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Murder on My Mind

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"Murder on My Mind"
Single by YNW Melly
from the album I Am You
Released
Recorded2016[1][2]
Genre
Length4:29
Label300
Songwriters
ProducerSMKEXCLSV
YNW Melly singles chronology
"Whodie"
(2018)		 "Murder on My Mind"
(2018)		 "For Real"
(2018)
Music video
"Murder on My Mind" on YouTube

"Murder on My Mind" (censored as "Mischief on My Mind"[4]) is the third single by American rapper YNW Melly from his debut mixtape I Am You. The song was originally uploaded onto SoundCloud on March 4, 2017, and later released as a single by 300 Entertainment on June 1, 2018. "Murder on My Mind" is considered YNW Melly's breakout hit, and garnered even further attention after the rapper turned himself in for double murder charges on February 13, 2019.[5]

Background

[edit]

YNW Melly thought up the chorus of "Murder on My Mind" in early 2016 when he was first incarcerated at the age of 16.[6] The song was released in March 2017, with him allegedly committing the double homicide in October 2018. Despite this, his prosecutors attempted to gain the ability to use the lyrics to the song, alongside 55 others, as evidence in his 2023 retrial.[7][8][9] In 2019, YNW Melly's father remixed the song, in which he claimed his son to be innocent.[10]

A music video for "Murder on My Mind", directed by Gabriel Hart, was released on August 3, 2018.[11] In 2020, a TikTok trend emerged – in which an action was tied to the first beat of the song – which used the song.[12]

Composition

[edit]

"Murder on My Mind" is 4 minutes and 29 seconds long.[13] It was written by Melly and Eduardo Juarez Hernandez, known professionally as SMKEXCLSV.[14] SMKEXCLSV produced the song, while J Lacy contributed as a mastering engineer and Michael Nguyen was the mixing and recording engineer.[13] It is a trap[7] song with piano-oriented production described as "mesmerizing".[15][14] SMKEXCLSV created the beat for the song through FL Studio. He said in a Genius interview that he first established the melody of the song by using a stock piano plugin from the software which gave a "dark vibe". He then programmed the percussions, including the claps, snares, hi-hats, a kick, and an 808, before adding a stock vocal sample and finally a flute sample, which he likened to the orchestral song Lux Aeterna.[16]

Lyrically, "Murder on My Mind" has been described as "haunting" and "deeply personal".[17] It revolves around the first-person account by Melly of a protagonist who commits a homicide and struggles emotionally to deal with the consequences, "with the detachment of a narrator numb to chaos" according to Billboard writer Charles Holmes.[15][12][6] The first part of the song sees Melly rap about his conditions and thoughts while incarcerated.[15][18] He says that he was imprisoned over Christmas and was unable to visit his friends or mother, and that "When I'm all alone in my jail cell, I tend to get in my feelings."[14] When asked if this line and other parts of the song were derived from his own experience in prison, he said: "Yes, certain parts".[6]

The chorus of the song sees the protagonist say he won't let his detractors "knock me off my grind" before repeatedly proclaiming that "I got murder on my mind".[14] The second verse describes an emotional scene where the protagonist accidentally kills his friend.[18][15][19] In the verse, Melly says:[19]

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 got 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, it's time to say "Goodbye"

And he died inside my arms, blood all on my shirt

Commercial performance

[edit]

After news broke of YNW Melly's murder charges on February 13, 2019, "Murder on My Mind" garnered major public interest.[20] Days later, the song reached number one on the US Apple Music chart.[20] On national charts, it peaked inside the top 20 in the US, the UK, and New Zealand, as well as reaching the top 10 in both Canada and Belgium.

As of 2022, "Murder on My Mind" is certified four-times platinum.[21]

Charts

[edit]

Weekly charts

[edit]
Weekly chart performance for "Murder on My Mind"
Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[22] 57
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[23]9
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[24] 9
Ireland (IRMA)[25] 24
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[26]66
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[27] 18
Norway (VG-lista)[28] 30
Portugal (AFP)[29]58
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[30]39
UK Singles (Official Charts)[31]20
US Billboard Hot 100[32] 14
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[33] 7
US Rolling Stone Top 100[34] 86
2023 weekly chart performance for "Murder on My Mind"
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Portugal (AFP)[35]53

Year-end charts

[edit]
Year-end chart performance for "Murder on My Mind"
Chart (2019) Position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[36] 57
Portugal (AFP)[37] 200
US Billboard Hot 100[38] 66
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[39] 30
US Rolling Stone Top 100[40] 25

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for "Murder on My Mind"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[41] Platinum 70,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[42] Platinum 90,000‡
France (SNEP)[43] Platinum 200,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[44] Gold 50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[45] 2× Platinum 60,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[46] Gold 25,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[47] Platinum 10,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[48] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[49] 6× Platinum 6,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "YNW Melly timeline: 'Murder on my Mind' came more than a year before murders".
  2. ↑ "YNW Melly Interrogation Video Surfaces from His 2015 Arrest for Shooting Near High School". June 19, 2023.
  3. ↑ "BMI Repertoire Search". repertoire.bmi.com. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  4. ↑ "YNW Melly – Mischief on My Mind". Archived from the original on April 22, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2020 – via genius.com.
  5. ↑ "YNW Melly's "Murder On My Mind" Nabs No. 1 Spot On Apple Music Amid Murder Charges". HipHopDX. February 16, 2019. Archived from the original on February 17, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 Holmes, Charles (June 21, 2018). "YNW Melly on Breakout Mixtape 'I Am You,' Interpolating Chris Brown Throwbacks & His Favorite 'Lion King' Solos". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  7. 1 2 Helmore, Edward (December 17, 2023). "Rapper YNW Melly's lyrics could be used against him in double murder retrial". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  8. ↑ McEwan, William (March 16, 2024). "Exclusion On My Mind: The Admissibility of Rap Lyrics as Evidence in Criminal Proceedings". Wake Forest Law Review. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  9. ↑ "YNW Melly prosecutors move to use rapper's lyrics as evidence". The FADER. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  10. ↑ REVOLT. "YNW Melly's father remixes "Murder on My Mind" to proclaim son's innocence". REVOLT. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  11. ↑ "YNW Melly premieres new video for "Murder On My Mind"". The FADER. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  12. 1 2 Neely, Samantha; Montesano, Gianna (July 3, 2023). "YNW Melly trial trends on TikTok, what was the 'Murder on My Mind' trend in 2020?". Treasure Coast Newspapers. USA Today. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Murder on My Mind by YMW Melly". Apple Music. March 4, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Silver, Michael (March 21, 2019). "Here Are the Lyrics to YNW Melly's 'Murder on My Mind'". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Dandridge-Lemco, Ben (August 2, 2018). "How YNW Melly turned his pain into beautiful rap ballads". The Fader. Photographed by Devin Christopher. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  16. ↑ Fu, Eddie (April 17, 2019). "The Making Of YNW Melly's "Murder On My Mind" With SMKEXCLSV". Genius. Archived from the original on April 18, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  17. ↑ Fitzgerald, Trent (February 18, 2019). "YNW Melly's "Murder on My Mind" Streams Surge Amid Murder Charges". XXL. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  18. 1 2 Pearce, Sheldon (January 26, 2019). "YNW Melly: We All Shine". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  19. 1 2 Morel Jr., Jacques; Hill, Tia; Paulin, Jer; Mench, Chris (February 14, 2019). "YNW Melly's "Murder On My Mind" Isn't A Confession". Genius. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  20. 1 2 Price, Joe (February 16, 2019). "YNW Melly's "Murder on My Mind" Hits No. 1 on Apple Music Amid Double Murder Charges". Complex. Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  21. ↑ Zidel, Alex (May 22, 2019). "YNW Melly's Controversial "Murder On My Mind" Reaches Quadruple Platinum Status". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  22. ↑ "ARIA Chart Watch #519". auspOp. April 6, 2019. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  23. ↑ "YNW Melly – Murder on My Mind" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  24. ↑ "Canadian Hot 100: March 16, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  25. ↑ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  26. ↑ "YNW Melly – Murder on My Mind" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  27. ↑ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. March 18, 2019. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  28. ↑ "VG-lista – Topp 20 Single uke 12, 2019". VG-lista. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  29. ↑ "YNW Melly – Murder on My Mind". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  30. ↑ "YNW Melly – Murder on My Mind". Singles Top 100. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  31. ↑ "Official Singles Chart on 8/3/2019 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  32. ↑ "YNW Melly". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  33. ↑ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: March 2, 2019". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  34. ↑ "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. July 2, 2019. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  35. ↑ "YNW Melly – Murder on My Mind". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  36. ↑ "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  37. ↑ "Top AFP - Audiogest - Top 3000 Singles + EPs Digitais" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  38. ↑ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  39. ↑ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  40. ↑ "Top 100 Songs of 2019". Rolling Stone. January 10, 2020. Archived from the original on January 10, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  41. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2020 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  42. ↑ "Danish single certifications – YNW Melly – Murder on My Mind". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  43. ↑ "French single certifications – YNW Melly – Murder on My Mind" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  44. ↑ "Italian single certifications – YNW Melly – Murder on My Mind" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  45. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – YNW Melly – Murder on My Mind". Radioscope. Retrieved December 21, 2024. Type Murder on My Mind in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  46. ↑ "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 18, 2023. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter Murder on My Mind in the search box.
  47. ↑ "Portuguese single certifications – YNW Melly – Murder on My Mind" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  48. ↑ "British single certifications – YNW Melly – Murder on My Mind". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 11, 2021. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Murder on My Mind YNW Melly in the "Search:" field.
  49. ↑ "American single certifications – YNW Melly – Murder on My Mind". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
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