NEWS
YNW Melly‘s lawyer has gone viral due to an old mugshot surfacing online, with many fans implying the rapper’s legal counsel is in jeopardy because of it.
The mugshot of Raven Liberty emerged on social media shortly after Melly’s counsel was denied its motion for a mistrial during court on Tuesday (June 20).
Liberty had previously been arrested for battery in Miami, which resulted in a mugshot of her being taken. The charges were dropped, but fans unearthed the photograph and began trolling Melly as a result, who has been accused of murdering his two friends, Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas Jr. and Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams.
“Get you a woman who can do both apparently,” commented one fan on Akademik’s Instagram, who had reshared the mugshot, while another wrote: “They both gonna go back to jail this is crazy.”
No Jumper also reshared the mugshot on Twitter, which ushered in even more comments. “These dudes hiring people off Craigslist,” wrote one user, while a second added: “His lawyer got a mugshot? It’s over.”
Check out Raven Liberty’s old mugshot below:
Despite the trolling, Raven Liberty is actually an incredibly respected lawyer within the Hip Hop space. Liberty has represented Kodak Black numerous times throughout his career and has fought tooth and nail to try and get Melly out from behind bars.
As reported by the Sun Sentinel, Melly’s defense attorneys most recently asked Broward Circuit Judge John Murphy for a mistrial last week after they believed the jury had been tainted following testimony from Felicia Holmes, the mother of Melly’s ex-girlfriend, that couldn’t be verified.
But the judge denied a mistrial and told defense attorneys that jurors could be instructed to ignore statements that were ruled inadmissible.
“The state has ruined my life,” Holmes stated in her testimony on Thursday (June 15), while claiming she’d been “inundated” with threats from the state of Florida about prosecution and eventual imprisonment if she didn’t cooperate.
This prompted David Howard, one of the Florida rapper’s attorneys, to declare that there had been a “prejudicial fiasco” in court.
“This jury sat there and watched this fiasco unfold with at least 10, maybe 15 sidebars, after every two questions,” he said, adding that the jury had been “tainted.”
YNW Melly (real name Jamell Demons) was arrested and charged with two counts of premeditated murder in 2019 and faces life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, and he could get the death penalty if convicted.
On AHHCade, PNAU are leaning fully into emotion for their upcoming seventh studio album.
“There’s something deeply connected about music and the path we’ve been on,” PNAU’s Nick Littlemore shares while introducing the new project, which is scheduled to arrive July 31 through Sydney independent label etcetc, under the TMRW Music umbrella.
“We’re creating songs from the heart,” he says. “Even though these tracks are built with electronics and technology, at their core they are emotional expressions. Peter, myself and everyone we worked with wanted to create a feeling of home, whether that’s on the dancefloor or inside the listener’s mind.”
The upcoming record includes the recently unveiled “Tu Corazon (Your Heart)” featuring Mexican rock band The Warning, as well as the energetic new track “Nirvana” with EARTHGANG and sadMONTH, which officially dropped today, May 8.
“Nirvana” pairs PNAU with Atlanta duo EARTHGANG and also marks the first collaboration with sadMONTH, the new creative venture from Littlemore alongside Toronto artist Dom Dias.
Littlemore describes the song as “the beginning of an entirely new chapter. It’s intense, chaotic and taps into a future version of punk electronic music. Expect something restless, rhythmic and completely untamed.”
EARTHGANG added: “With ‘Nirvana,’ we locked into this euphoric and elevated energy together with PNAU and rode that electro wave. Huge love to everyone involved in bringing this track to life and making it hit the way it does.”
Representatives for the group have also hinted that additional unexpected collaborations will be revealed in the near future.
PNAU, made up of longtime friends Littlemore and Peter Mayes, are following up their 2024 release Sambanova. Over the years, the duo have built a career filled with major records and industry recognition. Their global breakthrough came after teaming up with Elton John for the 2012 remix album Good Morning to the Night, which reached No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart. They later reunited with Elton for the 2021 remix Cold Heart featuring Dua Lipa, creating one of the biggest worldwide hits of the decade.
To celebrate the release of the new album, PNAU will launch the Australian run of their Nirvana Tour 2026 next month. The East Coast regional dates begin June 19 at Gilligan's in Cairns before finishing July 4 at Woodport Hotel in Erina.
Stream “Nirvana” below.
