Brockhampton Retrospective

Since making waves in the hip-hop community with the explosive SATURATION trilogy, rap collective Brockhampton have been fighting an uphill battle filled with album delays, scrapping of full-length projects and the departure of prominent member Ameer Vann. I’d like to go through the groups history and discography as of today to see where it started and where they appear to be going in the future.

Originally formed by childhood friends Kevin Abstract, Dom Mclennon, Ameer Vann, Rodney Tenor, Sage and Leon. The group released The ASF EP on July 26th, 2013 under the alias AliveSinceForever. This is an extremely elusive record incomparable to later projects. The EP is reminiscent to Kanye West and Odd Future. These tracks are bangers. No other way to say it.

The beats goes hard and Kevin Abstract in particular raps with an energy I never knew he had. Its clear this was no throwaway record. This mixtape seems more nightclub ready than any other record. The group are no stranger to writing upbeat, in your face bops this is the biggest collection of non-stop energy the group have released so far. The mastering and production are the only thing here to fault. For a first project however it is far from mediocre, the beats themselves are solid however they do over-shadow the vocals in places. Even though AliveSinceForever shares members with Brockhampton I can not stress enough that this is not a precursor record to later projects. The ASF EP is its own record and should be treated as such.

Favourite Song - Mic Kurb, Round 2

Personal Score - 7/10

Kevin Abstract left the group in 2014 and shortly after the group disbanded before recruiting new members from Kanyetothe.com (a Kanye West forum for fans of the rapper) and rebranding themselves as Brockhampton. It wouldn’t be until April 6th, 2016 that we would see a full-length release with new members Matt Champion, Merlyn Wood, Joba and Bearface as well as producers and managers.

Where I said their last project is far from a precursor, All American Trash is the opposite. Every member in this record carries the same style picked up in this record to this day. Dreamy synths compliment Matt Champion and Kevin Abstract’s gorgeous vocals in songs like Michigan and Palace. Mixed in with this are 808 heavy, straight up rap songs from Ameer Vann and Merlyn Wood. My one complaint with this record is that it seems to lack a point. Coming across as a collection of songs as opposed to an album with a clear start and finish.

I’d say this is an essential listen however it is one you can dip in an out of as opposed to playing it the whole way through.

Favourite Song – Palace

Personal Score – 6/10

I’ll skip to what you came for, after releasing singles to critical acclaim the group released SATURATION in June 9th, 2017. This record is a ride from start to finish. Here the group takes the style the established in All American Trash and meshes a newfound ability to bounce off each other beautifully, transitioning seamlessly between each member’s verses. The production quality is through the roof. Every beat feels both unique while containing enough similarity to bring us from one song to the other. This album has a clear start to finish from the explosive opening of HEAT to the slow, emotional vocals in WASTE.

I highly recommend you listen to this project the whole way through to experience the record in its entirety.

Favourite Song – FACE

Personal score – 8.5/10

The group went straight back to the studio and just over two months later on August 26th, 2017 released the eagerly anticipated SATURATION II. Coming straight off the back of the previous album, the record takes the same chemistry developed and adds to it. More of the same with enough new content to make this a must listen. Following the same format of opening with bangers like GUMMY and JELLO before finishing up with a guitar heavy emotional performance from Bearface in SUMMER. The beats have more flair to them this time.

High pitched synths guide the flows of the individual members, it goes to show the incredible talent of the production team. If SATURATION I set up each individual member’s role in the group, SATURATION II cements it. Ameer brings a dark tone to each verse he features in while Bearface has a voice like a summer haze.

Favourite Song – Tokyo

Personal Score – 9/10

Coming straight off the coat tails of two consistently brilliant records SATURATION III took the format of the previous entries and perfected it. BOOGIE is without doubt one of the most recognisable tracks the group have ever released. An explosion of instruments with flows from Kevin and Merlyn that make this an impossible track to listen to sitting down. Once the tone is set, we are taken on a journey with the most experimental beats yet such as in ZIPPER. We see the group aren’t afraid to slow things down in between the heat on HOTTIE and BLEACH.

Speaking of heat the ending track TEAM’s ending lines up perfectly with the opening track HEAT from their first album perfectly ending the trilogy. This is without doubt the group at their strongest. Never straying too far from the established format while surprising us time and time again with newer sounds. SISTER/NATION is a journey in itself and is arguably the most experimental track on the trilogy. Opening with Joba’s unsettling verse on his own mental health problems before we know it, we’re ending on Merlyn’s hook on racial pride.

Favourite Song – SISTER/NATION

Personal Score – 10/10

In February they were signed to RCA Records with a six album, three-year deal estimated to be worth $15 million. PUPPY was planned to be released in June however Ameer Vann was met with allegations of mental, physical and emotional abuse and was promptly removed from the group. The upcoming would be delayed and eventually scrapped. The group would release several solid singles in the wake of Ameer’s departure including the trilogy of singles 1999 WILDFIRE, 1998 TRUMAN and 1997 DIANA. Each of these bring their own flair while showing off what the group do best. Even without Ameer the group shines through and if anything, only showed how strong the members were individually.

On September 28th 2018 Iridescence was released. Recorded in the famous Abbey Road studios in London this record is change in form completely. The group seemed to feel lost since Ameer’s departure as on this record as it goes from explosively angry to bitterly sad. There is no sense of direction with the album, in its place is a frustration. You can feel how much the members want to explode but because of the circumstances they simply can’t and its painfully apparent. There definitely are some great tracks but the consistency just isn’t there.

I find myself skipping more songs on this record than on any other album by the group.

Favourite Song – J’OUVERT

Personal Score – 4/10

On July 31st 2019, single I BEEN BORN AGAIN was released. A fitting name as this showcased every vocalist from the group as sharp as ever. Joba comes through with one of his most notable flows to date using autotune to make for a deep, unsettling listen. The release date was set for August 23rd. With there being almost a year since we had seen anything from the ‘All American Boyband’ save for solo work from Kevin Abstract.

GINGER opens with NO HALO, an extremely emotional song that deals with themes of religion and mental health. The group are not in a good place and this song is a beautiful reflection of the challenges they have faced. This darkness is met with equal optimism. This album is poignant, no other word for it.

Where Iridescence came across as dark for the sake of being dark in GINGER it seems that the group are coming to terms with everything that has happened to them in the past 4 years and making sense of it. Dom Mclennon comes out with a verse about Ameer’s departure in DEARLY DEPARTED that explodes out of nowhere giving his side to the drama and calling out his ex-band member that leaves the listener aghast by the time it concludes with the door to the studio being slammed. It is a large step in the right direction for the group.

Favourite Song – I BEEN BORN AGAIN

Personal Score – 8/10