BROCKHAMPTON, the self-proclaimed ‘best boy band in the world’ are not a boy band in the usual mold, they are a group of hugely talented individuals who can be best described as a new breed of hip hop collective, in the same vein as the golden age of hip hops ‘native tongues collective’ (ATCQ, De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, Queen Latifah etc.). They exploded onto the music scene with their album triptych, ‘Saturation Trilogy’ in 2017, and their popularity has only continued to grow.
So why are BROCKHAMPTON so intriguing?
To answer this question you need to look at the group as a whole and realise that they are not simply a bunch of rappers and a singer... they’re rappers, singers, producers, creative directors, photographers, social media marketers, VFX engineers, webmasters, and graphic designers. These multiple skills throughout the collective have without a doubt allowed them to create and excel, taking on the music industry without major label support!
How did this amass of varying skills come together? The core members, Kevin Abstract, Ameer Vann, Joba, Matt Champion, and Merlyn Wood met as teenagers, at The Woodlands High School in Texas, and then it was thanks to the Kanye West forum (KanyeLive and now known as KanyeToThe) that Kevin Abstract asked the forum participants if they wanted to start a band.
The original name for the group was ASF (AliveSinceForever) and after an early E.P. release, the group ended in 2014 and was morphed into BROCKHAMPTON. This change brought in not just the core members from Woodlands High School, but also Bearface aka Ciarán Ruaridh McDonald a Northern Irish guitar-playing singer who met the collective while visiting the South by Southwest festival, and was asked by Kevin Abstract to join during the rebranding.
With the collective now rebranded, it was time to start releasing a few singles which then lead to a free mixtape called ‘All American Trash’ in 2016, but it was their next release ‘Saturation’ which really caught attention, and unlike many bands, this release was used as part of the strategy, a strategy named after the release. The BROCKHAMPTON collective used 2017 as the year they intended on saturating the market by releasing music with a frequency where they could not be ignored, this led to the release of 3 albums and 12 singles in just one year.
2018 was to be BROCKHAMPTON’s year, a year where they took over the world, RCA signed them to a major label deal supposedly exceeding $15m dollars, the deal saw the release of their anticipated 4th album ‘Team Effort’ shelved, and the 4th album then renamed ‘Puppy’ was set for release. Unfortunately, Ameer Vann was embroiled in sexual misconduct charges and the collective had to make the decision to remove him. The removal of Vann led to further issues with unsubstantiated claims that one of the members' friends was set up by Vann to be robbed, so with turmoil brewing around the collective, they made a decision to cancel the remaining shows and take pause. It was this pause and an invitation to record at Abbey Road Studios in the UK which led to the creation of ‘iridescence’, our RRC curated album for July.
‘Iridescence’ is a cathartic record for BROCKHAMPTON, it’s a way the collective has been able to exorcise demons not just for their members, but also for dealing with Vann’s departure. The album “is a study in contrasts; a rap variety pack.” It has contributions from its members which allow them to rap, sing, but ultimately return to the recipe which made their music so interesting in the first place, simply “making music with mates”.
Tracks from the album allow members to “muse.. on their past, present and future with stark honesty, feeding the anecdotes into a singular bigger picture. “Pulled my life out of dirt, that’s a miracle,” Merlyn Wood raps on ‘NEW ORLEANS’”, or Kevin abstracts “vulnerable verse on “Weight”... (where he)... raps about times he’s felt inadequate, such as when his bandmate was struggling with mental health issues, or the shame he experienced with his adolescent girlfriend before he knew he was gay.”.
The rawness of the members is also present on the track “SAN MARCOS’ (which)... sees Russell ‘Joba’ Boring stunningly confronting his depression: “Suicidal thoughts, but I won’t do it / Take that how you want, it’s important I admit it.”. The rawness of the record is punctuated with the kind of moments fans have come to expect from BROCKHAMPTON records, these include the infectiously memorable seconds of “Where the Cash At”, and the bass and hard vocal of “J’Ouvert”. It’s “Berlin”, “Honey”, and “District” though which will remind fans of the kind of tunes which will get them bouncing and jumping around at live shows way into the collective's future shows.
‘Iridescence’ was a triumph for BROCKHAMPTON it received critical acclaim and was categorised by many critics as a more mature sound, “Brockhampton are evolving: they're not hand-holding the audience to the happy and sad parts of their albums anymore, they're not wasting space with skits, and they're less content to ride the beat out than they are to cut it up with a razor and some rusty scissors.”. This group of young rebels put it best via their producer Romil Hemnani “Our job is to continue doing what the people before us did, and what the people that inspired us did, keep passing that positive energy and freedom on. The future of music is up to the kids.”
Here at RRC, we’re beyond hyped to share this album with our subscribers as always, and we advise those of you who have not heard of BROCKHAMPTON before to delve into their archives and embrace the past albums.
Peace Out! - Stu at RRC