Photo Courtesy of Yung Lean
Over the course of my life-long journey to find artists who are unapologetically different from the rest, I came across Swedish rapper and OG ‘Sad Boy’, Yung Lean. He created the emotional, mumble rap style that is so commonly found among the like of Lil Uzi Vert, Future, and Post Malone, some of 2017’s most popular artists. Interestingly enough, Lean had been throwing words over beautiful beats in a melancholy tone since 2012 and was criticized early on for his unconventional, even lazy sound—but now it’s all the rage.
In 2012, Jonatan Leandoer Håstad (the ‘Lean’ alias comes from his middle name) teamed up with producers Yung Gud and Yung Sherman to form the SADBOYS collective and in 2013 the Unknown Death 2002 mixtape was released along with the Lavender EP, which featured songs Lean considered good enough for release, but not fit for the Unknown Death 2002 mixtape. One of the songs that caught the attention of the people who run the world—angsty teenagers—was “Ginseng Strip 2002”, and the video that accompanied it. The bucket hat-wearing, 16-year-old Yung Lean awkwardly delivered a ramble about drugs and suicide that was littered with American pop-culture references but was also surprisingly pleasant to listen to because it was kind of funny. I think there was something so relatable and charming about early Yung Lean that drew young fans to him, even if his best work was yet to come.
His debut album, Unknown Memory (2014), surprised fans and critics with a more serious and refined sound. It holds gems such as “Sunrise Angel” and “Don’t Go”, which stick to his emotional aesthetic but in a slower, more vulnerable approach than his earlier tracks. It’s also full of bangers like, “Yoshi City”, “Ghosttown” (ft. Travis Scott), and “Volt”. Lean managed to mature tremendously and create even better content. Unknown Memory possess a darker, more sinister narrative that evolved a lot from his previous child-like sound. He reworked his craft while remaining authentic and came out with something that could appeal to an even wider audience, while still being slightly counter-culture.
The young rapper toured internationally after the release of that album and eventually found himself working on his next album, Warlord in Miami. Although, he was abusing several substances every single day and falling deeper into addiction, he released many of his own demons. Upon destroying almost everything in the condo where he was staying, Lean was sent to a mental hospital in Miami. Around the same time, his U.S. manager Barron Machat, was involved in a fatal car accident. It was a chaotic time for Lean and his father brought him back to the Swedish countryside so that he could recover. In the meantime, producers Yung Sherman and Yung Gud went to work completing the album, which was vastly incomplete. The final product was similar to Lean’s earlier work, with more talk of drugs and darkness. “Hoover” is the song that stands out the most as he describes a luxurious lifestyle in a frantic flow that matches a beat which fills the listener with a subtle feeling of dread.
Stranger, Yung Lean’s third album was released on November 10, 2017 and it is his strongest yet. He has grown so much as an artist through the emotional turmoil he has endured. He continues to strive to express feelings of sadness in new ways, especially on the perfectly heart-wrenching, “Agony”. Lean sings, “so many times I realized/what I seek for is right in front of my eyes” which is an almost universally relatable concept. He is unafraid of dragging his hurt to the forefront of his music, but he is exploring it in a much deeper way now. Other highlights from the album are “Red Bottom Sky” and the delightfully poppy, “Hunting My Own Skin”.
His music mixed with his visual art provides the ultimate Sad Boys Experience, so I’m hype to see them at Neumos this month. I expect nothing but edgy, trendy, sad teenagers to pack the venue for their 21-year-old Swedish prince as he taps into his own emotions in an attempt to express himself and his fan base.
Yung Lean and Sad Boys will be at Neumos on January 23! Thaiboy Digital will be joining them and brings a similar sound to Lean with his own love-fueled emotional lyrics. Tickets to that show are available HERE. This is an 18+ event.
Keep up with Yung Lean on Instagram and Facebook.
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