Yonas (hip hop artist)

Yonas Mellesse, known under the mononym YONAS, is an American hip hop artist from New York City.[1] Between 2015 and 2018, Yonas sold over 150,000+ songs and 20,000 albums, and as of 2017 he had accumulated over 250 million streams digitally. His albums have consistently reached the top five of the iTunes Hip-Hop charts, the top 25 of the iTunes album charts, and the top 50 on the Billboard Hip-Hop charts.[1]

Yonas
Background information
Birth nameYonas Mellesse
BornBronx, New York, United States
OriginNew York, New York, United States
GenresHip hop, rap, alternative hip hop, pop
Years active2009–present
Associated actsLogic, Macklemore, Roscoe Dash, XV, Wale
Websitewww.yonasmusic.com

Career

In 2009 Yonas released his first EP, New Golden Era, independently, winning a Billboard Songwriting Award for his single "Banga".[2] A year later he followed with his first mixtape, produced by Sean Ross, entitled I Am Us, which attracted 30,000 downloads. In 2011 he released his first album on iTunes, The Proven Theory. The music video for his hit single "Shy Kidz" was featured on MTVu and Fuse TV on Demand as the fan-selected winner of an independent artist contest.[3]

The Transition, which is considered Yonas's breakout mixtape, was released in 2012; it attracted 70,000 downloads in the first two months. Yonas was also featured as a Breakout artist in XXL magazine in June 2012.[4] Thanks to The Transition's success, Yonas was able to land a 50-city nationwide tour in the fall of 2012, opening for former musical group AER.[5] Yonas has performed with many notable musicians including Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Wale, Juicy J, Timeflies, Gorilla Zoe, The White Panda, and Logic.[6]

His music video "Fall Back" appeared in the motion picture, The Place Beyond the Pines (2012), starring Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper.[1] His EP The Black Canvas, released on February 4, 2013, appeared as no. 4 on iTunes Hip-Hop/ Rap charts and no. 25 on the iTunes overall album chart.[7]

Personal life

Yonas is married to Shaelyn Mellesse.[8] The couple's daughter was born on March 3, 2018.[9]

Discography

Albums
  • The Proven Theory (2011)
  • The Transition Deluxe (2013)
  • About Time (2018)

EPs
  • The New Golden Era (2010)
  • The Black Canvas (2013)
  • Going Places (2015)
  • Everyday Like It's Friday (2016)

Mixtapes
  • I Am Us (2010)
  • The Transition (2012)
  • The Transition 2: Bright Lights, Big City (2013)

Music videos
Title Year Director
"I Could" 2010 Betterdays Media
"Shy Kidz" 2011 Betterdays Media
"Pumped Up Kicks"
"Fall Back"
"The Transition" 2012 Betterdays Media
"Don't Give A Damn"
"Girls of Summer" 2013 Betterdays Media
"Rollercoaster (feat. OCD: Moosh & Twist)" 2013 Betterdays Media
"Leaving You" 2014 Jakob Owens
"4AM" 2015 Nick Marfing & Cory Hammon of Altamira Film Co.
"Blank Space (Remix)" 2015 Jonnie Baker
"Centuries (Remix)" 2015 Nick Marfing & Cory Hammon of Altamira Film Co.
"Take Me To Church (Remix)" 2015 Nick Marfing & Cory Hammon of Altamira Film Co.
"Uptown Funk (Remix)" 2015 Nick Marfing, Cory Hammon & Matt Lohmann of Altamira Film Co.
"Live It Up" 2015 Jakob Owens
"Night Is Young" 2015 Hunter Lyon
"Hello (feat. Living In Fiction)" 2015 Mike Squires
"Summertime Luv 2016 Mike Squires
"Roll One Up (feat. Roscoe Dash & Sammy Adams)" 2016 Mike Squires
"Photo" 2017 Mike Squires
"I'm Good (feat. XV)" 2017 Mike Squires
"You F#cked Up " 2017 Mike Squires

References
  1. Heard, Nailah (July 2018). "YONAS discusses new album 'About Time' and prospering as an independent artist", Rolling Out.
  2. "Ourstage announces the winner of the Radio One "Roc the Mic" competition", Ourstage, June 17, 2009. Archived April 3, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  3. "The Freshmen: You Pick The Video That Gets On Air", mtvU, October 18, 2011.
  4. "The Break Presents: YONAS", XXL Magazine, June 11, 2012.
  5. "David Dallas to Tour USA with Aer and Yonas on Aer's 'The Brightside Tour'", New Zealand Music Commission, July 18, 2012.
  6. "Underground NYC Rapper Yonas Talks Tupac, Making Mom Proud",Fuse TV, October 4, 2012.
  7. "YONAS- The Black Canvas" Archived May 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, February 4, 2013.
  8. Moss, Gabrielle (June 2018). "Our Under-$15K Surprise Wedding: Shaelyn Mellesse & Yonas Mellesse", Bustle.
  9. Centeno, Tony (May 10, 2018). "Premiere: YONAS Defends His Growing “Legacy” In New Club Banger", Vibe.


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