About
Yung Lean is the pseudonym of Jonathan Aron Leandoer Håstad, an amateur rapper from Sweden known for his use of dreamy synth pop and lyrics focusing on video games and specific American brand names, including Arizona Iced Tea, North Face jackets and Gatorade sports drinks. Described as a polarizing figure in the European hip hop community due to his subdued rapping style, Yung Lean gained much of his notoriety after releasing his video “Hurt” in June 2013.
Online History
Yung Lean uploaded his first video, titled “Greygoose,” to his YouTube channel[2] on February 5th, 2013. The black-and-white music video features Lean rapping while looking out across a city. As of June 2014, the video has gained over 160,000 views.
Lean continued to upload rap videos throughout 2013, including “Oreomilkshake” on April 29th and “Racks on Racks” on June 17th.
“Hurt”
On June 18th, 2013, Yung Lean uploaded what would be his breakout video titled “Hurt.” The video features a background similar to a Windows 97 screensaver and heavy product placement by brands and items popular in the late ‘90s and early 2000s such as Pokemon cards and Game Boy Color. Within a year, the video gained over 1.7 million views. The song was featured on Lean’s Debut mixtape, Unknown Death 2002, which was released on July 9th, 2013, with Mishka,[1] a Brooklyn clothing brand.
The video was covered by several sites that month including Vice[3] and Animal New York.[4] On July 14th, 2013, the subreddit /r/sadboys[9] was created by Redditor d4rkhorizoN. As of June 2014, the reddit had gained over 3,000 views.
Tour
On January 26th, 2014, Lean uploaded a video announcing the White Marble tour he’d be going on with the Sad Boys in 2014. Within six months the video gained over 50,000. The tour began in Copenhagen on March 12th, 2014, making 27 stops within a month.
On June 18th, 2014, Lean announced her Black Marble Tour in the US and Canada on his Facebook page.[7] In less than a month the post gained over 3,000 likes. The tour will begin on July 14th, 2014, in Raleigh, North Carolina, and runs for 15 stops finishing in New York City in September. On June 30th, he announced the final day of the tour, September 7th, was already sold out.
Notable Examples
Reputation
As of June 2014, Yung Lean’s YouTube channel has gained over 62,000 subscribers. His Facebook page[5] has gained over 70,000 likes and his Twitter account[6] has gained over 51,000 followers.
Search Interest
External References
[1]Entertainment Weekly – Here’s what you need to know about Internet-famous rapper Yung Lean
[3]Vice – 16-YEAR-OLDWHITESWEDISHRAPPERYUNGLEANDOER IS BACKWITH A WEIRDNEWVIDEO
[4]Animal New York – YUNG LEAN’S NEWVIDEO IS NETART POKÉMON CARNAGE
[8]Mishkanyc – YUNGLEAN– UNKNOWNDEATH 2002 [FREEALBUMDOWNLOAD]
[9]Reddit – /r/sadboys
[10]Vibe – The 10 Most Overlooked Debut Rap Mixtapes of 2013
[11]Vibe – The 10 Most Overlooked Debut Rap Mixtapes of 2013
[12]Noisey – YUNGLEANDOER IS THEWEIRDEST 16-YEAR-OLDWHITESWEDISHRAPPER YOU’LL HEARTHISWEEK
[13]XXL– The New New: 15 European Rappers You Should Know
[14]Entertainment Weekly – Here’s what you need to know about Internet-famous rapper Yung Lean