YNW Melly
Biography
Jamell Maurice Demons, professionally known as YNW Melly, is an American rapper and singer born on May 1, 1999, in Gifford, Florida. He was raised by his single mother, Jamie Demons-King, who was 14 when she became pregnant with him. Demons began his music career at a young age, posting his songs on SoundCloud when he was 15 years old. He adopted the stage name YNW Melly in 2016, with "YNW" being an initialism for "Young New Wave" or "Young Nigga World," a hip-hop collective he was a part of.
Career
YNW Melly rose to prominence in 2018 with his single "Murder on My Mind," a song that gained significant attention and charted on the Billboard Hot 100. This success led to a record deal with 300 Entertainment. He released his debut commercial mixtape "I Am You" in 2018, which was met with positive reception. His follow-up mixtape, "We All Shine," released in 2019, featured the popular song "Mixed Personalities" with Kanye West. Despite his legal issues, his debut studio album, "Melly vs. Melvin," was released in 2019 and peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200. Another album, "Just a Matter of Slime," was released in 2021 while he was incarcerated.
Notable Songs
- Murder on My Mind
- Mixed Personalities (feat. Kanye West)
- Suicidal
- 223's (feat. 9lokkNine)
- Virtual (Blue Balenciagas)
Legal Issues
YNW Melly's career has been significantly impacted by his legal troubles. In 2015, he was arrested for shooting at three students near a high school and was convicted of aggravated battery and other charges, serving a year in juvenile detention. In February 2019, Demons was arrested and charged with two counts of premeditated first-degree murder for the October 2018 deaths of two of his friends and fellow YNW collective members, Anthony "YNW Sakchaser" Williams and Christopher "YNW Juvy" Thomas Jr. Prosecutors allege that Demons and another YNW member, Cortlen "YNW Bortlen" Henry, staged the murders to look like a drive-by shooting. His first trial ended in a mistrial in July 2023 after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. He has remained in custody since his 2019 arrest. His retrial has been scheduled to begin in September 2025. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.