Yung Lean

Yung Lean
Yung Lean in February 2018
Background information
Birth name Jonatan Leandoer Håstad
Also known as Yung Leandoer
Born (1996-07-18) 18 July 1996
Stockholm, Sweden[1][2]
Origin Södermalm, Stockholm, Sweden
Genres
Occupation(s)
Instruments Vocals
Years active 2012–present
Labels
Associated acts
Website yunglean.com

Jonatan Leandoer Håstad[4] (born 18 July 1996[5]), better known by his stage name Yung Lean, is a Swedish rapper, singer, songwriter, fashion designer and record producer from Södermalm, Stockholm. Håstad started to get recognition following the release of his debut mixtape in 2013 (entitled Unknown Death 2002) after the songs "Ginseng Strip 2002" and "Kyoto" went viral.[6][7] He has released three other projects since.[8] His third album Stranger was released on November 10, 2017.[9]

Early life

Håstad was born on 18 July, 1996 in Stockholm, Sweden to Kristoffer Leandoer, a Swedish poet, fantasy author, and translator of French literature who owned a book publishing company[10] and a Russian mother who is a human rights activist working with LGBT groups in Russia, Vietnam, and South America.[11] Håstad spent his early childhood in Minsk, Belarus, where his mother moved the family so Håstad could have a similar childhood to her.

They returned to Sweden and settled in Stockholm when Håstad was somewhere between the ages of three and five. He was raised in the city's Södermalm district. Håstad grew up speaking both Russian and Swedish.[12] During his time in high school, Håstad often got in trouble for doing drugs or crafting graffiti, he also had a job at a local McDonalds.[11] When he was 15, he was put on probation for smoking cannabis.[13]

In his youth, he began to develop an interest in hip hop music, mentioning 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin', The Latin Kings's Mitt Kvarter and Nas's Illmatic as his early influences.[14][15][16]

Career

2012–13: Career beginnings

Håstad met Yung Sherman and Yung Gud in a local Stockholm park and they struck up a friendship, discovering they enjoyed much of the same music.[17] Together, they formed what was known as Hasch Boys, which consisted of Lean, Sherman and Gud along with other Stockholm individuals who later became a part of Gravity Boys Shield Gang.

When all of the other members started losing interest in Hasch Boys, it left Håstad, Sherman and Gud coming to the realization that they were the only active members. As a result, they then formed the "Sad Boys" collective as a trio.[18] By 2012, Yung Gud and Yung Sherman began producing and mixing music while Håstad would write lyrics and record vocals and would upload an array of these songs to his SoundCloud profile.[7][19][20] Håstad would record most of his music in his studio basement and he performed his first show in Gothenburg, Sweden when he was sixteen years old.

2013–present: Mainstream success

Yung Lean began to attract public attention in 2013 when the music video for his track "Ginseng Strip 2002" went viral, exceeding 2 million views on YouTube.[6][21][22][23] That same year, he put out his first official releases: Unknown Death 2002 and an EP titled Lavender which includes the track "Ginseng Strip 2002" along with other songs that Yung Lean felt worthy for a wide release, but didn't feel "fit" on the Unknown Death 2002 mixtape. Consequence of Sound placed "Ginseng Strip 2002" at number 44 on their "Top 50 Songs of 2013",[24] while Vibe included Unknown Death 2002 in their "The 10 Most Overlooked Debut Rap Mixtapes of 2013", describing it as "a natural progression from the freely associative, often nonsensical rhymes of Lil' B with a keener sense of melody".[25]

In 2013, Yung Lean and Sad Boys toured through Europe. Later that same year, Acclaim Magazine had Yung Lean as their guest for a Q&A "smalltalk" segment, where they asked him about a wide variety of miscellaneous things, including his favourite hangover cure and his desktop wallpaper.[26]

Yung Lean on the Black Marble Tour in Palisades in Brooklyn (July 2014)

In 2014, Yung Lean and Sad Boys embarked on the White Marble Tour, playing in 24 cities across Europe. Shortly after the conclusion of this tour Sad Boys announced a further Black Marble Tour, which would include several performances in cities across North America. The first of these shows took place in July at the Webster Hall in New York City, and was well received by writers for publications such as XXL, and The New York Times.[27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]

Yung Lean starred on Studio PSL in May 2014[36] and was also one of five final nominees for the 2014 P3 Guld in the Hip Hop/Soul category.[37]

Yung Lean released his debut full-length album, titled Unknown Memory on 23 September 2014.[31][38][39] The album was accompanied with North American and European tours, beginning on 1 December in New York with a nearly sold-out show on Webster Hall's main ballroom stage.[40]

Yung Lean released his second full-length album, Warlord, on 25 February 2016; he also released a line of clothing, "Sad Boys Entertainment".[41] Håstad modelled for Calvin Klein's July 2016, AW16 Campaign.[42] During his Warlord American tour, his tour bus in Pennsylvania was shot at.[43] Håstad was also featured on Frank Ocean's critically acclaimed Blonde where he provided backup vocals on the song "Godspeed" and was formerly credited for singing a hook on the song "Self Control." According to Håstad, his part on the project was recorded when he was seventeen in Ocean's apartment in London.[44]

Yung Lean released a surprise track on 25 November 2016 titled "Hennessy & Sailor Moon (feat. Bladee)".[45] On December 14, 2016 he released the mixtape Frost God containing eight tracks including "Hennessy & Sailor Moon" and "Crystal City" which featured A$AP Ferg.

Håstad released his third studio album Stranger on November 10, 2017, with the singles "Red Bottom Sky", "Hunting My Own Skin", and "Skimask", through his YEAR0001 label.

In an interview with Complex in January 2018, Håstad announced he was writing several film scripts, including one based around Swedish serial killer John Ausonius.[46] In February 2018, Yung Lean released the single "King Cobra" with Thaiboy Digital and released a collaboration with Converse titled "One Star Toxic."[47]

Artistry

XXL magazine included him in their 2014 list of "15 European Rappers You Should Know".[21] Fact magazine viewed the Unknown Death 2002 mixtape as "a logical continuation of Clams Casino and Beautiful Lou's innovative techniques, emerging with thick, melancholy numbers that drip with a rare and earnest allure."[48] In 2013, Fact published another article titled "Rise of the Sad Boys: from Kompakt to Yung Lean, a history of how electronic musicians have worn their sadness on their sleeves", which claimed that "[Yung Lean]'s mixtape Unknown Death 2002 is the epitome of sad rap".[49]

Yung Lean was described by Entertainment Weekly as "loosely affiliated" with the cloud rap movement.[50] According to HighClouds, Yung Lean's appeal is the production provided by Yung Gud and Yung Sherman who combine the cloud rap of Clams Casino with electronic music touches.[51]

Yung Lean is also the vocalist for the punk band Död Mark, along with his friend and Sadboys member Yung Gud.[52] The duo released their debut album, Drabbad av Sjukdom in 2016 on Lean's YEAR0001 label.

Personal life

In 2015, Håstad lived in Miami Beach, Florida while recording his second studio album Warlord. During his time living in Miami, Håstad became addicted to Xanax, lean and cocaine. On April 7, 2015, Håstad overdosed and was hospitalized in Mount Sinai Medical Center & Miami Heart Institute before moving back to Sweden to live with his family.[53] Following his return to Sweden, Håstad began to work in a factory with fellow members of his collective, Sad Boys. He currently lives in the Sätra suburb in Stockholm. Håstad has a series of hobbies such as reading, ceramics, painting[54] and playing piano.[55]

Discography

Albums

Mixtapes

References

  1. ↑ "Yung Lean's Second Chance". The Fader. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  2. ↑ Kat Bein (26 November 2014). "Yung Lean, the 18-Year-Old Swedish Rap Star: "I Saw This Shit Coming"". Miami New Times. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  3. ↑ https://noisey.vice.com/en_uk/article/rmazjn/delving-past-yung-lean-and-deeper-into-the-world-of-sad-rap
  4. ↑ Perry, Kevin (8 August 2014). "Yung Lean: 'I'm not really into My Little Pony'". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  5. ↑ "Jonatan Aron Leandoer Håstad fyller år den 18 Juli". Birthday.se. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Yung Lean – 16-åringen från Stockholm får världen att häpna", sverigeradio.se, 7 May 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2014
  7. 1 2 Capell, Frances (2013) "Yung Lean Doer Is the Weirdest 16-year-old White Swedish Rapper You'll Hear This Week", Noisey (Vice), 23 April 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2014
  8. ↑ "Yung Lean says Warlord album drops this week, posts two song teasers". Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  9. ↑ http://www.highsnobiety.com/2017/09/22/yung-lean-stranger-hunting-my-own-skin/
  10. ↑ "Yung Lean Talks Converse, Painting, and the Insurmountable Downsides to Fame". Complex. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  11. 1 2 Cooper, Duncan (16 June 2016). "Yung Lean's Second Chance". The Fader.
  12. ↑ "Yung Lean Interview". Pigeons and Planes. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  13. ↑ "Yung Lean Doer Is the Weirdest 16-Year-Old White Swedish Rapper You'll Hear This Week". Noisey. 2013-04-23. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
  14. ↑ "Galore Crush: Yung Lean". Galore. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  15. ↑ "Yung Lean's Second Chance". The Fader. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  16. ↑ "The Cult of Yung Lean: 'I'm Building An Anarchistic Society From the Ground Up'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  17. ↑ "Guide to Sad Boys : sadboys". Reddit.com. 10 February 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  18. ↑ Borrelli-Persson, Laird. "Swedish Rapper Yung Lean Talks Style and Shares His New Track "AF1's" Exclusively Here". Vogue. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  19. ↑ Shapiro, David (2014) "Yung Lean, King of the Sad Boys", The New Yorker, 14 July 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014
  20. ↑ Friedlander, Emilie (2014) "“Taking Arizona Iced Tea and Making It Cry”: An Interview with Yung Lean and the Sad Boys Archived 29 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine.", The Fader, 16 July 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014
  21. 1 2 "The New New: 15 European Rappers You Should Know", XXL, 9 June 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014
  22. ↑ "Видео: Кой шведски рапър трябва да чуете според "Мандо Диао"", Dnevnik, 4 July 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014
  23. ↑ "Yung Lean – Kyoto", YouTube. Retrieved 2 July 2014
  24. ↑ Levy, Pat (7 December 2013). "Top 50 Songs of 2013". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  25. ↑ Weinstein, Max (2013) "The 10 Most Overlooked Debut Rap Mixtapes of 2013", Vibe, 5 December 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2014
  26. ↑ Brent, Jonathan (2013) "Small Talk: Yung Lean: A #VERYEMOTIONAL Q&A With the Swedish Rapper Going Viral Right Now", Acclaim, 14 July 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2014
  27. ↑ Friedlander, Emile (2014) "Swedish Rapper Yung Lean Talks Gold, Phones in "Motorola"", The Fader, 19 February 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014
  28. ↑ Plaugic, Lizzie (2014) "Watch: Yung Lean – “Motorola” Video Archived 7 July 2014 at Archive.is", CMJ, 19 February 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014
  29. ↑ Malik, Stephanie (2014) "Exclusive: Yung Lean & Sad Boys Team Up With Shallowww For a New Aesthetic", Bullett, 7 March 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014
  30. ↑ "Noisey Presents Yung Lean's First North American Show in New York City", Noisey (Vice), 3 June 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014
  31. 1 2 Plaugic, Lizzie (2014) "Yung Lean Is Coming To America, Drops “Yoshi City” Video Archived 7 July 2014 at Archive.is", CMJ, 18 June 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014
  32. ↑ "Yung Lean & Sadboys @ Cabaret Underworld", Métro, 5 June 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014
  33. ↑ "Yung Lean", The New Yorker. Retrieved 2 July 2014
  34. ↑ Rys, Dan (2014) "Yung Lean Surprises With An Energetic Show In NYC", XXL, 10 July 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014
  35. ↑ Caramanica, Jon (2014) "From Neophyte to Pit Bull, in a Fun House Mirror of Hip-Hop Mannerisms", The New York Times, 10 July 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014
  36. ↑ "Se första avsnittet Studio PSL här Archived 9 May 2014 at Archive.is", PSL, 9 May 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014
  37. ↑ "Nominerade till P3 Guld 2014: Årets Hiphop/Soul", P3 Guld Awards, 3 December 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2014
  38. ↑ Raymer, Miles (2014) "Here's what you need to know about Internet-famous rapper Yung Lean", Entertainment Weekly, 5 July 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014
  39. ↑ Yung Lean YouTube Channel ""
  40. ↑ Friedlander, Emile (2014) "Yung Lean Announces Unknown Memory Tour", The Fader, 24 September 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2014
  41. ↑ Tudela, Alex (5 April 2016). "Clothes From the Rapper Yung Lean, an 'American Psycho' Raincoat and Other Must-Haves for Spring". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  42. ↑ Dazed. "Calvin Klein AW16 campaign". Dazed. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  43. ↑ "Yung Lean's Tour Bus Shot At In Pittsburgh". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
  44. ↑ "Yung Lean talks about working with Frank Ocean". blonded.blog. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  45. ↑ Renshaw, David (25 November 2016). "Yung Lean Shares Surprise New Song, 'Hennessy & Sailor Moon'". The Fader. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  46. ↑ "Yung Lean is writing a script for a "strange gangster drama"". The FADER. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  47. ↑ "Here's How to Buy Converse's Yung Lean "Toxic" One Star". Highsnobiety. 2018-05-09. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  48. ↑ "Mixtape Round-up: Main Attrakionz, DJ Mustard & Teeflii, Metro Zu, Yung Lean, and More", Fact, 12 July 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2014
  49. ↑ "Rise of the Sad Boys: From Kompakt To Yung Lean, a History of How Electronic Musicians Have Worn Their Sadness on Their Sleeves", Fact, 15 August 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2014
  50. ↑ "Here's what you need to know about Internet-famous rapper Yung Lean". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  51. ↑ "I write raps not tragedies: Finally! The emo-goth-rap hybrid you didn't realise you were waiting for is here". HighClouds. 2017-04-10. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
  52. ↑ http://pigeonsandplanes.com/music/2015/11/yung-lean-punk-side-project
  53. ↑ "Yung Lean's Second Chance". The FADER. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  54. ↑ "Yung Lean gives us a look into his life on tour in China - Interview Magazine". Interview Magazine. 2017-11-23. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  55. ↑ "Yung Lean gives us a diary entry from the road - Interview Magazine". Interview Magazine. 2017-11-17. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
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