UPDATE: On July 22, 2023 the double-murder case against YNW Melly has ended in a mistrial. The jury was deadlocked for 3 days. The Broward County State Attorney’s Office officially declared it will be retrying Melly on the double murder charges, date to be determined. So he wasn’t found not guilty, he has to face a trial again in the near future.

YNW Melly (real name Jamell Maurice Demons) has been in the news lately with serious allegations of murder (among others) being made by prosecutors. Whether these are true or not remains to be seen but it’s clear Melly has already received his 15 minutes in the spotlight to say the least. We’ve gathered a few interesting, eyebrow raising or even weird things about YNW Melly in the following article.

YNW Melly Has A Bipolar Disorder

Did you know he actually described himself as having mixed personalities? He even has a song called “Mixed Personalities” where he sings about (probably) things he has or is experiencing. What’s not clear is when he has been diagnosed with bd and if he is seeking treatment for this.

He’s A Member Of The Bloods

YNW Melly is just one among many, many rappers that are or have been affiliated with a gang. His humble beginnings and proximity to gangs made him a sure bet for becoming a member. In his situation and from what he could see joining a gang must have been the obvious choice.

Bad People, Music And Guns

Being part of the Bloods from a very young age meant he was around bad people, lots of music and guns. And all of these have become a part of his life. He looked up to mega stars like Michael Jackson and Chris Brown, started creating music and at just 15 he was already on Soundcloud. Melly wrote about what he saw and felt and the music resonated with a lot of people of different ages.

He Has A Weird Gun Fascination

Lots of people are around guns, even from a younger age, and are not affected by this in any way. Things are different with Melly who has a very weird and dangerous fascination with guns. At a young age (9 years, fourth grade) he found a revolver under his uncle’s couch which probably marked his experience with guns. Seeing a gun at such a small age and getting to touch it and hold it can be life changing and not in a good way.

He said he would take the gun with him everywhere he went and unavoidably he got in trouble because of it. He even served a jail sentence. Among the bad things he did are 2 counts of aggravated assault when he shot at students right to Vero Beach High School, discharging a firearm in public, aggravated battery. Guns and kids don’t mix well especially when growing up surrounded by gangs and ill activities.

Juvenile School And Arrests

At 16 he was expelled from school and spent 1 year in the Juvenile Justice Center in Fort Pierce. He used this time to its fullest and started immersing himself into his music, recording many songs during his detention.

At 18 he got arrested again for possession of marijuana, possession of weapon or ammunition by a convicted felon and drug paraphernalia. His friend, YNW Bortlen was arrested alongside him. They posted bail and got released the next day.

YNW Melly Does Not Know His Father

He doesn’t know who he is as his mother never shared this. She was just 14 years of age (in ninth grade) when she gave birth to Melly. It was extremely difficult to raise a child while being a child herself and finding ways to pay the bills. All these experiences marked and shaped Melly’s personality.

Donte “Tha Gift” Taylor has recently claimed that he is Melly’s father but didn’t share any evidence to support this claim.

His Song Names And Music Lyrics Are Peculiar

In all his songs, Melly shared a part of himself. Whether it’s a big part or a smaller one, we may never know. But it’s clear that his songs can be interpreted as a cry for help or as a way to journal his life’s events. In “Mixed Personalities” Melly sings about his own experiences with having a bipolar disease. “Murder on my Mind” which is his best selling song (and currently has 580+ million views on Youtube) is also one where he seems to shout to the world that he does indeed have murder on his mind.

The lyrics are shockingly descriptive and also listening and watching his interviews will show a dark side of him. In some moments it’s like he doesn’t even understand the meaning of his words, what he’s really saying, what he’s conveying to the audience and what can easily be read between the lines.

In “Murder on my mind” he tells the story of how he shoots a friend who dies in his arms which could be exactly what happened a few years later.

YNW Melly Suspected Of Murder

In February 2019, he was arrested for being the main suspect in the killings of YNW Juvy and YNW Sakchaser. These were two of his best friends and when they died it was initially thought it was a drive-by. It turns out that was a lie and Melly is now on trial for this, facing the death penalty.

Fun sidenote

While in court, his lawyer showed (on the camera that was filming her talking to YNW Melly) a funny notebook that had “Evil plans and stuff” on it. The video of this made the round on the internet. Short video showing the notebook on this page

YNW Melly’s Net Worth

Even though he was in and out of jail, Melly still managed to cash in on his growing popularity, with many shows bringing in huge amounts of fans. His net worth is apparently, in 2023, around $5 million. It went from $200.000 in 2017, to $700.000 in 2018, $1.5 million in 2019 to $7.5 million in 2020.

So while his guilt hasn’t been yet proved in a court of law, there are some things that do raise a lot of questions about what happened to Melly’s two closest friends. Whether or not he has anything to do with their deaths remains to be seen.

How Long Has Ynw Melly Been Locked Up?

He was arrested on February 13, 2019 (so over 4 years at this time). He is being held in the Broward main jail.

What Age Is Melly?

24 years of age, born on May 1, 1999.

Does Melly Have A Little Brother?

Yes, Melly has a younger brother, YNW BSlime who is also a rapper.

For more details about YNW Melly you can check out this video:
The Disturbing World of YNW Melly (Now Facing Death Penalty..)

Recommended reading next: The 8 Weirdest Murders Will Make Your Skin Crawl