Yung Lean

Jonatan Aron

Leandoer Håstad or better known as his rap moniker Yung lean is an upcoming influential artist coming from the Stockholm region in Sweden. Yung lean is the product of an author (his father) and a human rights activist (his mother), which collectively provide a unique combination some might say is perfect for musical composition. Yung Leans music can be described as low toned and nonchalant as he introduces hard hitting beats accompanied with emotionally vulnerable lyrics and an alternative Hip-Hop sound. Håstad has always been well grounded and popular within his area but now we are beginning to see his immense rise in popularity on an international scale. Over the last ten years Yung Lean has ventured into many areas of creativity and art which have helped him cross over into the international limelight. Not only is he a music artist, Håstad has found himself songwriting, producing, fashion designing and modeling. Not to mention being incredibly successful in every endeavor he has found himself pursuing.

Håstad’s career began when he met a group of friends who shared a similar passion and interest in rap culture. They drew inspiration from the likes of Chief Keef, Lil B, Nas, 50 Cent, Young Thug, and Latin Kings. From there he and his friends began their first rap group, the “Hasch Boys”. Interest among some members soon began to fade in 2012 eventually leading to the prominent group we know today as the “Sad Boys”. This group consisted of Yung Lean and producers Yung Sherman and Yung Gud. Following the formation of “Sad Boys” we began to see significant musical releases out of the group. By 2013 Yung Lean is performing at his first concert and celebrating his debut mixtape “Uknown Death 2002” 0and his E.P. “Lavender” which contains his viral breakthrough track “Ginseng Strip 2002”.

Yung Leans “Ginseng Strip 2002” quickly took the world by storm amassing almost 100 million views and getting critical acclaim. “Yung Gud” who produced the song says the procedure of recording the track started off as just a sound check to make sure the microphone was working properly, however, it quickly turned into a cultural phenomenon on accident. Throughout the track we see Yung Lean speaking on subjects related to sex, substance abuse among other emotionally vulnerable concepts. Oddly enough, the track initially received mixed reviews with many claiming it was “So bad it was good” and others claiming it was overlooked and underrated. The negative comments regarding the track would soon get dismissed in 2022 when the song had an immense reemergence through the social media application “TikTok”.

According to Billboard Yung Lean’s Ginseng Strip was the most popular track to come from the popular TikTok app in the year of 2022. This resulted in the rapper outperforming artists like Willow, Demi Levato, and even Bad Bunny and Lizzo. His name, no matter how little in the states has had power amongst the greatest of our generation.

Yung Leans perception of America is quite interesting, yet so intriguing. It is evident his style musically and culturally is influenced heavily on American culture, resembling the likes of Kanye, Travis Scott, and even Mac Miller, Lil Peep and Lil B the base god himself. His gritty, sad and edgy style is one he has taken from American culture. Despite that it has turned into something of his own that has proven to work to his benefit and made him a legend in Sweden. Despite his smash hit “Ginseng Strip 2002” Håstad has been one of the less popular international artists in America. He has had the power and influence to bring rap culture full circle as it is and forever will be universal across every country.