YNW Melly

Jamell Maurice Demons grew up in Gifford, Florida, where he was raised by his single mother, Jamie Demons-King. His mother was 14 years old when she became pregnant with him, and the family frequently struggled with housing expenses and necessities. He has a younger brother, YNW BSlime, who is also a rapper, as well as a sister named Jewel.

Demons has stated that he experiences multiple personality disorder, identifying an alter ego named Melvin whom he describes as his darker, aggressive persona in contrast to his usual demeanor. In April 2020, while detained in Florida, Demons tested positive for COVID-19 and filed a motion requesting compassionate early release on medical grounds, though the request was denied by a judge.

Demons began recording music during eighth grade and started publishing tracks on SoundCloud in 2015. After adopting the stage name YNW Melly in 2016, he co-founded the YNW collective alongside Anthony Williams (YNW Sakchaser), Christopher Thomas Jr. (YNW Juvy), and Cortlen Henry (YNW Bortlen). While serving time in juvenile detention in late 2017, he released his debut project, the Collect Call EP, which featured guest appearances from artists such as Lil B and John Wicks.

His breakthrough arrived with the release of "Murder on My Mind", a melodic trap record exploring violent thoughts that rapidly accumulated hundreds of millions of streams. The track helped secure him a record deal with 300 Entertainment and served as the cornerstone of his August 2018 commercial mixtape I Am You. In January 2019, he followed up with the mixtape We All Shine, featuring the Kanye West collaboration "Mixed Personalities", which was accompanied by a Cole Bennett-directed music video and earned a double platinum certification.

In November 2019, Demons released his debut studio album, Melly vs. Melvin, which peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200. The project was supported by the hit single "223's" featuring 9lokkNine and later featured a high-charting remix of "Suicidal" with posthumous vocals from Juice Wrld. The track became his second top-twenty single on the Billboard Hot 100.

He continued releasing music compiled from pre-recorded vocal sessions, issuing his second studio album Just a Matter of Slime in August 2021. The album peaked at number 11 on the Billboard 200 and included collaborations with artists such as Lil Baby, Lil Uzi Vert, Kodak Black, Queen Naija, and Future. In April 2024, his third studio album, Young New Wave, was released.

Demons encountered legal troubles early in life, serving a year in juvenile detention following an October 2015 shooting incident near Vero Beach High School. On February 13, 2019, he turned himself in to Florida authorities after being charged with two counts of first-degree premeditated murder. Prosecutors alleged that Demons shot and killed fellow collective members Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr. in a vehicle in October 2018, later working with Cortlen Henry to stage the scene as a drive-by shooting.

Demons pleaded not guilty to both murder charges. His initial trial commenced in June 2023 in Broward County, Florida. After three days and fourteen hours of jury deliberations, the jurors remained deadlocked, leading the presiding judge to declare a mistrial on July 22, 2023. Following delays and disputes over the admissibility of promotional digital video evidence, his retrial was scheduled for January 2027, with Demons remaining in custody without bond at Broward County Jail.