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This 18 year-old, white rapper is ahead of the game
RnB/Hip Hop | Monday 7th March 2016 | Cristina
Swedish Yung Lean is polarising hip hop fans – whilst purists insist he’s nothing more than a fad, the newest generation of the scene is taking him rather more seriously. Lean’s debut album Unknown Memory exploded into international rap circles in 2014, courting terms like ‘internet rap’.
Whilst Lean’s aesthetic is certainly ‘internet rap’, teaming arty, tumblr imagery with a kind of surrealist sense of humour, his beats boast a deeper, more historical array of influences.
Tracks like ‘Solarflare’ demonstrate a solid command over forward-leaning electronic music production, taking cues from trap and downtempo. Breakout single ‘Kyoto’ is top-40 fodder, embodying what Lean does best – dizzy, oriental melodies and hazy walls of sound.
His latest album Warlord was out last month. You can catch him at Sonar and other festivals this summer.
