1.
Whether you like him or not, Swedish internet rapper Yung Lean and his Sadboys crew are here to stay. But as his success continues, it raises the question for those who don't "get" him: is this all a big inside joke?
With the release of Unknown Memory, his genuine qualities have begun to make themselves more apparent. It's strange that the enigma we almost all deemed a bizarre internet curiosity is now selling out shows in New York and London. It's becoming clear that there's a lot more to Yung Lean than many people initially thought.
Categorizing him as purely hip-hop seems incorrect, but he's definitely transcended the whole meme stage. He's an internet rapper like no other. In many cases "internet rapper" is an insult, but for him it's just reality in the same way gangsta rap is for others. He has never known a world without the internet, and that is the reality for many of his fans and followers too.
He's created a space for himself and found ways for his outsider art to find an audience and truly sustain itself. He deserves to be taken seriously, regardless of his origins, nationality or influences, not as a rapper, but as an outsider artist, creating something that truly connects with people.
Get Yung Lean's new album Unknown Memory here, and read on for 10 reasons you should take him seriously.
He also announced some North American tour dates, which you can check out below:
12/1/14 - Webster Hall - New York, NY *
12/2/14 - Union Transfer - Philadelphia, PA *
12/3/14 - Black Cat - Washington, D.C. *
12/5/14 - Art Basel - Miami, FL *
12/6/14 - Masquerade - Atlanta, GA *
12/8/14 - White Rabbit - San Antonio, TX *
12/9/14 - Trees - Dallas, TX *
12/10/14 - Empire Control Room - Austin, TX *
12/12/14 - The Crescent Ballroom - Phoenix, AZ *
12/13/14 - The Regent - Los Angeles, CA *
12/14/14 - University of California San Diego - San Diego, CA *
12/15/14 - The Observatory - Santa Ana, CA *
12/16/14 - The Grand Ballroom @ Regency Center - San Francisco, CA *
12/18/14 - Neumos - Seattle, WA *
12/19/14 - Vogue Theatre - Vancouver, BC *
3. The producers he works with are awesome.
The first you'll notice about a Yung Lean track is the production. The Sadboys and their extended family are extremely talented producers. Yung Gud, Yung Sherman, Whitearmor, and plenty more all contribute to the singular sound Yung Lean's music possesses. It's monolithic, space-age, a little video game-tinged, and completely original. Unknown Death 2002 introduced us to this sound, but Unknown Memory has cemented it—perfected it, even. You'd be hard-pressed to find a mixtape or album from the last year with production as consistently strong and cohesive as Unknown Memory.
It's not just that it's really well produced, it's also incredibly inventive and sounds genuinely fresh. Yung Gud and Sherman are ahead of their time, and the the prospect of them working with rappers beyond of Yung Lean is just as exciting as their continuing output with him.
5. He's showing progression with each release.
Despite his origins as an internet curiosity in a post-Lil B age, Lean has actually showed progression from release to release. He's mumbling less, his songwriting has improved, and he's honed in on a bizarro brand of hip-hop that rewrites the rules of what a rapper can really be. Hip-hop doesn't need Yung Lean, but his horizons are broader than a genre anyway. He is one of a new generation of artists who never knew a life without the internet, and he's doing things in a way only those from the same place will truly understand.
That he's built a fanbase as big as he has in little over a year is one thing, but going from a 16-year-old sort of joke from Sweden to one of the internet's biggest stars is what's truly noteworthy. With the rate he's developing his talents, it's evident that he's not letting that sudden fame go to waste, either. Going from "Ginseng Strip" all the way to a fully formed song like "Yoshi City" makes it easy to see how far he's come.
6. He's already working with big artists.
It's quite common for rising artists to receive support from bigger artists with larger fanbases, but Kanye West's protegé Travi$ Scott working with Yung Lean within a year of his breakthrough is truly impressive as far as endorsements go. Justin Bieber being up on the Sadboys movement (even if just in the picture, above) is a pretty big look, too. Considering so many people believed Yung Lean was some sort of ironic rapper, meme music if you will, the true irony seems how seriously so many major players are actually taking Lean now. He's already been in the studio with Charli XCX, and with Diplo and Ryan Hemsworth also showing support, it seems that his rise is set to continue.
7. He can write extremely catchy hooks.
Whether you think he's a "traditionally" good rapper or not (spoiler alert: by "traditional" standards he isn't, but neither is Young Thug, apparently), there's no denying the quality of his hooks. Whether it's the stretched out repetition of "Motorola" or the low-key Future-like murmur of "Die With Me," his hooks are infectious as hell.
There's something about the way they match and enhance the melodies in the production, the way you don't always understand what he's saying but it gets stuck in your head anyway; it's hard to fully articulate why his hooks are so great, but it's certain that Unkown Memory boasts his best, catchiest hooks yet.
9. He's rapping in his second language.
One of the most common criticisms of Lean's music is his mumbled, broken English. But really, those very criticisms highlight some of the reasons he's so unique and interesting. What many consider faults are all part of his charm, and whether you enjoy it or not comes down to whether you think it sounds good regardless of the pronunciation and enunciation of the lyrics.
There aren't many rappers that can rap in their second language at all, let alone manage to create something as coherent and strangely addictive as Yung Lean.
10. His lyrics and non sequiturs can be hilarious.
"I LOVE NATURE AND EVERYTHING AROUND ME," "Eat her out wipe my face with a serviette," and, of course, "I'mma peal Banana Skids while listening to R.Kelly's greatest hits." Yung Lean has a Lil B-esque knack for ridiculous, sometimes hilarious lyrics.
11. He's started a cult-like, IRL movement.
Considering he's only really been gaining traction on the internet in the last year or so, it's incredibly impressive that he's selling out shows in both the US and the UK. If you watch video any of gigs, you'll see how much people are into it. They're replicating the fashion, crowd-surfing, and shouting back every word. He's built this from pretty much nothing, except a strangely sincere love for his vaguely avant-garde world.
Just like a Childish Gambino or a Chance The Rapper, much of the buzz around Yung Lean may have originally come from the internet (and will continue to do so), but alongside that he has created an IRL movement that brings fans out to shows.
12. His music emphasizes fun.
Yung Lean doesn't care if you understand his music. As I said before, if you're asking whether you should like him or not, then his music probably isn't for you.
If you can ditch all your preconceptions of what a good rapper represents, or, in fact, just ditch the idea that Yung Lean is a rapper at all, then you might be able to appreciate him and his music for what it is. Beyond his incredibly unified aesthetic, he's actually making music that emphasizes fun and bliss, showcasing a simple approach to existing and enjoying life that leans towards childlike wonder more than anything else.
In a manner that is possible for only a very few rappers, Yung Lean is making music with the sole purpose of bringing a smile to your face, even with the crew name "Sadboys."
13. He's not afraid to experiment.
As with a lot of rappers recently, Yung Lean has shown that he's not afraid to dabble in a little experimentation here and there. Considering that his music is already wildly different from what we commonly define as hip-hop, it's surprising that he's willing to move even further away from the formula that's already won him fans.
Unknown Memory features a couple of moments where he deviates from his usual schtick: of particular note is the fact the album contains three instrumental tracks, alongside the solemn and borderline depressing "Leanworld." He's not only making alien-like intergalactic thuds, but he's interested in seeing what else he's capable of, too.
14. He's in this for the long run.
When an artist comes along that is labelled by many as a joke, it's normally inevitable that they won't really stick around for too long. We've seen the internet cycle of meme-ready song, sudden hype, and then speedy descent into obscurity too many times.
Lean, however, already has three mixtapes under his belt, and the way he took his time with the release of Unknown Memory shows that he's in this for the long run. He's not just spewing out release after release with the hopes of capitalizing on his newfound popularity; he's carefully calculating when to put out material, and what material to put out like some sort of condensed, avant-garde version of Lil B.
As he says on "Monster," one of the album's highlights: "Yung Lean SBE just begun." He's showing no signs of slowing down, and his popularity seems poised to stick around. He's living out his wildest rap fantasies, and he's still only 18.
