YNW Melly rises above with “I Am You”
At 19, YNW Melly — born Jamell Demons — has lived a lot more than most. When he was 16, he survived a shootout that netted him a year in prison, and he’s also faced racism and police abuse in his hometown of Gifford, Florida. It takes a special kind of talent to rise about that sort of history, but with “I Am You”, the young South Beach rapper turns his tribulations into high art, crafting a record that alternates between staccato bursts of beautiful violence and violent beauty.
Over the course of 15 rollercoaster tracks, YNW Melly (twitter|instagram) charts his emotional journey from the Gifford cell block to the Miami studios, giving listeners a glimpse into his electric, eclectic psyche. A disciple of the King of Pop Michael Jackson, YNW Melly imbibes his own beats with the same sort of soulful hooks and plaintive, vulnerable lyrics, only with the hard-won grit of a life spent on the small-town margins. This influence shines through on songs like “Virtual (Blue Balanciagas)”, where he contrasts the pure image of blue sneakers with stark, bloody images of gun violence.
We gon’ pull up with them sticks and hop out with them choppers
Walking out the ten in blue Balenciagas
I caught an opp, now I got blood on blue Balenciagas
Up that forty, let that pistol sing a melody
Fuck all of that talking, we can go to war
Leave your brain marinating on the boulevard
I got something that’ll put you out your misery
Seven point six two, five point five six’s, two-two-three
This knack for finding the painful humanity in the urban tableau spills over in tracks like “Murder on My Mind”, where he renders an accidental shooting with astounding pathos and clarity.
Yellow tape around his body, it’s a fucking homicide
His face is on a T-Shirt and his family traumatized
I didn’t even mean to shoot ’em, he just caught me by surprise
I reloaded my pistol, cocked it back, and shot him twice
His body dropped down to the floor and he had teardrops in his eyes
He grabbed me by my hands and said he was afraid to die
I told ’em it’s too late my friend, its time to say “Goodbye”
And he died inside my arms, blood all on my shirt
YNW Melly’s poetry has the rhythm of a gospel about them, with everyday stories of resilience and struggle, punctuated by the cruelties of the life he’s lived. “I Am You” is raw, unfiltered Melly, and you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t check out the singles on it right here, right now, on My Mixtapez.
If you’re jonesing for more Melly, check out his Fader feature, where he talks about growing up in a small Florida town, and how that shaped him.
And check out the music video to “Virtual (Blue Balanciagas)” below. Got some takes? Sound off in the comments!
