There are important differences between Yung Lean and Lorentz. If Yung Lean is the artistic and difficult, then Lorentz is the more crowd-free, catchy rap crooner. But against today's new, young rappers, it is rather what they have in common that becomes clear.
Yung Lean and Lorentz represent the hip hop that was great during the decade: A mix between song and rap, pop and hip hop, often in minor and very autotune. Both are inspired by rnb and use clear, typical synth sounds. It's about complicated love or some kind of darkness. It is personal and pondering - almost a kind of diary shiphop.
The contrast is sharp against today's new young hip hop which is rather cocky and boastful - a throwback to the gangster app. The role of man is tough. A simplification: when Lorentz reports of being in love, Einár reports of being sucked. When Yung Lean reports dark, dreamy and cinematic about drug addiction, ZE reports on drugs in the same sense as weapons and heavy crime, and there is a directness and simplicity to it. It should sound a little homemade and quickly turned around - so quite far from Lorentz and Yung Lean's discs, apparently produced with tweezers.
How is it possible that Lorentz and Yung Lean, who are only in their 20s, already feel almost chubby compared to the new hip-hop people? As if they belonged to an older generation? As hip-hop as a genre grows, demand is increasing and there is always room for new rappers.
But there is also a class perspective. Yung Lean and Lorentz are southern ore rappers from the inner city, while ZE, with many, often grew up in tougher conditions with less money and actually lived much of the hard life they are raping. The new rappers have also developed almost entirely for their own machine and clearly fill a void for many.
So no - Yung Lean's and Lorentz's music is no longer at the forefront. But in a backward way, they are needed more now, when they are not mainstream. The fact that they suddenly stand for something other than the majority in their genre makes them more interesting and what they lack in directness and impact they bring again in quality - both in terms of lyrics and beats.