Paper Route EMPIRE (Label)

Young Dolph’s independence is what set him apart as an artist—he constructed a mansion of his own from the ground up, with a strong and stable foundation. What’s been built from his legacy is truly worth its weight in precious metals: Between them, Key Glock and Young Dolph have earned three Platinum and six Gold RIAA Certified records, while the Dolph-featuring “Cut It” by O.T. Genasis has hit a whopping 2x Platinum. Thanks to that solid bedrock of success, Paper Route Empire is more productive and prominent than ever, even in light of Dolph’s tragic passing.

What began as a permanent home for Young Dolph’s own music has evolved into a united collective that continues under the guidance of CEO DaddyO, Dolph’s founding business partner and close friend. PRE’s accomplishments within the industry have been recognized twice now by Billboard, who featured Dolph and DaddyO together and DaddyO individually on its 2020 and 2022 Indie Power Players lists respectively. Though DaddyO might not make his voice known quite like Dolph did, his influence and vision are evident, as Paper Route Empire has become a training camp for emerging voices overflowing with drive and ambition.

2021’s PAPER ROUTE iLLUMINATi introduced the world to an extended universe of hungry new talent, fleshing out Paper Route Empire from a close-knit crew to an army. Every officer in the Empire has their own distinctive lane: Key Glock is the calm and collected hustler, Big Moochie Grape is raucous and rowdy, Kenny Money more on the bluesy side while still cut-throat. What each member of Paper Route Empire shares is a sense of self-reliance; they’re stronger together as a collective, but can all stand on their own. Three of Paper Route Empire’s releases in 2021 — the PAPER ROUTE iLLUMINATi compilation, Key Glock’s Yellow Tape 2, and the collaborative Dum and Dummer 2 — charted in the Billboard Top 25, and that momentum has only continued into 2022.

This year’s relentless hot streak began with Long Live Dolph, a lovingly crafted tribute to Dolph’s memory featuring contributions from the entire PRE roster, and Kenny Muney’s Time is Muney. The Paper Route takeover continues with Big Moochie Grape’s East Haiti Baby and Jay Fizzle’s Donnafizzo, with SNUPE BANDZ & Paper Route Woo’s upcoming Boyz N The Hood and new releases from Glock and Dolph in the pipeline. The deluxe edition of Yellow Tape 2, as well as a 33-stop tour that sold out nearly every date, has been a much-deserved victory lap for Glock and the entire Paper Route family.

The title of Young Dolph’s first posthumous single, “Hall of Fame,” makes clear his certified status as an all-time legend. Paper Route Empire is so much more than just a label, almost a mindset, providing a playbook for artists who want to make it on their own terms, without compromising to creative limits or corporate control. An empire isn’t defined just by one ruler or leader, but by the generations who write its legacy into the history books. By investing so heavily in the voices of the future, as well as the city that raised them, Paper Route Empire ensures that Dolph and DaddyO’s independent vision will continue. Young Dolph didn’t just earn a place in someone else’s hall of fame, he made his own, and the new voices of Paper Route Empire are working nonstop to secure their spot in it.