Written off as a novelty at first, the 23-year-old Swedish artist reflects on his new status as a pioneer of the hip-hop confessional
It is a bright April afternoon, and Yung Lean is strolling down a Stockholm street,
iPhone aloft. The
Rapper – real name Jonatan Leandoer Håstad – is fresh from a
boxing session and heading to his favourite cafe for a post-workout meal. “Check this out – there’s people walking around!” he says, rotating his phone to reveal a moderately busy main road. As we speak,
Sweden is one of the few European countries not in
Coronavirus lockdown, and watching the 23-year-old interacting with unmasked strangers as he goes about his business borders on the surreal.
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