Yung Lean: Warlord review.

rattlemag
Feb 29, 2016
2 min read

Yung Lean and his Sad boys are back with his third Studio Album, “Warlord”. The 19 year old rappers career took off in 2013 after dropping his first album “Unknown Death 2002” and the video for “Ginseng Strip 2002”, which he wrote at the young age of 15. The internet quickly spread news of him like wildfire, and from that moment on you loved him, hated him, or had no clue who he was.

In comparison to his first album, Warlord is definitely a step in the right direction. Yung Lean has managed to keep his signature sounds of monotone rap with “trippy” trap backing tracks and cross beats, whilst managing to further define his competence in the studio which is audible throughout the album (considering the fact this is majorly monotone rapping).

“Highway Patrol” featuring Bladee of “Gravity Boys” is the second track on the album and sets in a dark undertone of pungent bass whilst Lean can be heard rapping about “Kush”, Stacks and expensive clothes. This is a prime example of how Yung Lean has found his defining sound in the music industry, and manages to achieve the perfect mix between “IDGAF” and professional, studio quality trap/rap music.

His use of obvious auto tune comes without saying, and is considered part of the “Yung Lean charm”. Tracks like “Fire” and “Af1’s” (which he released a few weeks prior to his album), are perfect examples of tracks which display this “charm”. With the auto tune used throughout and hooks which will be stuck in your head for weeks, Sad Boys went in hard with Warlord and are successfully showing the world of rap they mean business.

“Hoover” the fifth track on the album, shows Yung Lean’s progression as an artist the most, with an aggressive backing track, with a heavy with gritty bass and empowering lyrics about his lavish lifestyle, the public are starting to recognise Lean as a serious rapper, as opposed to an internet meme left in 2014.

If you were already a fan of Yung Lean, you won’t be disappointed, however if a droning voice behind “trippy” backing tracks isn’t your cup of tea, then my advice to you would be listen to “Shawty U know What It Do”. Sounding like the beginning of an Ibiza club track; dropping the bass into a familiar “Sad Boys” hook, with cross beats and auto tune in full swing, if this track fails to make you catch the Yung Lean bug which is slowly sweeping the nation, then it would appear you are immune to this pandemic.

RattleRating: 7/10

Listen to Yung Lean's track 'Hoover' below: