’s personality is so apparent within Glock, that it’s almost as if they had to be related. And guess what, they are!

As Dolph’s cousin, the path into success was one that was already laid out for Glock, before he ever even stepped into a booth. However it’s one thing having this path laid out for you and another, to take this path and make it your own. Releasing your first project at the age of 19 is an achievement in itself - releasing your first project at this age with no features, is almost unheard of. It’s an approach that is symptomatic of Glock’s career thus far; unorthodox but effective. It’s the reason why he was tipped by The Fader in 2018 as one of Memphis’ best artists, just off the back of his mixtape ‘Glock Bond’ alone and why his fanbase has exploded in the last year. In a scene where the ‘rags to riches’ story has almost become mundane and predictable amongst most artists, Glock somehow manages to deliver an efficacious and fresh story through his songs, which is a whole lot easier said than done.

We have Young Dolph and we have Key Glock but still, it felt as if there were something missing. Both rappers have built successful careers in their own right - Dolph has established a label from which both he and Glock can profit from however, collaborative music between the two was falling short. Up until last year, the pair only had one single together ‘Major,’ which was featured on Dolph’s most recent solo album, ‘Role Model.’

“I wanted Glock to get his own individual shine first and grow his fanbase organically,” Dolph explained to me. This was the reoccurring theme that ran through our conversation. Dolph is an advocate for grind and putting oneself on first, rather than allowing new artists to ride onto the coattails of the more established. Family and work ethic is integral, it’s at the heart of P.R.E as a label. There’s a time for everything and in July 2019, it was that time! Finally, the fans got their wish for some Dolph X Glock music, the ‘Dum and Dummer’ album was born. The promotion for the record was truly unique, featuring Glock smashing the windscreen of two cars owned by Dolph, I could not pass up the opportunity to ask him why he did that, “Glock smashed Dolph’s shit, because Dolph wouldn’t drop Glock’s song,” he laughed. It was probably best to just leave it at that.

Off the back of the album, Glock and Dolph carried out their first European tour as a duo, with scheduled UK dates in Birmingham, Manchester & London, all within the space of a week. The tour had been a success thus far and I was keen to know if they favoured any show in particular. “My favourite date so far?” questions Dolph. “How do you expect me to choose?” With the Birmingham and Manchester shows wrapped up, there was suddenly a spanner thrown into the works. The artists were scheduled to light up Kentish Town’s O2 Forum on Sunday 1st December however, the show was shockingly cancelled and quite rightly, didn’t sit too well with Dolph. “That shit was sold out, it was gonna be crazy,” he exclaimed, with a hard sense of contempt strewn across his face. Without giving a clear indication as to why the show was cancelled, I definitely felt an air of disappointment emitting from both artists, especially considering the expectation and hype that had surrounded the London show. In response to its suspension, the duo held a last minute pop up performance for fans, no matter if they had tickets to the initial show or not. It was a massive gesture, I’m not sure many other artists would have gone to lengths to make that happen, especially during a phase of dismay.

I turned attention onto Glock – I wanted to hear from him, his thoughts on touring and how it felt to be performing in Europe. “I always knew I was going to be a star,” Glock tells me. “It didn’t matter what I was doing or how I was doing, I always knew I was gonna have some money. It’s all about speaking stuff into existence.” The law of attraction is a real thing for Glock and his success is living proof of that. I could see the belief in his face as he spoke. It gave off the impression that this was someone that really means what they say. If he says he’s gonna get some money, then he’s gonna go get him some money. “It all starts with you though,” Glock hammered home. A sentiment that was consistent with the overarching principles of P.R.E; you have to get your own before anybody else get’s it for you.

‘Dum & Dummer’ was for the people. “It was for the streets, the little kids to have fun with, the pretty girls to drink and party to,” Dolph explains. With 22 songs and no features, nobody could complain about the tape being watered down. It was everything the fans expected, and then some. With the artists going toe to toe on each track, it brought together some crazy songs, none more so than ‘1 Hell of a Life,’ which both described as being their favourite song on the album. “You can’t skip it,” admits Glock. If you haven’t listened to that song already, I suggest you do so immediately.

Music producer BandPlay, Paper Route Emipire

But what is chemistry on a track, without the right producer to bring it all together? Introducing BandPlay, a native of Nashville, Tennessee who’s production credits boasted the likes of 50 Cent and French Montana, prior to his link up with the P.R.E family. “When I first started producing, I just did it because I actually liked music,” shares BandPlay. “Hearing my stuff in other countries and hearing people recite the words, was really mind blowing for me.” He eventually signed with P.R.E in 2018, which he describes as a family unit, “signing with P.R.E just made sense,” he explains. “We’re all from Tennessee. I’m the only one that’s not from Memphis but they welcomed me with open arms.” BandPlay was the third prong in ‘Dum & Dummer, a fact that most fans may not know. He provided a different perspective of the creative process and how it all came together, describing the album as everything he wanted and more. That was the same impression I picked up from Dolph and Glock – a general pride in their efforts and deservedly so.

2020 promises to be a spectacular year for Young Dolph and Key Glock, with both artists set to drop new solo music. “Big Glock tape on the way,” states Dolph confidently. “This tape (Dum & Dummer) was for the culture and for that time - but we back on our own shit.” Both Dolph and Glock’s star value expanded massively during 2019, culminating their first European tour together. ‘Dum & Dummer’ was a great moment for the P.R.E family and with the amount of success achieved thus far, bigger and better is what’s expected next year.

CREDITS

Photographer - Mike G Smith (Smith Town Studios)

Styling - Neesha Sharma

Memphis, Tennessee rappers Young Dolph and Key Glock share their ethos on achieving success