Melly vs. Melvin

Melly vs. Melvin
Studio album by
YNW Melly
ReleasedNovember 22, 2019
Genre
Length46:38
Label
Producer
YNW Melly chronology
We All Shine
(2019) 		Melly vs. Melvin
(2019) 		Just a Matter of Slime
(2021)
Singles from Melly vs. Melvin
  1. "223's"
    Released: August 9, 2019
  2. "Suicidal"
    Released: March 13, 2020

Melly vs. Melvin is the debut studio album by American rapper YNW Melly. It released on November 22, 2019, by 300 Entertainment and Atlantic Records.[2] It includes the lead single "223's" featuring 9lokkNine, released on August 9, 2019. "Suicidal" received a remix, featuring late American rapper Juice Wrld, on March 13, 2020, making it the second single of the album.

Background

[edit]

In an interview with Uproxx, Melly said that the album would be released in April 2019.[3] During a phone call from prison in October 2019, Melly announced he was releasing the album very soon.[4]

On November 18, 2019, Melly's social media confirmed the release date and released the cover art.[5] The album title is a reference to Melly's claim of having multiple personalities, two of which named Melly and Melvin.[6] The album cover shows a juxtaposition of two faces of Melly, depicting his multiple personalities.[7]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
HipHopDX[9]
Pitchfork4.8/10[10]

Melly vs. Melvin received mediocre reviews from music critics. Fred Thomas from AllMusic stated that "It's unclear how much of Melly Vs. Melvin was written during the rapper's murder case," however, "the uncharacteristically bright pop instrumental and pleas for forgiveness of "Waitin' on You" sound like the last-ditch effort of a lost soul seeking salvation." Thomas concludes his review by stating that, "Melly plays things relatively safe on Melly Vs. Melvin."[8] Josh Svetz from HipHopDX wrote that, "the inconsistent, but fun project featured a mix of bright harmonies slathered in grit and soulful love-sick ballads showing glimpses of his burgeoning talent," however, he also states that, "a few high points don’t save this release from a disposable existence." Concluding his review, Svetz adds, "As it stands though, the uninspired and indistinct assembly of rough ideas ends up being a major misfire in his discography."[9]

Despite the mediocre reviews, Evan Rytlewski from Pitchfork rated the album a 4.8/10. He stated that, "It’s a powerful concept, evoking the dueling images that the media often uses to depict young black men and suggesting how easily their portrayals can be spun. It’s a shame the idea is wasted on an album as superficial as Melly vs. Melvin, which pads Melly’s precious few original ideas with second-rate material and third-rate Young Thug-isms." He continues his review by noting that, "Melly’s contrition isn’t especially convincing, however, nor is he effective at engendering sympathy." Rytlewski concluded his review by stating that, "Melly distinguished himself from his many SoundCloud variants with a ’90s R&B influence," however he states that, "Melvin is the best music he had left in the vault, that doesn’t bode well for his prospects, either."[10]

Commercial performance

[edit]

Melly vs. Melvin debuted at number eight on the US Billboard 200 on December 7, 2019, with 43,000 album-equivalent units. It is YNW Melly's highest-peaking album thus far.[11]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Two Face"
3:58
2."Suicidal"
  • Demons
  • Juan Guerrieri-Maril
Z3N3:42
3."Adam Sandler"
  • Demons
  • Joshua Conerly
  • Justin Clemons
  • YNG Josh
  • Clemons
2:41
4."Bang Bang"
C-Clip Beatz4:20
5."Billboard"
  • Demons
  • Conerly
  • Samuel
  • YNG Josh
  • Turn Me Up Josh
2:45
6."I Ain't Lying"
  • Demons
  • Conerly
YNG Josh3:15
7."I'm a Star"
  • Demons
  • Steven Kubie
  • Nicholas Steele
  • Franck Bondrille
  • Gerald Yusuf
QST3:12
8."My Slime"
  • Demons
  • Eduardo Hernandez
  • Martin Pitt
  • SMKEXCLSV
  • Pitt Tha Kid
2:26
9."100K"
  • Demons
  • Tariq Sharrieff
  • Jordan Orvosh
  • BLSSD
  • JordanXL
2:53
10."Nobody's Around"
2:58
11."Killuminati" (featuring Foreign Teck)
  • Demons
  • Michael Hernandez
  • Nima Jahanbin
  • Paimon Jahanbin
  • Foreign Teck
  • Wallis Lane
2:39
12."Stay Up"
  • Demons
  • Smith
C-Clip Beatz4:12
13."Waitin on You" (featuring Tonk wit tha Gift)
Yung Shad4:41
14."223's" (featuring 9lokkNine)
 
Total length:50:43

Sample credits

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[22] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "HITS Daily Double".
  2. ^ "YNW Melly Announces 'Melly Vs. Melvin' Album Release Date While Awaiting Murder Trial". HipHopDX. 21 November 2019.
  3. ^ "YNW Melly Is Planning To Release His Album 'Melly Vs. Melvin' While Still Behind Bars". Uproxx. 10 August 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  4. ^ "YNW Melly Teases "Melly Vs. Melvin" Release During Prison Phone Call". HotNewHipHop. 15 October 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  5. ^ Fitzgerald, Trent (November 22, 2019). "YNW Melly Drops Melly Vs. Melvin Album". XXL. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  6. ^ "YNW Melly Announces 'Melly Vs. Melvin' Album From Jail". Vibe. 10 August 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  7. ^ "YNW Melly Announces "Melly Vs. Melvin" Release Date From Behind Bars". HotNewHipHop. 19 November 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Yelly vs. Melvin Review by Fred Thomas". AllMusic. 2019-11-22.
  9. ^ a b "REVIEW: YNW MELLY SERVES UP SKIPPABLE 'MELLY VS. MELVIN'". HipHopDX. 2019-12-16.
  10. ^ a b "YNW Melly - Melly". Pitchfork. 2019-12-11.
  11. ^ a b Caulfield, Keith (December 1, 2019). "Trippie Redd Rules With First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  12. ^ Callas, Brad (November 23, 2019). "Best New Music This Week: PartyNextDoor, 03 Greedo, Action Bronson, and More". Complex. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  13. ^ "Lennie's 'Dance' Butts Celine Into 2nd Place". FYIMusicNews. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  14. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – YNW Melly – Melly vs. Melvin" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  15. ^ "Mūzikas Patēriņa Tops/ 48. nedēļa" (in Latvian). LAIPA. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  16. ^ "VG-lista – Topp 40 Album uke 3, 2020". VG-lista. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  17. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  18. ^ "YNW Melly Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  19. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  20. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  21. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2021". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  22. ^ "American single certifications – YNW Melly – Melly vs. Melvin". Recording Industry Association of America. February 22, 2021.
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