A Memphis artist says he is receiving threats over a mural he painted of late local rapper Young Dolph — a mural that was defaced a week before its scheduled unveiling. Cameron Hill, the Memphis-based artist commissioned by local non-profit the Ida Mae Foundation to create the mural, posted a video on Instagram of the defaced artwork along with a screenshot of a text conversation from someone he says “is trying to intimidate me.” In a longer caption, he outlines a campaign whose aim he believes is to ruin his art career.
“The Ida Mae foundation and I have been talking about doing this project for the last 4 months. Money has been spent on the project from the foundation and everything just to have a group of hating individuals come and destroy what I was working on. The certain group of individuals have been trying to ruin my art career and tarnish my name since last year. I have been harassed and also threatened for the last two or three days for trying to do something for the foundation and to make the community look better. I have been getting calls and text from different numbers from people trying to plot on me.They have been sending people up there to try to intimidate me and spy on me. One thing y’all must understand is that y’all are not gone stop my shine nor are y’all going to try and down play my god given talent that I have been blessed with. I’m a king and I’m going to conduct myself as such. One thing for sure I don’t fear no man and I’m not going to tuck my tail and run. I stand on what I believe in.”
Dolph was shot to death at age 36 last November. Multiple suspects were arrested over the following months, while another memorial for Dolph was removed by the owner of the building at which he was killed.