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Yonas

b. 1987

American rapper

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About Yonas

Born 1987. Yonas is an American rapper and singer.

Yonas Mellesse, known by the stage name YONAS, is an American hip hop artist from New York City. He has released four albums, The Proven Theory, The Transition Deluxe (2013), About Time (2018), and The Kid from Morris Heights (2022), as well as several EPs and mixtapes.

Career In 2009, Yonas released his first EP, New Golden Era, independently, winning a Billboard Songwriting Award for his single "Banga". A year later he released his first mixtape, produced by Sean Ross, entitled I Am Us. In 2011 he released his first album on iTunes, The Proven Theory. The music video for his single "Shy Kidz" was featured on MTVu and Fuse TV on Demand, after he won an audience vote in a contest for independent artists.

His next mixtape, The Transition, was released in 2012. It was downloaded 70,000 times in the first two months. Yonas was featured as a Breakout artist in XXL magazine in June 2012. Yonas performed a 50-city nationwide tour in the fall of 2012, opening for Aer. Yonas has performed with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Wale, Juicy J, Timeflies, Gorilla Zoe, The White Panda, and Logic.

His music video "Fall Back" appeared in the motion picture, The Place Beyond the Pines (2012).

Personal life Yonas is married to Shaelyn Mellesse. Their daughter was born on March 3, 2018.

Discography Albums The Proven Theory (2011) The Transition Deluxe (2013) About Time (2018) The Kid from Morris Heights (2022)

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

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Also known as
Yonas Mellesse

People in Yonas's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Yonas's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Yonas?

American rapper

When was Yonas born?

Yonas was born on 21 November 1987 in The Bronx.

What is Yonas's occupation?

Yonas is a rapper and singer.

What nationality is Yonas?

Yonas is American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Yonas

· Wikidata: Q16232040

· DBpedia: Yonas (rapper)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Yonas. https://biography.guide/yonas-rapper/

MLA: "Yonas." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/yonas-rapper/.

Chicago: "Yonas." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/yonas-rapper/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-23 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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