YNW Melly, whose real name is Jamell Maurice Demons, was born on May 1, 1999. As of January 12, 2025, he is 25 years old.
However, there’s a chance that he may not live long enough to see 30 years old. Despite starting his road to success after a tough childhood, he faces a serious trial that could result in a death sentence.
Let’s track it back a little.
Who Is YNW Melly?
Jamell Maurice Demons, known professionally as YNW Melly, is an American rapper and singer born in Gifford, Florida.
Jamell was raised by a single mother, Kamie Demons-King. His mother was only 14 years old when she gave birth to him when she was still in the 9th grade. Unfortunately, the father was nowhere to be found during his upbringing.
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Because of that, she struggled a lot to provide for her family, facing financial hardships that made it difficult to secure stable housing and meet basic needs.
There was a rapper, Donte “Tha Gift” Taylor, who claimed that he was Melly’s father. However, he didn’t really contribute much to his life, and he clearly wasn’t his biological father. To this day, we don’t know for sure who the father is.
YNW Melly’s Tough Childhood
Melly’s childhood without a father was difficult. Without a man in his life and the lack of maturity on his mother’s side, he started off on the wrong foot. He joined the Bloods Street Gang and immediately started falling into legal issues.
However, things started taking a turn for the worse when he was convicted of aggravated battery after a shooting incident near Vero Beach High School on October 20, 2015, when he was just 16.
He was charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of discharging a firearm in public.
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Following the shooting, Melly was interrogated by police. A video of this interrogation surfaced years later, showing him being questioned about the events leading up to the shooting.
In the interrogation, Melly claimed that he shot in self-defense after another individual pulled a gun on him. Being a minor with no previous record, he ended up receiving a one-year jail sentence for his actions.
YNW Melly’s Comeback
In contrast to what usually happens, this one year in jail was actually good news. While incarcerated, he managed to earn his GED and began writing music, including his breakout single “Murder on My Mind,” which later gained significant popularity.
It peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and had themes of violence and introspection. Unsurprisingly, many people could relate to that.
That was pretty much his first step to fame, after which many other productions followed:
- Debut Mixtape: His first commercial mixtape, I Am You (2018), received positive acclaim and included popular tracks that solidified his presence in the music scene.
- Collaborations: Melly collaborated with Kanye West on “Mixed Personalities,” featured on his second mixtape, We All Shine (2019), which further boosted his profile.
- Chart Success: His album Melly vs. Melvin (2019) peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200, featuring hits like “223’s” and “Suicidal.”
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YNW Melly’s Downfall
What looked like a redemption path quickly turned around. On October 26, 2018, after a late-night recording session, YNW Melly was accused of shooting his friends while they were inside a Jeep in Miramar, Florida.
Prosecutors allege that he and another crew member, Cortlen Malik Henry (a.k.a. YNW Bortlen), staged the scene to look like a drive-by shooting.
They reportedly drove around with the bodies for a period before taking them to the hospital, where both were pronounced dead on arrival.
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As of January 2025, there’s no conclusion to the case yet, but if Melly is convicted of first-degree murder, he faces the possibility of the death penalty.
Final Words
Unfortunately, YNW Melly’s ghosts came back to haunt him. The 25-year-old is currently awaiting the final verdict of his trial.
It’s such a shame to see someone who was capable of success be placed in a cell like this, but the law exists for a reason, we suppose.
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