YNW Melly

Jamell Maurice Demons (born May 1, 1999), known professionally as YNW Melly, is an American rapper, songwriter and convicted felon from Gifford, Florida.[3] He was best known for his songs "Murder on My Mind", "Mixed Personalities" (featuring Kanye West), and "Suicidal". The first is considered his breakout, which garnered him further attention after being charged with the double-murder of two fellow rappers in the "YNW" collective. He released his debut album, Melly vs. Melvin, on November 22, 2019.

YNW Melly
Demons' mugshot in February 2018
Background information
Birth nameJamell Maurice Demons[1]
Born (1999-05-01) May 1, 1999
Gifford, Florida, U.S.[2]
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
Years active2017-present
Labels
Associated acts
Criminal statusIncarcerated at Broward County Jail, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Websiteynw4life.com

In February 2019, he was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and faces life imprisonment or the death penalty if convicted.[4][5][6] He is also a suspect in the 2017 murder of a sheriff's deputy in Gifford.[7] In March 2019, Demons pleaded not guilty to the double-murder charges and is currently awaiting trial.[8]

Early life

Jamell Demons was born on May 1, 1999, in Gifford, Florida. Demons was raised by his single mother, Jamie Demons-King.[9] He does not know who his father is. Another rapper, Donte "Tha Gift" Taylor, claims to be YNW Melly's father.[10] Demons-King was 14 years old when she became pregnant with him, giving birth to him in ninth grade. Later moving to a poorer part of Gifford, his mother struggled to pay for housing and necessaries. Demons joined the Bloods gang at a young age,[11] later posting his songs on SoundCloud when he was 15. In late 2015, Demons was arrested for shooting at a group of students near Vero Beach High School and subsequently convicted of aggravated battery, discharging a firearm in public, and two counts of aggravated assault, for which he served several months in prison.[12][13]

Career

2016–2018: Early fame and debut projects

Demons adopted the stage name YNW Melly in 2016. YNW (an initialism of "Young Nigga World" or "Young New Wave") is a hip-hop collective that included Demons, Anthony "YNW Sakchaser" Williams, Christopher "YNW Juvy" Thomas Jr., and Cortlen "YNW Bortlen" Henry.[14][15]

In late 2017, while still incarcerated, Demons released his first project, an EP called Collect Call, which contained features from numerous well-known artists, including Lil B and John Wicks. In 2018, he released the singles "Virtual (Blue Balenciagas)", "Melly the Menace", and "Slang That Iron". Other singles include "4 Real", "Butter Pecan", and "Medium Fries".[16] The respective music videos have amassed 26 million, 16 million and 11 million views on YouTube, as of January 2019.

In August 2018, Demons released his debut mixtape I Am You, which later appeared on the Billboard 200 at number 192 on January 10, 2019.[17]

2019–present: Second mixtape and debut studio album

On January 17, 2019, while incarcerated, Demons released We All Shine, his second commercial mixtape, consisting of 16 tracks.[18] The project featured collaborations with Kanye West and Fredo Bang.[19] A music video for "Mixed Personalities" featuring West was released with the album.

As of March 2019, Demons had amassed over 200 million streams on Spotify with over 10 million monthly listeners. His most streamed song was "Murder on My Mind", which was originally released as a single before being added to I Am You.[20]

On November 22, 2019, Demons released his debut studio album, Melly vs. Melvin. It peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200, making it his highest charting album at the time. The album included the singles "223's", which peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100.

On March 13, 2020, Demons released a remix of his track "Suicidal", making it the second single from Melly vs. Melvin. The remix included a feature from late rapper Juice Wrld, making it his third official posthumous feature. The song has peaked at number 20 on the Hot 100, becoming Melly's second top 20 entry.

Demons was arrested on June 30, 2018, in Fort Myers, Florida for possession of marijuana, possession of weapon or ammunition by a convicted felon and drug paraphernalia.[21]

Demons was again arrested on January 3, 2019, in Fort Myers for possession of marijuana.[22]

On February 12, 2019, Demons was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the October 2018 shooting deaths in Fort Lauderdale of two YNW associates described as his close friends, aspiring rappers Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr.[23] Authorities purport that Demons conspired with fellow YNW rapper Cortlen Henry to stage the double-murder of Williams and Thomas Jr. and make it appear as if they were fatally injured in a drive by shooting. Henry allegedly drove the victims to the hospital where they later succumbed to their wounds. Demons turned himself in on February 13, 2019.[24] He announced on his Instagram that:[25]

″No I did not get locked up in Washington , but I am turning myself in today... a couple months ago I lost my two brothers by violence and now the system want to find justice.. unfortunately a lot of rumors and lies are being said but no worries god is with me and my brother @ynw.bortlen and we want y’all to remember it’s a ynw Family I love you″

— @ynwmelly

On February 22, 2019, Complex reported that Demons and Henry were suspects in the fatal 2017 shooting of off-duty Indian River County Sheriff's Department deputy Gary Chambliss in Gifford.

COVID-19 diagnosis

On April 2, 2020, YNW Melly (via management) told fans on Twitter that he tested positive for COVID-19.[26] He was in the process of trying to get an early release from prison due to health concerns, as 6ix9ine was released from prison due to asthma and bronchitis.[27] On April 14, his motion was denied and celebrated by many, including the families of his alleged victims[28]

Discography

Studio album
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
[29]		 US
R&B/
HH		 CAN
[30]
Melly vs. Melvin 8317

Mixtapes
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
US
[31]		 US
R&B/
HH
[32]		 CAN
[33]
I Am You
  • Released: August 3, 2018
  • Label: 300[34]
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
 201218
We All Shine
  • Released: January 17, 2019
  • Label: 300[36]
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
 271756

As a lead artist
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
[37]		 US R&B/HH
[38]		 US
Rap
[39]		 AUS
[40]		 CAN
[41]		 NZ
[42]		 SWE
[43]		 UK
[44]
"Legendary (Remix)"[45]
(featuring John Wicks)		 2017 —— —————— Collect Call
"Catching Feelings"[46] —— ——————
"772 Love"[47] —— ——————
"Florida Water"[48]
(featuring J Green)		 —— ——————
"Melly the Menace"[49] 2018 —— ——————
"Virtual (Blue Balenciagas)"[50] —— —————— I Am You
"Slang That Iron"[51] —— ——————
"Whodie"[52] —— —————— Non-album single
"Murder on My Mind" 147 7579183920
  • RIAA: 4× Platinum[35]
  • ARIA: Platinum[53]
 I Am You
"4 Real"[54] —— ——————
"Butter Pecan"[55] —— —————— We All Shine
"Medium Fries"[56] —— —————— Collect Call
"Till the End"[55]
(featuring Skooly)		 —— ——————
"Freddy Krueger"[57]
(featuring Tee Grizzley)		 —— —————— Non-album singles
"Gang"[58] 2019 —— —————
"223's"
(featuring 9lokkNine)		 3417 14562738
[59]		94
[60]		69 Melly vs. Melvin
"Suicidal"
(solo or featuring Juice Wrld)[61]		 2020 2011 75029—7137
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Title Year Album
"Pull Up"[62]
(Lil Keed featuring Lil Uzi Vert and YNW Melly)		 2019 Long Live Mexico
"Young Grizzley World"[63]
(Tee Grizzley featuring A Boogie wit da Hoodie and YNW Melly)		 Scriptures
"100 Shells"[64]
(Yung Bans featuring YNW Melly)		 Misunderstood

Other charted songs
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
[37]		 US R&B/HH
[65][38]		 CAN
[66]		 NZ
Hot
[67]		 UK
[44]
"Mama Cry" 2018 —[upper-alpha 1] — — — — I Am You
"Mixed Personalities"
(featuring Kanye West)		 2019 421951—97
  • RIAA: 2× Platinum[35]
 We All Shine
"6 Kiss"
(Trippie Redd featuring Juice Wrld and YNW Melly)		 60286415— A Love Letter to You 4
"Bang Bang" —[upper-alpha 2]——28— Melly vs. Melvin
"Two Face" —[upper-alpha 3] — — — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Notes
  1. "Mama Cry" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 14 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.[68]
  2. "Bang Bang" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 7 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.[68]
  3. "Two Face" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 22 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.[68]

References
  1. Stephanie Dube Dwilson (June 30, 2020). "YNW Melly Arrested: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
  2. Charles Holmes (August 21, 2018). "YNW Melly on Breakout Mixtape 'I Am You,' Interpolating Chris Brown Throwbacks & His Favorite 'Lion King' Solos". Billboard. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
  3. Dandridge-Lemco, Ben (August 3, 2018). "YNW Melly premieres new video for 'Murder on My Mind'". thefader. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  4. Holmes, Charles (February 14, 2019). "YNW Melly Charged With Two Counts of First-Degree Murder". Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  5. Aswad, Jem (February 14, 2019). "YNW Melly, Kanye West Collaborator, Arrested for Double Murder". Variety. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  6. "Florida Prosecutors to Seek Death Penalty for YNW Melly". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  7. Cowen, Trace William (February 22, 2019). "YNW Melly Reportedly Now a Suspect in Deputy's Shooting Death". Complex. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  8. YNW Melly Pleads Not Guilty to Double Murder Charges | Billboard
  9. FNR TIGG (March 13, 2019). "YNW Melly's Mom Claims She Was Threatened by Rapper's Alleged Murder Victim". Complex. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  10. "YNW Melly's father remixes "Murder on My Mind" to proclaim son's innocence". Revolt. April 30, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  11. Moore, Mary Helen. "Gifford rapper YNW Melly documentary gives eerie look at friendship with murdered artists". TCPalm. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  12. "How YNW Melly turned his pain into beautiful rap ballads". The FADER. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  13. "Grand jury indictment: YNW Melly fired the gun, killing the friends he grew up with". USA Today. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  14. Hogan, Marc (February 20, 2019). "YNW Melly Is Charged With the Murder of Two Friends. What Happened?". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  15. Giacomazzo, Bernadette (February 28, 2019). "Everything To Know About YNW Melly & His Pending Murder Charges". HipHopDX. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  16. Fred, Thomas. "YNW Melly". AllMusic. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  17. "Hip Hop Album Sales: A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie Earns His 1st No. 1 Album On Billboard 200". HipHopDX. January 14, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  18. "YNW Melly Drops "We All Shine" Featuring Kanye West". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  19. "YNW Melly Releases "We All Shine" Project With Kanye West Guest Appearance". HipHopDX. January 17, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  20. "YNW Melly". Spotify. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  21. Jamell Maurice Demons Arrest Information. Ft Myers, FL: Lee County Sheriff's Office. June 30, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  22. Jamell Maurice Demons Arrest Information. Ft Myers, FL: Lee County Sheriff's Office. Jan 3, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  23. Jamell Maurice Demons Arrest Information. Miramar, FL: Miramar Police, FL. February 13, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  24. Johnson, Jazzi. "Florida Rapper YNW Melly Turns Himself In After Being Charged In The Killings Of His Best Friends - Blavity". blavity.com. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  25. Levenson, Eric. "Rising rapper YNW Melly grieved publicly for two friends. Police say he killed them". CNN. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  26. "YNW Melly Tests Positive for COVID-19 in Jail". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  27. McLaughlin, Kelly. "Tekashi 6ix9ine has been released from prison to serve the rest of his sentence at home because of the coronavirus". Insider. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  28. Espinoza, Joshua (April 15, 2020). "Judge Reportedly Orders YNW Melly to Remain in Jail Despite COVID-19 Diagnosis". Complex. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  29. Caulfield, Keith (December 1, 2019). "Trippie Redd Rules With First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  30. "Lennie's 'Dance' Butts Celine Into 2nd Place". FYIMusicNews. December 1, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  31. Peaks on the US Billboard 200:
  32. Peaks on the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums:
  33. Peaks on the Billboard Canadian Albums:
  34. YNW Melly | Album Discography | AllMusic
  35. "Gold/Platinum: YNW Melly - RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  36. YNW Melly Shares 'We All Shine' Project & Video | HYPEBEAST
  37. "YNW Melly Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  38. "YNW Melly R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  39. "YNW Melly Chart History: Hot Rap Songs". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  40. "ARIA Chart Watch #519". auspOp. April 6, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  41. "Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  42. "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. March 18, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  43. "Sverigetopplistan – Sveriges Officiella Topplista". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  44. "YNW Melly | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  45. "Legendary (Remix) (feat. John Wicks) by YNW Melly on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  46. "Catching Feelings by YNW Melly on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  47. "772 Love by YNW Melly on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  48. "Florida Water (Feat. J Green) by YNW Melly on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  49. "Melly the Menace by YNW Melly on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  50. "Virtual (Blue Balenciagas) by YNW Melly on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  51. "Slang That Iron by YNW Melly on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  52. "Whodie by YNW Melly on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  53. "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2020 Singles". ARIA. 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  54. "4 Real by YNW Melly on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  55. "Butter Pecan by YNW Melly on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  56. "Medium Fries by YNW Melly on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  57. "Freddy Krueger (feat. Tee Grizzley) by YNW Melly on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  58. "Gang by YNW Melly on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  59. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 7, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  60. "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 41". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  61. "Suicidal (Remix) - Single by YNW Melly on Apple Music".
  62. "Pull Up (feat. Lil Uzi Vert & YNW Melly) by Lil Keed on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  63. "Tee Grizzley Taps YNW Melly & A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie For "Young Grizzley World"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  64. "YNW Melly Hops On Yung Bans' New Song "100 Shells"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  65. "Kanye West Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  66. "YNW Melly Chart History: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  67. Peaks on the NZ Hot Singles Chart:
  68. "YNW Melly Chart History: Bubbling Under Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
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