Westleaf Staff
Atlanta native Yung Bans emerged from SoundCloud in the late-2010s to become one of the biggest stars in his city's underground. His ease with melody and unassailable cool helped him stand out among his peers, and won him co-signs from his city's heavy-hitters–like Young Thug, Future, and Gunna–and the admiration of peers like Lil Tecca and YNW Melly. Shortly after releasing his debut album Misunderstood in 2019, Bans's output slowed–he became famous when he was a teenager, and needed time to adjust to the fast life of a rap star. Now, after 2.5 years of maturing and raising his young family, Bans is ready to make his return, with a refined and mature version of the melodic sound that made him famous.
Today, Bans shares "The Streets," a new single that reflects the attitudes and habits he adopted as a youngster on the streets of Atlanta. Influenced by the plugg movement that Bans came up alongside, and produced by MexikoDro himself, "The Streets" floats along atop punishing 808s and ethereal, bell-like keyboards. Bans accents the instrumental with his raspy vocalizations, creating a haunting atmosphere as he remembers his trapping days. "The Streets" is the second single of the year by Yung Bans, following the confrontational "Who Want Smoke?," produced by TM-88 and Bobby Raps, which received a music video earlier this week. "The Streets" and "Who Wants Smoke?" will both appear on Vol. 6, Bands upcoming album, and his first full-length release since his debut album Misunderstood.
Honing an effortlessly addictive and inventive flavor of trap music, the Atlanta native burst into public consciousness as a teenager in 2018, releasing three self-titled EPs, collaborating with the likes of Future, Juice WRLD, XXXTentacion, and Lil Durk, and earning positive mentions in Pitchfork, The FADER, HYPEBEAST, and more. Bans was an early muse for Cole Bennett, who directed several of his music videos, including "Ridin" (34 million views) and "Lonely" (21 million views).
Still only 25-years-old, Yung Bans made a stir when he announced his return earlier this month. Bans performed his first concert in years when he appeared at Lyrical Lemonade's 10 Year Anniversary show in Chicago, a testament to the strong relationship he still has with Cole, bringing out Jasiah to perform their collaboration "Shenanigans." Shortly afterward, Bans teased "Who Wants Smoke," his first new single since 2021, generating social media buzz and encouraging comments on IG from Cole Bennett, trap music peers like Doe Boy, Ralo, and Reese LaFlare, plus younger artists influenced by his work, like DC The Don and Bear1Boss.
With the upcoming Vol. 6, Bans welcomes old friends like YNW Melly and producers like Nick Mira, Maaly Raw, Bugz Ronin, and more, to usher him back into the spotlight. Stay tuned for much more information about Bans and Vol. 6 in the coming weeks.
Stream "The Streets": https://yungbans.ffm.to/thestreets
Watch "Who Want Smoke?": https://youtu.be/SKdd7Mz7GHg?feature=shared
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