YNW Melly discography: History and Key Facts

The discography of American rapper YNW Melly consists of three studio albums, two mixtapes, one extended play, and twenty-nine singles (including seventeen as a featured artist).

Melly was born and raised in Gifford, Florida, and criminal activity stemming from the area's violence rate is frequently discussed in his subject matter. In 2017, he released four singles leading up to his debut extended play (EP), Collect Calls, which was released in December of that year. The EP received regional attention, and contained a guest appearance from California rapper Lil B, as well as a then-unknown fellow Floridian, singer Rod Wave. Also in March of that year, he released the song "Murder on My Mind" on SoundCloud, which would receive viral popularity online during the following year. A sleeper hit, the song eventually peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, prompting 300 Entertainment to sign the rapper and re-release it as a single in promotion for Melly's debut mixtape, I Am You (2018).

The mixtape, released in August 2018, saw generally positive reviews and marked the rapper's first entry on the Billboard 200—at number 20. The mixtape also spawned four other singles, including the platinum-certified local hit "Virtual (Blue Balenciagas)". His follow-up mixtape, We All Shine, was released in January 2019, preceded by the underperforming promotional single "Butter Pecan". A track off the mixtape, "Mixed Personalities" (featuring Kanye West) became his second song to reach viral status, supported in part by a Cole Bennett-directed video coinciding with the mixtape's release. A month later, Melly was arrested for two counts of premeditated murder stemming from a shooting in October 2018, in which YNW Juvy and YNW Sakchaser—two characters often mentioned in Melly's lyrics—were shot and killed. Some believe the criminal activity documented in the lyrics of "Murder on My Mind" served as an attestation of his involvement, however, the song was recorded over a year prior to the incident.

While incarcerated, Melly briefly maintained commercial success. Much of his subsequent releases would consist of material he had recorded in 2018, such as his next single, "223's" (featuring 9lokkNine). The gangsta rap song was originally featured on a mixtape by the artist credited as a guest feature, but was given to Melly as a lead performer for a commercial release. It reached number 34 on the Hot 100 and preceded the long-delayed release of Melly's debut studio album, Melly vs. Melvin in November 2019. The album peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 and became his most successful project, although many critics considered it inferior to his previous material. In March of the following year, the album spawned a second single: "Suicidal".

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