FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Florida rapper YNW Melly’s Spotify monthly listeners have been increasing during his trial for the murders of Christopher “Juvy” Thomas Jr. and Anthony “Sakchaser” Williams on Oct. 26, 2018, in Broward County.
Jamell “Melly” Demons’s fans, who are following the trial, have been sharing his music and commentary on TikTok and other platforms. Livingston Allen, better known as DJ Akademiks, noticed reporter Bryson “Boom” Paul’s tweet.
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“Melly’s monthly listeners have increased by 5.4%, with 610,147 new monthly listeners on Spotify in a week, with last week’s 11,296,243, now at 11,906,390,” Akademiks wrote after sharing Paul’s report for the Law & Crime Network.
On Thursday, Spotify reported that Demons’s “raw emotive rap songs about his turbulent life experiences” had 12,003,003 monthly listeners.
#YNWMellyTrial: While the @YNWMelly trial is on break for a week, his new monthly listeners continue to increase.
— Bryson “Boom” Paul (@brysonboompaul) July 3, 2023
Melly’s monthly listeners have increased by 5.4%, with 610,147 new monthly listeners on @spotify in a week, with last week’s 11,296,243 now at 11,906,390.
Week 4… pic.twitter.com/PA4XUhfMdZ
Last week, Louisiana rapper Fredrick “Fredo Bang” Givens released his “Free Melly” track on YouTube after the prosecution told the judge that Givens had “refused to comply” with subpoenas. It had a million views by Thursday.
The prosecution accused Demons of shooting Thomas, 19, and Williams, 21, while he was a passenger in a Jeep Compass. They also accused Cortlen “Bortlen” Henry, another YNW Collective rapper who was driving the Jeep, of helping Demons to cover up the murders.
ALLEGED MOTIVE
Thomas’s father, Christopher Thomas, told the Law and Crime Network that the murderer’s motive appeared to be $500,000 that they stood to earn from the sale of the YNW Collective brand, which the childhood friends had used to make music together since 2013.
“I think Melly didn’t want to get them guys nothing. He wanted to be the only one to shine,” the grieving father said, later adding, there were “disputes over money” with Williams, who had gotten into a fistfight with Demons a few days before the murder.
Attorney David Howard, who is representing Demons incriminated Henry during his opening statement on June 12.
“When [Henry] shows up, he shows up with a change of clothing, change of shirt, powder residue on his hands, evidence in that he has discharged a firearm, and he lies,” Howard told the jury. “He lies about where the incident occurred, he lies about how it occurred, and he lies about not having a phone.”
FROM SOUNDCLOUD TO BILLBOARD
Also during the trial, millionaire record executive Kevin Liles visited the courtroom and sat on the front row next to , Demons’ mother, Jamie King, who had him when she was just 14 years old.
Liles cofounded 300 Entertainment record label in 2012 with Lyor Cohen, Todd Moscowitz, and Roger Gold in New York. The Warner Music Group, a global entertainment company, acquired it in 2021.
Demons first released “Murder on My Mind” on SoundCloud in 2017, and 300 Entertainment released it as a single on June 2018. The golden single later peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 and his albums “Melly vs. Melvin” and “Just a Matter of Slime” followed.
CRIMINAL CASE
A grand jury indicted Demons on Feb. 7, 2019, and he surrendered to Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies on Feb. 13, 2019. He pleaded not guilty. Deputies have held him without bond for over four years.
If convicted of the two counts of premeditated first-degree murder, Demons faces the possibility of life in prison without parole or the death penalty under the new state law that no longer requires unanimous agreement. The court is in recess until July 10.
Henry appeared in court on June 30. His trial for two counts of premeditated first-degree murder and two counts of accessory after the fact is set to start in October. Broward County Circuit Judge John Murphy is presiding over both cases.
INTERACTIVE GRAPHIC
TRIAL TIMELINE
The first week of trial: Opening statements were on June 12
The second week of trial: Prosecution’s witnesses continue to testify
The third week of trial: Testimony continues
- July 5: (Court is in recess) Defense incriminates YNW Bortlen