Rapper YNW Melly (born Jamell Demons) survived life in a tough Florida neighborhood. His lyrics, which included themes like crime, violence, and teenage street life, reflected it. In 2015, he was charged with assault with a deadly weapon after firing a gun at three students near his high school. While incarcerated, he told Billboard, he was inspired to write "Murder on My Mind," a top 20, triple-platinum hit that originated as a SoundCloud upload in 2017.
Once out of jail, Melly released lots of music, including a high-profile collaboration with Kanye West. He was on an upward trajectory, and not even 20 years old yet, when he found himself in trouble with the law again in February 2019. The previous October, two of the rapper's friends and fellow YNW crew members, Christopher "Juvy" Thomas Jr. and Anthony "Sakchaser" Williams, were pronounced dead at a hospital in Miramar, Florida, having been dropped off there after being shot to death, per TCPalm. Miramar police later arrested Melly, and another YNW associate, Cortlen "Bortlen" Henry, alleging that they perpetrated the murders — Melly, allegedly the trigger man, and Bortlen, allegedly the driver — then staged a drive-by shooting that they blamed for Thomas and Williams' death.
Both men pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder. Bortlen was released on bond in May 2020, but a few trips to strip clubs not only violated his release but landed him back in hot water. In April 2023, Melly's trial began.
