Page semi-protected

YNW Melly

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"YNW" redirects here. For the website formerly known as Your News Wire, see NewsPunch.

YNW Melly
Demons' February 2019 mugshot
Demons' February 2019 mugshot
Background information
Birth nameJamell Maurice Demons[1]
Also known asMelvin
Born (1999-05-01) May 1, 1999 (age 22)
Gifford, Florida, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
Years active2016–present
Labels
Associated acts
Criminal charge(s)First degree murder (x2)
Criminal statusIncarcerated at Broward County Jail, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
RelativesYNW BSlime (brother)
Websiteynw4life.com

Jamell Maurice Demons (born May 1, 1999), known professionally as YNW Melly (backronym for Young Nigga World Melly),[2] is an American rapper and singer. He is best known for his songs "Murder on My Mind", "Mixed Personalities" (featuring Kanye West), "Suicidal" (featuring Juice Wrld), and "223's" (featuring 9lokkNine). 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. In November 2019, he released his debut album, Melly vs. Melvin, peaking number 8 on the Billboard 200.

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.[3][4][5] He is also a suspect in the 2017 murder of a sheriff's deputy in Gifford.[6] In March 2019, Demons pleaded not guilty to the double-murder charges and is currently awaiting trial.[7]

Early life

Jamell Demons was born on May 1, 1999, in Gifford, Florida.[8] He was raised by his single mother, Jamie Demons-King,[9] and 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 18, 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 American rapper and singer 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.

Legal issues

Demons was arrested on October 19, 2015 on three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of discharging a firearm in public, after firing shots at three people near Vero Beach High School.[21] Demons spent a year in jail before being released on probation.[22]

In 2017, Demons was arrested for violating probation, and spent several months in jail before being released in March 2018.[23]

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.[24]

Demons was again arrested on January 3, 2019, in Fort Myers for possession of marijuana.[25]

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, Florida of two YNW associates described as his close friends, rappers Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr.[26] 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.[27] He announced on his Instagram:[28]

"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.

Personal life

On April 2, 2020, Demons (via management) told fans on Twitter that he tested positive for COVID-19.[29] 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.[30] On April 14, his motion was denied.[31]

Discography

Studio albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
US
[32] 		US
R&B/
HH
[33] 		CAN
[34]
Melly vs. Melvin 8 3 17
Just a Matter of Slime 11 5 44

Mixtapes

Title Mixtape details Peak chart positions Certifications
US
[32] 		US
R&B/
HH
[33] 		CAN
[34]
I Am You 20 12 18
We All Shine 27 17 56

Extended plays

Title EP details
Collect Call

Singles

As lead artist

Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
[38] 		US R&B/HH
[39] 		US
Rap
[40] 		AUS
[41] 		CAN
[42] 		NZ
[43] 		SWE
[44] 		UK
[45]
"Legendary (Remix)"[46]
(featuring John Wicks) 		2017 — — — — — — — — Collect Call
"Catching Feelings"[47] — — — — — — — —
"772 Love"[48] — — — — — — — —
"Florida Water"[49]
(featuring J Green) 		— — — — — — — —
"Melly the Menace"[50] 2018 — — — — — — — —
"Virtual (Blue Balenciagas)"[51] — — — — — — — — I Am You
"Slang That Iron"[52] — — — — — — — —
"Whodie"[53] — — — — — — — — Non-album single
"Murder on My Mind"[54] 14 7 7 57 9 18 39 20
  • RIAA: 5× Platinum[35]
  • ARIA: Platinum[55]
 I Am You
"4 Real"[56] — — — — — — — -
"Butter Pecan"[57] — — — — — — — — We All Shine
"Medium Fries"[58] — — — — — — — — Collect Call
"Till the End"
(featuring Skooly) 		— — — — — — — —
"Freddy Krueger"[59]
(featuring Tee Grizzley) 		— — — — — — — — Non-album singles
"Gang"[60] 2019 — — — — — — — —
"223's"
(featuring 9lokkNine) 		34 17 14 56 27 38
[61]		 94
[62]		 69
  • RIAA: 2× Platinum[35]
 Melly vs. Melvin
"Suicidal"
(solo or featuring Juice Wrld)[63] 		2020 20 11 7 50 29 — 71 37
"Thugged Out"[64]
(featuring Kodak Black) 		2021 —[A] — — — — — — — Just a Matter of Slime
"Na Na Na Boo Boo"[66] — — — — — — — —
"Pieces"[67]
(featuring Queen Naija) 		— — — — — — — —
"Yung N**** Shit"[68]
(featuring YNW Gunna and Hotboii) 		— — — — — — — —
"Best Friends 4L"[69]
(featuring Lil Tjay) 		— — — — — — — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

As a featured artist

Title Year Album
"Pull Up"[70]
(Lil Keed featuring Lil Uzi Vert and YNW Melly) 		2019 Long Live Mexico
"Young Grizzley World"[71]
(Tee Grizzley featuring A Boogie wit da Hoodie and YNW Melly) 		Scriptures
"100 Shells"[72]
(Yung Bans featuring YNW Melly) 		Misunderstood
"100k Cypher 2 (with FCG Heem, Slatt Zy, Ar'Mon & Trey, YNW Melly)"[73]
(100K Track featuring FCG Heem, Slatt Zy, Ar'Mon & Trey, and YNW Melly) 		2021 Non-album single

Other charted songs

Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
[38] 		US R&B/HH
[74][39] 		CAN
[75] 		NZ
Hot
[76] 		UK
[45]
"Mama Cry" 2018 —[B] — — — — I Am You
"Mixed Personalities"
(featuring Kanye West) 		2019 42 19 51 — 97
  • RIAA: 2× Platinum[35]
 We All Shine
"6 Kiss"
(Trippie Redd featuring Juice Wrld and YNW Melly) 		60 28 64 15 — A Love Letter to You 4
"Bang Bang" —[C] — — 28 — Melly vs. Melvin
"Two Face" —[D] — — — —
"Mind of Melvin"
(featuring Lil Uzi Vert) 		2021 78 25 96 35 — Just a Matter of Slime
"Take Kare"
(featuring Lil Baby and Lil Durk) 		—[E] — — — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Notes

  1. ^ "Thugged Out" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 22 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.[65]
  2. ^ "Mama Cry" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 14 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.[65]
  3. ^ "Bang Bang" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 7 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.[65]
  4. ^ "Two Face" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 22 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.[65]
  5. ^ "Take Kare" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 20 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.[65]

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. ^ "Who is YNW Melly? Everything to know about the upcoming rapper charged with murder". February 17, 2019.
  3. ^ Holmes, Charles (February 14, 2019). "YNW Melly Charged With Two Counts of First-Degree Murder". Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  4. ^ Aswad, Jem (February 14, 2019). "YNW Melly, Kanye West Collaborator, Arrested for Double Murder". Variety. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  5. ^ "Florida Prosecutors to Seek Death Penalty for YNW Melly". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  6. ^ Cowen, Trace William (February 22, 2019). "YNW Melly Reportedly Now a Suspect in Deputy's Shooting Death". Complex. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  7. ^ YNW Melly Pleads Not Guilty to Double Murder Charges | Billboard
  8. ^ 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.
  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 18, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  20. ^ "YNW Melly". Spotify. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  21. ^ "Teen charged with firing gun at group near Vero Beach High School". TC Palm. October 20, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  22. ^ "How YNW Melly turned his pain into beautiful rap ballads". The FADER. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  23. ^ "How YNW Melly turned his pain into beautiful rap ballads". The FADER. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  24. ^ Jamell Maurice Demons Arrest Information. Ft Myers, FL: Lee County Sheriff's Office. June 30, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  25. ^ Jamell Maurice Demons Arrest Information. Ft Myers, FL: Lee County Sheriff's Office. January 3, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  26. ^ Jamell Maurice Demons Arrest Information. Miramar, FL: Miramar Police, FL. February 13, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  27. ^ 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.
  28. ^ Levenson, Eric (February 14, 2019). "Rising rapper YNW Melly grieved publicly for two friends. Police say he killed them". CNN. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  29. ^ "YNW Melly Tests Positive for COVID-19 in Jail". Pitchfork. April 2, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  30. ^ 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.
  31. ^ Espinoza, Joshua (April 15, 2020). "Judge Reportedly Orders YNW Melly to Remain in Jail Despite COVID-19 Diagnosis". Complex. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  32. ^ Jump up to: a b "YNW Melly Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  33. ^ Jump up to: a b "YNW Melly Chart History: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  34. ^ Jump up to: a b "YNW Melly Chart History: Canadian Albums". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  35. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l "Gold/Platinum: YNW Melly - RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  36. ^ YNW Melly | Album Discography | AllMusic
  37. ^ YNW Melly Shares 'We All Shine' Project & Video | HYPEBEAST
  38. ^ Jump up to: a b "YNW Melly Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  39. ^ Jump up to: a b "YNW Melly R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  40. ^ "YNW Melly Chart History: Hot Rap Songs". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  41. ^ "ARIA Chart Watch #519". auspOp. April 6, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  42. ^ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  43. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. March 18, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  44. ^ "Sverigetopplistan – Sveriges Officiella Topplista". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  45. ^ Jump up to: a b "YNW Melly | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  46. ^ "Legendary (Remix) (feat. John Wicks) by YNW Melly on Spotify". Retrieved July 15, 2019 – via Spotify.
  47. ^ "Catching Feelings by YNW Melly on Spotify". Retrieved July 15, 2019 – via Spotify.
  48. ^ "772 Love by YNW Melly on Spotify". Retrieved July 15, 2019 – via Spotify.
  49. ^ "Florida Water (Feat. J Green) by YNW Melly on Spotify". Retrieved July 15, 2019 – via Spotify.
  50. ^ "Melly the Menace by YNW Melly on Spotify". Retrieved July 15, 2019 – via Spotify.
  51. ^ "Virtual (Blue Balenciagas) by YNW Melly on Spotify". Retrieved July 15, 2019 – via Spotify.
  52. ^ "Slang That Iron by YNW Melly on Spotify". Retrieved July 15, 2019 – via Spotify.
  53. ^ "Whodie by YNW Melly on Spotify". Retrieved July 13, 2019 – via Spotify.
  54. ^ "Murder on My Mind by YNW Melly on Spotify". Retrieved August 3, 2018 – via Spotify.
  55. ^ Jump up to: a b "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2020 Singles". ARIA. 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  56. ^ "4 Real by YNW Melly on Spotify". Retrieved July 13, 2019 – via Spotify.
  57. ^ "Butter Pecan by YNW Melly on Spotify". Retrieved July 13, 2019 – via Spotify.
  58. ^ "Medium Fries by YNW Melly on Spotify". Retrieved July 13, 2019 – via Spotify.
  59. ^ "Freddy Krueger (feat. Tee Grizzley) by YNW Melly on Spotify". Retrieved July 13, 2019 – via Spotify.
  60. ^ "Gang by YNW Melly on Spotify". Retrieved August 9, 2019 – via Spotify.
  61. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 7, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  62. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 41". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  63. ^ "Suicidal (Remix) - Single by YNW Melly on Apple Music".
  64. ^ "Thugged Out (Feat. Kodak Black) by YNW Melly on Spotify". Retrieved March 5, 2021 – via Spotify.
  65. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "YNW Melly Chart History: Bubbling Under Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  66. ^ "Na na na boo boo by YNW Melly on Spotify". Retrieved March 26, 2021 – via Spotify.
  67. ^ "Pieces (Feat. Queen Naija) by YNW Melly on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  68. ^ "Yung N**** Shit (Feat. YNW Gunna & Hotboii) by YNW Melly on Spotify". Retrieved July 24, 2021 – via Spotify.
  69. ^ "Best Friends 4L (Feat. Lil Tjay) by YNW Melly on Spotify". Retrieved August 6, 2021 – via Spotify.
  70. ^ "Pull Up (feat. Lil Uzi Vert & YNW Melly) by Lil Keed on Spotify". Retrieved July 11, 2019 – via Spotify.
  71. ^ "Tee Grizzley Taps YNW Melly & A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie For "Young Grizzley World"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  72. ^ "YNW Melly Hops On Yung Bans' New Song "100 Shells"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  73. ^ "100k Cypher 2 (with FCG Heem, Slatt Zy, Ar'Mon & Trey, YNW Melly) by 100K Track on Spotify". Retrieved August 27, 2021 – via Spotify.
  74. ^ "Kanye West Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  75. ^ "YNW Melly Chart History: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  76. ^ Peaks on the NZ Hot Singles Chart:
Retrieved from ""