Yung Bans Details

Yung Bans was very intentional about the message he was sending when he chose the title of his debut album.

Misunderstood.

The Atlanta rapper is only 20 years old, but he already has a reputation on the internet as someone who is constantly getting in beefs with other rappers and media personalities. In some circles, he's become more well-known for his tweets than he is for his music, and he's starting to realize that. He just spent the past year creating the best work of his career, and when people don't take it seriously because of the noise that surrounds the music, he admits to feeling misunderstood.

Sitting in Complex's Manhattan office four days after the album's release, Bans remembers a recent conversation he had with someone on his team about the fact that certain fans might not be listening to his music because of the distractions that surround it. "She called me one day and she was just like, 'Yo, all the beefing and stuff, you're just so talented, and I don't want it to distract everybody from the music,'" Bans recalls. "So actually, now that I think about it, it does [distract] a little bit."

Bans says the album reflects his growth, and he got more personal than he ever has before. "I started this album when I was like 18, and now I'm 20," he explains. "I just moved out of my mama's crib. I just had my son. There's a whole lot of stuff. It's growth. Really just growing up. I was already grown, but now it's for real. I got responsibilities and all kind of shit."