Before his arrest for double murder in 2019, YNW Melly was one of the most promising names in rap. Raised by a single mother in Gifford, Fla., he uploaded his first songs to SoundCloud in 2015. Melly flaunted a melodic style of street rap popularized by Future and Young Thug. Amid a series of run-ins with the law, Melly created momentum when he released “Murder on My Mind,” an ominous anthem about a lust for violence. In 2018, he reached a new plateau with singles like “Virtual (Blue Balenciagas)” and “Slang That Iron,” the latter a clever flip on a classic Chris Brown breakup song. The videos for the songs accumulated tens of millions of YouTube views in a short time. His buzz led to being signed to 300 Entertainment, and he released I Am You, his first mixtape on the label in 2018. The project flaunts all the vivid songwriting and jagged melodies that propelled him into the spotlight.

His momentum as a signed artist and more collaborations with other artists also made him a popular force in rap. He connected with acts like Tee Grizzley, Juice Wrld and Kanye West. In January of 2019, he released We All Shine, a project that included his Kanye West-assisted single, “Split Personalities.” The track peaked at No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The next month he was arrested for the murder of Anthony "YNW Sakchaser" Williams and Christopher "YNW Juvy" Thomas Jr., who were both shot and killed in October of 2018. The two men were part of the YNW collective. While Melly publicly mourned their loss, police accused him of killing them both and working with Cortlen “YNW Bortlen” Henry to make it look like a drive-by shooting. Melly has remained in prison since, and he faces the death penalty if convicted.