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Introducing 16 Year Old Swedish Rapper, Yung Lean
RnB/Hip Hop | Friday 25th April 2014 | auroramitchell
Yung Lean has become more of a lifestyle choice than just a 17-year old Swedish rapper. His Sadboys collective has reached out to a group of people making sure they’re caught sipping on boldly patterned bottles of Arizona green tea and wearing bucket hats that they know make them look pretty ridiculous. Justin Bieber even came on stage at Coachella with Chance the Rapper wearing one recently - we’re not sure if they’re directly related but it demonstrates Yung Lean’s influence. If you scroll through the Instagram/Tumblr tag for Yung Lean - you’ll be confronted with pages and pages of images of #sadgirls and #sadboys pledging their allegiance with sullen stares, photoshopped teardrops and wearing Unknown Death 2002 shirts.
His imagery lends from the Japanese language, old videogames and pastel floral arrangements. Lean is one of the more unlikely rising rap artists we’ve had in a while but easily one of the most intriguing. Sometimes lazily tagged under “meme rap”, there’s no doubt that this isn’t a joke for Lean Doer (yes that is his real name) – it’s what he wants to pursue seriously. Lean’s conversational, often autotune-inflected vocals and vaporwave beats should make you wince but they’re too infectious. Before you know it, you’re singing “Shawty what you sipping on? Gatorade” to the uninitiated. Everything him and his Sad Boys crew does is knowingly informed by the internet and that’s why him as a concept is so appealing as we are at the height of an obsession but also a disgust with the internet.
Even if you’re not a fan of his music, it’s hard not to at least become fascinated with his extremely Tumblr-friendly visuals and the cult surrounding Lean. Whilst he doesn’t show his age in some ways, talking about having sex with a Zooey Deschanel lookalike – he has a younger side as he references Charmander, Papa Smurf, Snow White and Mario as much as he spouts obscenities.
