BROCKHAMPTON: From Boyband To Family

Everyone deals with grief in different ways and at varying magnitudes. Some musicians will find inspiration in their low points and choose to address them in their work. While not a necessity, artists letting their guard down in the public eye can be risky, but admirable. Clifford Ian Simpson, better known by his stage name Kevin Abstract, grieved a loss of his own this year, the boy band he formed over a decade prior, BROCKHAMPTON. The band, named after a street in Corpus Christi, Texas, released their final studio albums in 2022, The Family and TM. During their rise to stardom, many thought their self-proclaimed title of “boy band” was a misnomer, but in actuality it was more of a red herring, as they redefined what a boy band could look like, sound like, and talk about. In spite of their divergence from boy band convention, however, their trajectory followed a predictable boy band arc: Prolific run, untimely demise, and relationships becoming rocky along the way.

“Flashback, I had my Walkman in the minivan / Listening to *NSYNC, saw my name on the CD / Bleach blond tips, wanted to be JT / Wanted to do big things, had to fulfill a dream” - JOBA, “SWEET” (SATURATION II)

BROCKHAMPTON emerged on the scene calling themselves an “All-American Boy Band,” a choice some thought to be ironic. Their decision to be a “boy band” instead of, for example, a rap collective, foreshadows their goal to redefine the paradigm, and obliterate its stereotypes and limitations. First, the group isn’t made up entirely of Americans; vocalist Merlyn Wood hails from Ghana, and producer and vocalist Jabari Manwa originates from St. George’s, Grenada. Second, members of the group didn’t fit the typical avatar of a boy band: they came from varied ethic, socioeconomic, and geographic backgrounds, and it’s clear that they weren’t “cast” to be a group of homogenous heartthrobs. As a result, they represent the cultural melting pot that is America, and each band member stands out as an individual. Fans can see themselves more in the members, as attainable rather than idealistic.

BROCKHAMPTON veers from the mindless romantic lyrics of other boy bands and instead covers more intense, raw, emotional content; familial trauma, drug abuse, racism, homophobia. Their specificity and vulnerability makes these feelings universal and relatable. What unites them is their support for one another and the struggles— internal or external—that they help each other through. All of them came from different backgrounds, had different upbringings, and are fueled by a variety of motives and influences, making each of their verses personable and distinct. Their empathy is the cohesive glue, like they’re all sitting around a campfire on the last night of summer vacation, peak sentimentality.

In 2017, the band released three albums in the same year, SATURATION, SATURATION II, and SATURATION III, presented as a trilogy. With each being more ambitious and genre-bending than the last, it proved that the group’s output and work ethic was unmatched. The genres they explored on the trilogy transcended typical boy band territory were ones that most typical boy bands wouldn’t go near; furious guitar riffs back up the song “HEAT,” Middle Eastern and South Asian influences are present on “SWEET,” and a rapturous saxophone riff finds its way onto the powerhouse posse cut that is “BOOGIE.” Most boy bands focus on the 2nd person in their lyrics— the royal “you”— but BROCKHAMPTON delves into harrowing introspection, like on thought-provoking tracks such as the self-improvement anthem “MILK” and the me-against-the-world rallying call of “JUNKY.” Even though each members’ verses can be disjointed from one another, they make it clear that they’re there for each other no matter what.

“How I’m gon’ move at your pace? I’m busy settin’ the tone / You think we runnin’ together? I'm in a lane of my own / Don't got no friends in this game, it’s me and my brothers alone / They thinkin’ that we competing, that shit depletin’ my bones” - Dom McLennon, “GUMMY” (SATURATION II)

The trilogy was made in the boy band’s collective home which they dubbed “The Factory,” a moniker inspired by Andy Warhol’s home studio, rather than an allusion to the assembly line that is the modern recording industry. They didn’t have a quota to fulfill, relevance to maintain, or trends to cash in on— in fact, they weren’t signed to a label during this period, they operated independently with a homegrown aesthetic. They intentionally avoided creating high-production music videos; with a DIY look, videos featured the group driving cars, walking down streets, and rarely used any special effects or greenscreens. This is in direct contrast to typical boy band presentation: highly manufactured, slick production, and creative decisions made by marketing executives instead of the artists themselves. 

Boy bands are often molded to be innocuous, prioritizing optics over substance. BROCKHAMPTON had to follow similar conventions when their reputation was at stake. Following the release of SAUTRATION III, a woman claimed that band member Ameer Vann had sexually assaulted her while she was underage. Soon, others came forward and spoke about their experiences with Vann, provoking him to issue an apology. The allegations came on the heels of signing with RCA, so it’s likely they felt pressure to protect their new record label’s investment. Putting their career needs before the needs of a friend, they decided to oust Vann from their roster and scrap their forthcoming fourth studio album.

Getting “canceled” online can mark the end of a career, or put it at an irredeemable low. Amidst the controversy, the boys continued to work on music, and brought their mixed feelings about their fallout with Vann to light. In September 2018, iridescence was released. They teased the album with the song “TONYA”, inspired by ice skater Tonya Harding. Harding had a meteoric rise to stardom and then fell victim to a highly-publicized incident that she could never recover from, and the remaining members of the group feared that they could suffer the same fate.  

“My ghost still haunt ya, my life is “I, Tonya” / A big-eyed monster, only face to conquer” - Kevin Abstract, “TONYA” (iridescence)

iridescence kicks off with the explosive “NEW ORLEANS,” which introduces many key musical elements on the album; sirens and droning tones, distorted and grimy bass, and high-energy verses from the group’s members. While the album occasionally dips into the beautiful, it is never too far away from the ugly. A soothing string arrangement often gets interrupted by a barrage of aggression, be it in the form of a breakbeat on “WEIGHT” or a wobbly blown-out synth on “DISTRICT.” The group contemplates the highs and lows of their massive success and the loss of a band member. iridescence takes you on their emotional rollercoaster; a big risk for the group, but one that paid off. The album is their first and only record to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200, a reassuring victory for a group whose fate was once uncertain.

Less than a year later, the group returned with GINGER, and it seemed apparent that their perspective on Vann’s departure had shifted to confusion and sadness. The album was a downtempo and befuddled effort from the group whose excitement from the success of iridescence had mellowed. Opener “NO HALO” introduces themes the band explores throughout the album.

 “I don’t know where I’m going / If I gotta take the high road I’m rollin’” - Kevin Abstract, “NO HALO” (GINGER)

The song alludes to the feeling of being stuck, not knowing where to go next. Throughout the rest of the album, each member relays the imperfections and uncertainties in their lives, bound together by gut instinct. They question their past, religion, and sanity, but are hopeful to arrive differently on the other side, for better or for worse. Their intimacy on GINGER is assisted by its minimal production, and the support the group feels for each other is palpable.

During the making of GINGER, band members began to move out of ​​The Factory and live separately. The space they gained—  from each other, and from making music— allowed them to keep their bonds strong while going through the tribulations of success and grief. Retreat in a time of strife is a human response. In those moments, it’s important to remember that while the path of life may be plagued with complications, misery loves company. The chorus of “SUGAR,” sung by featured artist Ryan Beatty, could be a desperate cry to a lover. It could also be about the group being able to rely on one another, as they try to navigate the complicated emotions fame brings, and the glare of the public eye.

“Spendin’ all my nights alone, waitin’ for you to call me / You're the only one I want by my side when I fall asleep / Tell me what I'm waitin’ for… I know it's hard but we need each other” - Ryan Beatty, “SUGAR” (GINGER)

To each member, the concept of light had different meanings. For some it was motivation, for others it was adaptability, and to many, they saw it as the bookends of life: birth and death. JOBA’s father followed that light too closely, leading him to commit suicide. The rest of the band was there to support him, which became the thematic center of their next album. At their most existential, the group illuminated their inner demons on ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE, released in 2021. The light metaphor is a point of cohesion in an album that is full of instrumental experimentation. The band was at their lowest, struggling to predict their future, which justifies their use of retrofuturism as a driving force behind the album’s sonic palette. Members’ verses read like diary entries, some songs having multiple, leading to a significant portion of the album feeling like a therapy session. Heavily distorted guitars bolster the band’s catharsis, most evident on tracks such as “THE LIGHT” and “WHAT’S THE OCCASION?” The final stretch of the album is the most gut-wrenching, calling out incessant gun violence and praying for a brighter future. The most chilling moment arrives at the end of the album, when JOBA directly addresses his father’s death and concludes the light metaphor.

“The light is worth the wait, / I promise, wait, why did you do it? / The light is worth the wait, / I promise, wait, screaming, “Please, don't do it”” - JOBA, “THE LIGHT PT. II” (ROADRUNNER)

After only four years, BROCKHAMPTON began to grow apart due to lingering emotional tension and growing passion to develop their solo careers. ROADRUNNER wasn’t seeing the success that their previous records garnered, despite RCA’s efforts to push “COUNT ON ME” to reach the streaming metrics that “SUGAR” had. They were contractually obligated to produce two more albums for RCA, after which the group announced they would part ways. Their penultimate— and more seminal— album was The Family, a brief mixtape of short, vignette-style tracks. Kevin is the only member who raps on the entire album, a shock to many BROCKHAMPTON fans, as their albums normally feature vocal contributions from every member. However, in many ways, The Family was an important full-circle moment for the boy band— Kevin started the band, and he was going to be the one to end it.

“Long time coming, who wanna start a band with me? ... Who would've thought we made it off that damn forum?” - Kevin Abstract, “Take It Back” (The Family)

A young Kevin Abstract posted a message online on a Kanye West fan forum when he was 14 years old, asking if anyone wanted to join a boy band he was creating. Fittingly, Kevin channels Kanye’s vocal style more than ever before on The Family. Furthermore, the album is littered with high-pitched gospel samples, a staple of West’s music, and both artists use the element of the human voice to function as a Greek chorus on their respective albums. Whereas Kanye used high-pitched samples to uplift his career through albums such as The College Dropout, Kevin uses them to wind down the career of BROCKHAMPTON by accentuating his helplessness on The Family. The ghostly descending passage on “Good Time” and the strained harmonies on “Boyband” are prime examples of how the samples used play a key role in the emotional narrative of The Family, rather than just being a sonic canvas for Kevin’s rapping. In his verses, Kevin pulls back the curtain on some of his issues with the band, and although his perspective doesn’t hold much weight by itself, it’s an uncomfortable look at how he views the band’s inner relations, their label deal, and what’s to become of their careers. Ultimately, Kevin is defeated and struggles to properly come to terms with the group’s ending, anticipating that fans will do the same.

“And I got nothing to give, that's why I made you this tape / I been climbing this wall, how much more can I take? / Sometimes I think about dying, but then I think of those days / Sometimes I wish we could speak, but I have nothing to say” - Kevin Abstract, “My American Life” (The Family)

In true boy band fashion, one member of the band grew too big for the group, creating unhealthy competition and causing the group to end after a five-year lifespan. Kevin being the group’s unofficial leader created issues over creative control and monetary flow, and his ego got the best of him as the egos of the other members developed.

“As the checks grew, it became harder to leave / Everybody got an ego now, imagine bein’ me / Competition started off so healthy / ‘Til one day I looked up like, “Damn, you almost better than me”” - Kevin Abstract, “The Family” (The Family)

The same day that The Family released, the group released TM, a short compilation of unreleased tracks recorded in 2021 featuring vocals from every member, possibly to meet fans’ desires to hear the rest of the band one last time before splitting up. Had TM been released in a different context, it might have shown a promising future for the group, as songs like the driving disco banger “MAN ON THE MOON” prove that BROCKHAMPTON can make music in just about any genre. TM was mildly-received by fans, who were more satisfied by its existence over its quality. Even though BROCKHAMPTON didn’t exactly go out in a blaze of glory, it is commendable that they would even attempt to bring closure to the band’s well-documented history, especially on their own terms. From here on out, a new chapter begins.

“And maybe I’ll find a better thing / Someone that don’t treat me like a fool / Onto a better thing / Polar opposite of what you do” - Matt Champion, “BETTER THINGS” (TM)

Even though TM is the group’s final album, The Family is more telling of the band’s dynamic just before they split up. BROCKHAMPTON became more of a family than just a band as their careers went on, and therein laid the problem. A family can be a group of people you live with, work with, and are friends with, but also fight with, disagree with, but still feel obliged to support and be there for each other. Even outside of what they would divulge in their music, the band members knew everything about each other, which made it difficult for them to all coexist in the tight-knit environment of embarking on a shared career path. While the future of the group is uncertain, they’ll go down as the most unique boy band the title has ever seen.

“This the ending we all envisioned, right? / This is me, Abstract, gone for the night / How you feel?” - Kevin Abstract, “The Ending” (The Family)