In the early 2010s, Yung Lean arrived as an oddity: a white Swedish rapper who blurred together a clutch of hip-hop sounds made by black musicians from the U.S. As with any case of an artist taking inspiration from a foreign culture wholesale, it seemed like something was lost in Yung Lean’s translation—a fact that hasn’t been lost on Lean. The MC has since taken full ownership of his tumid flow, and though the awkwardness with which his mouth forms familiar rap phrases was part of his charm in the early days of his career, it’s hard not to feel like the deeper resonance of referencing luxury fashion brands, which are often used to signify of hope for a brighter future, is missing from some of his older material.…
In the early 2010s, Yung Lean arrived as an oddity: a white Swedish rapper who blurred together a clutch of hip-hop sounds made by black musicians from the U.S. As with any case of an artist taking inspiration from a foreign culture wholesale, it seemed like something was lost in Yung Lean’s translation—a fact that hasn’t been lost on Lean. The MC has since taken full ownership of his tumid flow, and though the awkwardness with which his mouth forms familiar rap phrases was part of his charm in the early days of his career, it’s hard not to feel like the deeper resonance of referencing luxury fashion brands, which are often used to signify of hope for a brighter future, is missing from some of his older material.…