Hip hop is a dangerous game.
While many artists create an image just to market themselves, other rappers live their
rhymes, even the younger ones.
Here is a look at a few of the most popular teenage rappers who have been charged with
murder.
YNW Melly
Jamell Maurice Demons – aka YNW Melly – is a rapper/singer from Gifford, Fl.
Melly was raised by a single mother who had him at the age of 14.
They lived in a poor part of Gifford and Melly’s mother often struggled to pay the bills.
Melly joined the Bloods at a young age and was first arrested at 15 for shooting at a
group of students near a local high school.
He was part of a hip-hop collective called YNW – short for Young N**** World or Young
New Wave - alongside his friends Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams, Christopher “YNW
Juvy” Thomas Jr, and Cortland “YNW Bortlen” Henry.
He uploaded his first song to YouTube in 2015 and released his first EP called Collect Call,
from prison in 2017.
After being released from jail, Melly followed up on the success of that tape and began building
a considerable buzz for himself.
His breakout hit, Murder on My Mind, gained him national attention and eventually earned
him high profile collaborations with the likes of Kanye West and Lyrical Lemonade’s Cole
Bennett.
Just as Melly was reaching his pinnacle, he was charged with two counts of first-degree
murder, for the killing of his friends and collaborators YNW Sakchaser and YWN Juvy.
Both artists were childhood friends of Melly and the exact motive for the killing has not
been established.
However, prosecutors allege that Melly and YWN Bolton committed the murder and then tried
to stage it to look like a drive-by shooting.
Around 4 am on October 26th, 2018, Bortlen brought Sakchaser and Juvy to the hospital,
claiming that they had been shot and killed in a drive-by shooting.
Not long after, on January 3rd, 2019 Melly and Bortlen were arrested for the killing.
Authorities claimed that the two conspired to kill their friends and make it look like
a drive-by shooting.
Themurder weapon was never recovered, but prosecutors claim cell phone records and surveillance
footage prove that Bortlen lied about the path he took to the hospital and Melly lied
about his whereabouts on the night of the shooting.
Plus, the say forensic evidence shows the fatal shots were fired from inside the vehicle,
not from the outside They claim that Melly shot the two victims from the backseat at
a waste treatment plant and disposed of the weapons while Bortlen drove to the hospital.
More recently, it’s been alleged that authorities have obtained a voice recording of Melly admitting
that he committed the murder.
However, despite this supposed evidence, there is no murder weapon, witnesses, or DNA evidence
to tie Melly to the crime scene.
Melly has claimed he is completely innocent and that the police are trying to set him
up.
He hired a high-profile attorney that helped Lil Boosie beat a murder charge back in 2010,
and neither he nor Bortlen has cooperated with authorities.
He is facing the death penalty if convicted, so prosecutors will need to provide solid
evidence to make the conviction stick.
Melly’s alleged motive behind the killing remains unclear.
A video recorded by Melly’s mother on Instagram that claimed Sakchaser was threatening her
and her friends for money circulated online.
Fans have speculated that this may indicate a possible motive, however, the context of
the video is vague.
Another possible motive floated by commentators was that Juvy and Sakchaser were receiving
a portion of Melly’s profits as members of YNW and the killing was over money.
By all reports Sakchaser and Juvy were Melly’s childhood friends, and if he did kill them,
he must have had a serious reason.
The trial has been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic and the official date is unclear.
Bortlen has been released on a $75,000 bond, and Melly is still in jail, despite applying
for release due to COVID-19.
If convicted, Melly and Bortlen face either life in prison without possibility of parole,
or a death sentence.
Tay K
Taymor Travon McIntyre – better known as Tay K 47 or just Tay K – is a rapper originally
from Long Beach, CA but associated with Arlington, TX.
Tay-K is best known for his popular viral hit, the Race, that he released while on the
run from authorities in 2017.
At the time, he was wanted for the killing of Zachary Beloate in Mansfield, TX.
Tay-K along with six other people were arrested in 2016 for participating in a robbery where
Beloate was killed.
Authorities claim that Tay-K and the others planned to rob Beloate – who was a drug
dealer – but a confrontation resulted in his death.
He was put on house arrest to await his trial, but he cut off his ankle monitor and went
on the run.
While on the run, it’s alleged that he also killed 23-year old Mark Anthony Saldivar in
the parking lot of a Chick-fil-a.
Saldivar was a photographer, who Tay-K and a friend lured into a car so they could rob
him of his photography equipment.
Saldivar escaped the vehicle and called for help, which led the driver to try to hit him.
Saldivar jumped on the hood of the car, which is when Tay-K allegedly jumped out and shot
him.
Also, while on the run, 65-year-old Owney Pepe, claims that Tay-K robbed him at gunpoint,
then assaulted him with the weapon in a park in Arlington.
Tay-K and crew eventually fled to Elizabeth, New Jersey, which is where he wrote and recorded
The Race.
The song was a huge hit and even debuted at number 70 on the Billboard charts.
But, Tay-K’s rap career was cut short as quickly as it began, after he was captured
by authorities on June 30th, 2017.
Only 17 at the time of the killings, Tay-K was originally booked as a minor but transferred
to adult jail a few weeks after his arrest.
Tay-K proclaimed his innocence and the popular hashtag, #FreeTayK continued to accelerate
his fame online.
However, the evidence against him was tough to beat.
On July 15th, 2019, Tay-K pled guilty to two counts of aggravated robbery and was found
guilty of a third count of murder and aggravated robbery by a jury for the killing of Beloate.
He was given 55 years for the murder charge, 30 years for one of the counts of aggravated
robbery, and 13 years for the two other robbery charges.
He will serve the sentences concurrently but isn’t eligible for parole for at least 27.5
years.
In August of 2019, he was also found guilty of capital murder in the Saldivar case.
Tay-K is continuing to appeal both of these charges, but it doesn’t seem likely that
he’ll get out any time soon.
NBA Youngboy
Kentrell DeSean Gaulden – better known as NBA Youngboy – is a popular singer and rapper
from Baton Rouge, LA.
Youngboy was primarily raised by his grandmother after his father was sentenced to 55 years
in prison for armed robbery.
He dropped out of high school at age 14 to focus on his music career but was arrested
for robbery shortly after.
He released his first project Life Before Fame in 2015 and began gaining national attention
with his 2016 project, 38 Baby that featured verses from high-profile Baton Rouge artists
like Kevin Gates and Boosie Badazz.
His debut album, Until Death Call My Name was released in 2018 to critical acclaim.
Despite all his success as a rapper, Youngboy has had numerous incidents with the law since
being released for the robbery charge, including two counts of attempted murder.
In November of 2016, US Marshalls arrested Youngboy before a performance in Austin, TX
for allegedly being the gunman in a drive-by shooting that occurred in South Baton Rouge.
He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the shooting, at only 17 years
old.
He was incarcerated for almost a year but plead guilty to a lesser charge of aggravated
assault with a firearm and was sentenced to a suspended 10-year prison term and three
years of probation.
This meant that Youngboy was able to walk free but would be under strict supervision
by authorities.
Youngboy was arrested again in February 2018 for an incident involving his girlfriend,
Jania Jackson, in a hotel room in Tallahassee.
He was charged with assault, weapons violations, and kidnapping for this incident.
Surveillance footage from the hotel shows Youngboy allegedly assaulting Jania and throwing
her to the ground.
He was in jail for about a month but later released on a $75,000 bond.
Jania took to social media to claim that the charges were exaggerated and that Younboy
never meant her any harm.
Youngboy confirmed this statement and claimed that he and Jania were simply messing around
and the footage was taken out of context.
He agreed to plead guilty to one count of simple battery for family violence and was
sentenced to take anger management courses and a $1500 fine.
Youngboy was arrested again in 2019 after a shooting in Miami between his entourage
and a crew associated with Detroit rapper Tee Grizzley.
The incident happened in May 2019 outside the Trump International Beach Resort in Miami.
The two groups exchanged words, which quickly escalated into gunfire.
Youngboy was not harmed, but three people were shot, and one was killed.
The man who was killed was 43-year-old Mohammad Jradi, an innocent bystander who happened
to be nearby.
A 5-year-old boy was also grazed by a bullet but treated at the scene and did not sustain
serious injuries.
The third victim was Youngboy’s new girlfriend Kaylyn Marie Long, who was shot in the arm
but treated at the hospital.
Despite all the collateral damage, Florida has a Stand Your Ground law.
Youngboy’s lawyers were able to successfully argue that the shooting was an assassination
attempt and therefore he crew did nothing wrong by firing back.
Youngboy was sentenced to 3 months in jail for violating his parole but was not charged
with the murder.
Surprisingly, the judge showed leniency and officially terminated his probation and suspended
sentence for the 2016 aggravated robbery charge on December 13th, 2019.
But despite this stroke of luck, Youngboy has continued to get in trouble.
He was arrested along with 16 others in September 2020 for various charges including distribution
and manufacture of drugs and possession of stolen firearms.
He is currently fighting this charge and his lawyers claim that there is no evidence to
tie him to the drugs and guns found on the scene.
Whether Youngboy is ultimately found guilty or not, he has a lengthy criminal history
for someone who is barely 21.
Well, that's all for today!
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