Brockhampton (stylized in
all caps
In typography, text or font in all caps (short for "all capitals") contains capital letters without any lowercase letters. For example: All-caps text can be seen in legal documents, advertisements, newspaper headlines, and the titles on book co ...
) was an American
boy band
A boy band is a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their Teenage, teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many boy bands ...
/
rap
Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backin ...
collective
A collective is a group of entities that share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest or work together to achieve a common objective. Collectives can differ from cooperatives in that they are not necessarily focused upon an e ...
founded in 2014
[Brockhampton's predecessor group, AliveSinceForever, was founded in 2009. Although there is a large overlap in membership between the two groups, Brockhampton members have referred to AliveSinceForever as a separate group.] in
San Marcos,
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
. Led by
Kevin Abstract
Clifford Ian Simpson (born July 16, 1996), known by his stage name Kevin Abstract, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter known for his role as a founding member of Brockhampton. Releasing music since 2009, he released his debut album, '' ...
and formed partially through the online music discussion forum KanyeToThe, the group's final line-up consisted of vocalists Abstract,
Matt Champion
Matthew Garrett Champion (born February 14, 1995) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is known for his role as a member of hip hop collective and boyband Brockhampton, with whom he released eight studio albums. His debut solo albu ...
,
Merlyn Wood
William Anku Kraka Mawuli Andoh Wood Jr. (born May 1, 1996), known by his stage name Merlyn Wood, is a Ghanaian-American rapper and songwriter. Born in Accra and raised in Texas, Wood is best known for his work as a member of hip-hop collective an ...
, and Dom McLennon, vocalists/producers Joba, Bearface, and Jabari Manwa and producers Romil Hemnani and Kiko Merley, as well as
graphic designer
A graphic designer is a practitioner who follows the discipline of graphic design, either within companies or organizations or independently. They are professionals in design and visual communication, with their primary focus on transforming ...
Henock "HK" Sileshi, photographer Ashlan Grey,
web designer
Web design encompasses many different skills and disciplines in the production and maintenance of websites. The different areas of web design include web graphic design; user interface design (UI design); authoring, including standardised code an ...
Roberto Ontenient (who also featured prominently in voice skits), and manager Jon Nunes.
After releasing the mixtape ''
All-American Trash
''All-American Trash'' is the first and only mixtape by American rap collective and boy band Brockhampton. It was self-released on March 30, 2016, and features performances from Brockhampton members Ameer Vann, Merlyn Wood, Kevin Abstract, Rod ...
'' in 2016, the group achieved critical acclaim and commercial success with the studio albums
''Saturation'', ''
Saturation II
''Saturation II'' is the second studio album by American hip hop boy band Brockhampton, released on August 25, 2017. Production is primarily handled by Romil Hemnani, alongside production duo Q3 (composed of Jabari Manwa and Kiko Merley), Bearfac ...
'', and ''
Saturation III
''Saturation III'' (stylized in all caps) is the third studio album by American hip hop boy band
Brockhampton, released on December 15, 2017. Production is predominantly handled by Romil Hemnani, alongside production duo Q3 (composed of Jabari ...
'', which were released in quick succession from June to December 2017. In March 2018, the group signed to
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...
, and in May founding member
Ameer Vann
Ameer Emmanuel Vann (born September 22, 1996) is an American rapper. He is best known for being a member of music collective Brockhampton, until he was removed from the group in May 2018 due to sexual misconduct. After leaving Brockhampton, Van ...
was removed from the group amid allegations of sexual misconduct. After repeated delays,
''Iridescence'' (2018), the group's major label debut, debuted at No. 1 on the
Billboard 200
The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a rec ...
album chart and earned the group a nomination for "
Best International Group" at the
Brit Awards.
''Ginger'', the group's fifth album, was released in August 2019, and produced the double platinum single "
Sugar
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose
Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
". In April 2021, ''Ginger'' was followed by ''
Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine'', which was originally announced as the group's penultimate album. In January 2022, the group announced an indefinite hiatus following their upcoming appearance at
Coachella Festival
Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorad ...
in April. ''
The Family'', advertised as the group's final record, was released in November 2022.
''TM'' was released the next day with no prior announcement, serving as the true final Brockhampton album.
Although generally categorized as a hip-hop collective, the group received attention for branding themselves as an "All-American
boyband
A boy band is a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many boy bands dance a ...
", in what the group called an effort to redefine the term.
History
2009–2014: AliveSinceForever
Although not all of them were a part of the original group,
Kevin Abstract
Clifford Ian Simpson (born July 16, 1996), known by his stage name Kevin Abstract, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter known for his role as a founding member of Brockhampton. Releasing music since 2009, he released his debut album, '' ...
,
Ameer Vann
Ameer Emmanuel Vann (born September 22, 1996) is an American rapper. He is best known for being a member of music collective Brockhampton, until he was removed from the group in May 2018 due to sexual misconduct. After leaving Brockhampton, Van ...
, Joba,
Matt Champion
Matthew Garrett Champion (born February 14, 1995) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is known for his role as a member of hip hop collective and boyband Brockhampton, with whom he released eight studio albums. His debut solo albu ...
, and
Merlyn Wood
William Anku Kraka Mawuli Andoh Wood Jr. (born May 1, 1996), known by his stage name Merlyn Wood, is a Ghanaian-American rapper and songwriter. Born in Accra and raised in Texas, Wood is best known for his work as a member of hip-hop collective an ...
met as teenagers, as they all attended
The Woodlands High School
The Woodlands High School is a public high school located in The Woodlands CDP in Montgomery County, Texas, and is a part of the Conroe Independent School District. A section of the Montgomery County portion of The Woodlands and unincorporated ...
in
The Woodlands, Texas
The Woodlands is a Special district (United States), special-purpose district and census-designated place (CDP) in the U.S. state of Texas in the Greater Houston, Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan statistical area. The Woodlands ...
.
In 2009, Abstract at 13 years old made a post on the KanyeLive online forum (now known as KanyeToThe) asking if anyone wanted to form a band, to which over 30 users responded. Many of the members had already met on the website's various sections before being brought together by Abstract's post.
AliveSinceForever was then formed, although the band only went active in 2012. In 2013, AliveSinceForever released their debut EP, the ''ASF'' EP. AliveSinceForever included approximately 40 members. At the end of 2014, Abstract announced his departure from AliveSinceForever, effectively ending the group.
2014–2016: Formation and ''All-American Trash''
In 2014, when group member Russell "Joba" Boring moved to
San Marcos, Texas
San Marcos () is a city and the county seat of Hays County, Texas, United States. The city is a part of the Greater Austin, Greater Austin Metropolitan Area. San Marcos's limits extend into Caldwell County, Texas, Caldwell and Guadalupe County, T ...
, he was followed by Abstract and several other members of AliveSinceForever. Frustrated with the decentralized nature of AliveSinceForever, Abstract recruited select members of AliveSinceForever to relocate to San Marcos in order to form a new group, Brockhampton.
In January 2015, Brockhampton released their debut single, "Bet I", accompanied by a video directed by member Henock "HK" Sileshi and Franklin Mendez. "Bet I" was removed from all streaming platforms in 2017. Following the release of "Bet I", four unidentified members of Brockhampton (under the pseudonyms Milo, Cain, Gi, and Cohen) formed the
chillwave
Chillwave (originally considered synonymous with glo-fi and hypnagogic pop) is a music microgenre that emerged in the late 2000s. It is characterized by evoking the popular music of the late 1970s and early 1980s while engaging with notions of ...
band NoWifi (stylized as NOWIFIII), and released an album titled ''Memorial Day'' on May 30, 2015. On June 16, 2015, Brockhampton released their second single, "Hero". That same month, Brockhampton won the VFiles Loud contest, winning them a professionally directed music video for their next single, "Dirt", released through
Fool's Gold Records
Fool's Gold Records is an independent record label based in Brooklyn, New York, United States. The label is known for its annual series of Day Off concerts across the US and Canada.
History
Fool’s Gold Records was founded in 2007 by DJs A-Tr ...
. On March 24, 2016, Brockhampton released their debut mixtape, ''
All-American Trash
''All-American Trash'' is the first and only mixtape by American rap collective and boy band Brockhampton. It was self-released on March 30, 2016, and features performances from Brockhampton members Ameer Vann, Merlyn Wood, Kevin Abstract, Rod ...
'', for free. The project focuses on highlighting the group's individual members, and was led by the music video "Flip Mo", performed by
Merlyn Wood
William Anku Kraka Mawuli Andoh Wood Jr. (born May 1, 1996), known by his stage name Merlyn Wood, is a Ghanaian-American rapper and songwriter. Born in Accra and raised in Texas, Wood is best known for his work as a member of hip-hop collective an ...
and featuring Dom McLennon.
2017: ''Saturation'' trilogy
Following the release of ''All-American Trash'', the group relocated to a home in
South Central, Los Angeles
South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of Downtown Los Angeles, downtown.
It is de ...
.
In January 2017, Brockhampton released a new standalone single and music video, "Cannon". On May 3, the group announced their debut album,
''Saturation'', with a release date for the next month. When ''Saturation'' was announced, no writing or recording had begun for the project.
On May 8, "
Face
The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...
", the first single from the album, was released alongside a music video. For the remainder of the month, the group released music videos on a weekly basis, with "
Heat
In thermodynamics, heat is energy in transfer between a thermodynamic system and its surroundings by such mechanisms as thermal conduction, electromagnetic radiation, and friction, which are microscopic in nature, involving sub-atomic, ato ...
", "
Gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
", and "
Star
A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...
" receiving videos directed by Abstract and filmed in South Central. Also in May, Brockhampton were announced to be the subject of the
Viceland
Viceland (stylized in all caps; also known as Vice TV in the United States) is a brand used for television channels owned and programmed by Vice Media. The brand launched on February 29, 2016, with two cable channels in North America. The Vice ...
documentary series ''American Boyband''. ''American Boyband'' premiered on June 8, the same day the group released a standalone music video for "Lamb". ''Saturation'' was released on June 9, 2017, to critical acclaim, and brought new attention to the group.
Following the release of ''Saturation'', the group moved out of their home in South Central to a new home in
North Hollywood
North Hollywood is a neighborhood and district in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, El Portal Theater, several art galleries, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Th ...
.
''
Saturation II
''Saturation II'' is the second studio album by American hip hop boy band Brockhampton, released on August 25, 2017. Production is primarily handled by Romil Hemnani, alongside production duo Q3 (composed of Jabari Manwa and Kiko Merley), Bearfac ...
'' was announced soon afterwards with an August release date.
On August 1, Brockhampton released the debut single and video from ''Saturation II'', titled "
Gummy". A week later, they released the second single and video, titled "
Swamp
A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
". On August 15, they released the third single, titled "
Junky", and later that day, they announced via Twitter the release date for ''Saturation II''.
The album's final single and video "
Sweet
Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketones, ...
" was released on August 22. This was followed the same day by the surprise release of "Follow". ''Saturation II'' was released on August 25 to further acclaim and attention. On September 3, the group embarked on Jennifer's Tour in support of ''Saturation I'' and ''Saturation II.''
On November 23, pre-orders began for the ''Saturation Boxset'', a physical collection including ''Saturation'', ''Saturation II'', and the yet-to-be officially announced ''
Saturation III
''Saturation III'' (stylized in all caps) is the third studio album by American hip hop boy band
Brockhampton, released on December 15, 2017. Production is predominantly handled by Romil Hemnani, alongside production duo Q3 (composed of Jabari ...
.'' On December 1, Brockhampton officially announced ''Saturation III'' as their final studio album; however, the group later clarified that this was not a literal statement, and they were likely to release further albums. On December 12, they released the album's lead single and video, entitled "
Boogie
Boogie is a repetition (music), repetitive, swung note, swung note or shuffle rhythm,Burrows, Terry (1995). ''Play Country Guitar'', p.42. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London. . groove (music), "groove" or pattern used in blues which was origina ...
". On December 14, 2017, Brockhampton announced their fourth studio album, ''Team Effort'', slated for release in 2018, along with a new single from ''Saturation III'', "Stains". ''Saturation III'' was released on December 15.
The group also filmed a self-funded, self-made feature-length movie to celebrate the ''Saturation'' trilogy, directed by Kevin Abstract himself. From January 6 to March 8, 2018, the group went on their second tour, the Love Your Parents Tour in support of the ''Saturation'' trilogy.
2018: RCA signing, Ameer Vann's departure, and ''Iridescence''
In March 2018, Brockhampton announced that ''Team Effort'' had been delayed indefinitely, and that they would instead release their fourth studio album ''Puppy'' in mid-2018. The next week, they announced via social media that they had signed a record deal with Sony's
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...
. ''Billboard'' reported that according to label sources, the deal was worth more than $15 million for six albums over three years. In April, one month after the conclusion of the Love Your Parents Tour, the group began another nationwide tour, the Stereo Spirit Tour.
[Brockhampton Announces 'Stereo Spirit' Tour Dates](_blank)
''Hypebeast'', March 15, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
''Puppy'' was delayed following allegations of sexual misconduct against founding member Ameer Vann. Although Vann admitted to being mentally and verbally abusive, he denied allegations of sexual abuse.
On May 27, Brockhampton announced that Vann would no longer be a part of the group, stating that they "were lied to" and apologizing "for not speaking up sooner." Subsequently, the group offered an apology to victims of sexual misconduct stating; "Brockhampton was intended to bring people together and make everyone feel safe and included, we wish to apologize to anyone who has experienced similar scenarios we wish we had acted sooner. As a band we wish to extend our apologies to those who may no longer be able to listen to our music and feel safe". In light of controversy, the group canceled the remainder of their tour dates, including an appearance at the
Governors Ball Music Festival
The Governors Ball Music Festival (commonly known as Governors Ball or Gov Ball) is a multi-day music festival held in New York City. Launched in 2011 by Jordan Wolowitz, Tom Russell, Yoni Reisman, the festival features an array of genres and ...
.
Afterwards, it came to light through lyrics and interviews by McLennon that Vann had, whilst visiting Texas, been involved in organizing a home robbery of one of McLennon's childhood friends. McLennon revealed to interviewers that Vann "didn't have the heart" to tell the band until after he had already been kicked out.
On June 20, the band appeared on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It i ...
'', in their late-night television debut, and their first performance since announcing Vann's departure. They debuted the track "Tonya", accompanied by guest vocalists
Jazmine Sullivan
Jazmine Marie Sullivan (born April 9, 1987) is an American R&B singer and songwriter. She has won two Grammy Awards, a ''Billboard'' Women in Music Award, and two BET Awards over the course of her career. In 2022, ''Time'' placed her on their ...
,
Ryan Beatty
Ryan Kevin Beatty (born September 25, 1995) is an American singer-songwriter. He was born in Clovis, California, and now resides in Los Angeles.
His debut EP, ''Because of You'', was released in 2012. After a hiatus, Beatty began to re-emerge i ...
and
Serpentwithfeet
Jonathan Josiah Wise (born July 9, 1988), known professionally as serpentwithfeet, is an R&B singer based in Brooklyn, New York City. Wise signed with the English record label Tri Angle (record label), Tri Angle to release his debut extended pl ...
, as well as revealing the new title of their upcoming album, ''The Best Years of Our Lives.'' Following the performance the band resumed their summer tour, headlining the Agenda Festival in
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
. The next month the group announced a
Beats 1
Apple Music 1, previously branded as Beats 1, is a 24/7 music radio station owned and operated by Apple Inc. It is accessible through iTunes or the Apple Music app on a computer, smartphone or tablet, smart speaker (such as the Apple HomePod), ...
radio show ''Things We Lost in the Fire Radio'', promising "new music all summer". The show's first episode was aired on July 6, 2018, featuring the debut of single "1999 Wildfire", released that day with an accompanying music video. The track features vocals by
Jazze Pha
Phalon Anton Alexander, known professionally as Jazze Pha ( ), is an American record producer, rapper, singer and songwriter. He founded the record label Sho'nuff Records in 1995, through which he signed R&B singer Ciara in 2003. He produced h ...
. On July 18, the single "1998 Truman" was debuted as a part of the show's second episode. A music video for the track was released later that day. On July 27, the group released the single "1997 Diana", accompanied by a music video. Later that day the song was featured on the third episode of ''Things We Lost in the Fire Radio'', alongside the unfinished track "Don't Be Famous".
On August 26, 2018, the group announced that a new album titled ''
Iridescence
Iridescence (also known as goniochromism) is the phenomenon of certain surfaces that appear gradually to change colour as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes. Iridescence is caused by wave interference of light in microstru ...
'', recorded over ten days in
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...
, would be released in September. On September 11, the group also announced a documentary film about the albums recording titled ''The Longest Summer in America''. The film was released on September 20. The band also announced dates of their
I'll Be There Tour, which began on October 3, 2018, in
Mesa, Arizona
Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 504,258 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Arizona, third-most populous city in Arizona, after Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, T ...
, concluding on December 6, 2018, in
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
. ''Iridescence'' was officially released on September 21, and included a studio version of "Tonya" without Sullivan and Beatty. It debuted at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200 on September 30, 2018, becoming Brockhampton's first chart-topping album. In January 2019, the band received their first ever nomination for the "
Best International Group" at the
BRIT Awards, which took place at
The O2 Arena on February 20, 2019.
2019: ''Ginger''
In April 2019, during the press cycle for Abstract's solo album ''
Arizona Baby
''Arizona Baby'' (stylized in all caps) is the third studio album by American rapper Kevin Abstract, released on April 25, 2019 by Question Everything, Inc. through RCA Records. The album was released cumulatively, with the eponymous first part ...
'', he teased the existence of a new Brockhampton record. On July 1, Brockhampton posted a snippet of a new song on Twitter. On July 2, the group shared a snippet of new music, along with the album title ''
Ginger
Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...
''. The group subsequently released four singles with music videos leading up to the album's release: "I Been Born Again" on July 31; "If You Pray Right" on August 7;
"
Boy Bye" on August 14;
and "
No Halo" featuring singer
Deb Never
Deb Never (born ) is an American singer-songwriter.
Early life
Never grew up in Seattle and Spokane, Washington, and also lived in China, Malaysia, and South Korea as a child. Her mother is a nurse, while her father is a traveling pastor. She i ...
on August 21. The album was released on August 23.
Brockhampton released a video two days later for "Heaven Belongs to You" featuring English rapper
Slowthai
Tyron Kaymone Frampton (born 18 December 1994), better known by his stage name Slowthai (stylised in lowercase), is a British rapper. Raised in Northampton, he rose to popularity in 2019 for his gritty and rough instrumentals and raw, Music and ...
. On August 26, the band announced via Instagram and Twitter they would begin their
Heaven Belongs to You Tour
The Heaven Belongs to You Tour was the fifth and final headlining concert tour by American boy band/rap collective Brockhampton. The tour began on October 26, 2019, in Vancouver, and concluded on December 13, 2019, in Los Angeles.
Background an ...
, with openers Slowthai and
100 gecs
100 gecs () is an American musical duo formed in 2015 that consists of Dylan Brady and Laura Les. They self-released their debut album, '' 1000 gecs'', in 2019 to positive reviews, followed by a companion remix album, '' 1000 gecs and the Tre ...
,
from October to December 2019 in support of the new album.
The band made its first appearance on ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...
'' on September 6, 2019, performing "
Sugar
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose
Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
" and "Boy Bye", though the latter was not televised. Later that same day, they performed "No Halo" with Deb Never on ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywo ...
'' The group was a guest on ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'', where they were interviewed and then performed "Sugar" with
Ryan Beatty
Ryan Kevin Beatty (born September 25, 1995) is an American singer-songwriter. He was born in Clovis, California, and now resides in Los Angeles.
His debut EP, ''Because of You'', was released in 2012. After a hiatus, Beatty began to re-emerge i ...
on October 24. On January 14, 2020, "Sugar" became the group's first Billboard hit, debuting at number 70 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and remaining on the chart for nine weeks, peaking at number 66. On March 6, a remix version of the track featuring English singer
Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa ( ; born22 August 1995) is an English and Albanian singer, songwriter and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Dua Lipa, Her accolades include seven Brit Awards and three Grammy Awards.
Lipa worked as a model before v ...
, American singer
Jon B
Jonathan David Buck (born November 11, 1974) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter and record producer. His debut album ''Bonafide (Jon B. album), Bonafide'' (1995) spawned the hit singles "Pretty Girl (Jon B. song), Pretty G ...
and Beatty was released. The track also became the group's first platinum record on April 29, 2020. The track received its second platinum certification on November 19, 2021.
2020-2021: ''Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine''
In late April 2020, following the
coronavirus pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the band began releasing non-studio produced singles under the title ''
Technical Difficulties Radio'' to their YouTube channel. These songs were recorded during the band's self-imposed quarantine. Livestreams preceding the release of these singles were streamed on
Twitch
Twitch may refer to:
Biology
* Muscle contraction
** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation
** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction
** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle c ...
. The tracks "N.S.T", "things cant stay the same", "M.O.B", "Twisted", "I.F.L", "Baby Bull", "Downside", "Fishbone" & "Chain On / Hold Me" were released to
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
and later taken down.
Along with the single releases, members stated on the live-streams that a sixth album had been "sonically finished", and to expected it to release that summer.
Abstract and Henock Sileshi later revealed the initials of their sixth album, RR.
In August 2020, Abstract and Hemnani also started a label and apparel brand called Video Store.
On January 2, 2021, a snippet of the albums lead single, "
Buzzcut", was posted on Instagram. On March 24, 2021, the band released "Buzzcut", featuring
Danny Brown
Daniel Dewan Sewell (born March 16, 1981), better known as Danny Brown, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan. He was described by MTV in 2011 as "one of rap's most unique figures in recent memory".
After amassing ...
, followed by an announcement of the albums full title, ''
Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine''. The second single, "
Count On Me", was released on April 2, and the album was released worldwide on April 9.
The music video for "Count On Me" was released on April 13 featuring
Lil Nas X
Montero Lamar Hill (born April 9, 1999), better known by his stage name Lil Nas X ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his 2018 country rap single "Old Town Road," the longest-running nu ...
and
Dominic Fike
Dominic David Fike (born December 30, 1995) is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, and actor. Fike first received recognition after releasing several popular songs to the website SoundCloud. Following the release of his debut extended play, ' ...
. ''Roadrunner'' was advertised by the group as their penultimate record, with the announcement of a final album to be released later that year. In June, the band contributed the track "MVP" to the
''Space Jam: A New Legacy'' soundtrack.
2022: Hiatus, ''The Family'', and ''TM''
On January 14, 2022, the band announced on their social media accounts that they would be taking an indefinite hiatus at the conclusion of their performance at
Coachella
Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music festival, music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valle ...
. They played their final headline show on February 8, 2022, the second of two consecutive nights at the
Brixton Academy
Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South Lon ...
. After their set at Coachella on April 16, 2022, the group announced that their final album would be coming out the same year.
On July 1, 2022, Brockhampton was included on the ''
Minions: The Rise Of Gru''
soundtrack
A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...
, on the track "
Hollywood Swinging". On October 27, 2022, a video on YouTube revealed that the final Brockhampton album would be titled ''The Family''. It was released on November 17, 2022, followed by the band's eighth album, ''
TM'', which was released the following day without prior announcement.
On November 19, the day after the release of ''TM'', the band played their final show at
The Fonda Theatre
The Fonda Theatre (formerly Music Box Theatre, Guild Theatre, Fox Theatre, and Pix Theatre) is a concert venue located on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. Designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, the theater has hosted liv ...
in Los Angeles.
Artistry and image
Brockhampton was a self-described "
boy band
A boy band is a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their Teenage, teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many boy bands ...
", so-called in an effort to redefine the term.
''
Complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' magazine describes the group as "gay, black, white, DIY, ambitious, all-inclusive, and would-be pop stars," and this diversity is what largely distinguishes their lyrics and sound.
Band members
Dates before 2014 indicate the year that the member joined Brockhampton's predecessor group, AliveSinceForever. Any such members joined Brockhampton upon the groups founding in 2014.
Members of AliveSinceForever that did not join Brockhampton are not listed.
Final line-up
*
Kevin Abstract
Clifford Ian Simpson (born July 16, 1996), known by his stage name Kevin Abstract, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter known for his role as a founding member of Brockhampton. Releasing music since 2009, he released his debut album, '' ...
– vocals,
production
Production may refer to:
Economics and business
* Production (economics)
* Production, the act of manufacturing goods
* Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services)
* Production as a stat ...
, video direction, creative direction (2010−2022)
* Dom McLennon – vocals, production (2011−2022)
* Kiko Merley – production (2011–2022)
[Kiko Merley and Jabari Manwa also form the production duo Q3.]
* Romil Hemnani – production,
recording engineering,
disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...
(2010−2022)
* Joba – vocals, production,
mixing,
mastering, piano (2012−2022)
* Jon Nunes – management (2012−2022)
* Henock "HK" Sileshi – creative direction, graphic design (2010−2022)
*
Merlyn Wood
William Anku Kraka Mawuli Andoh Wood Jr. (born May 1, 1996), known by his stage name Merlyn Wood, is a Ghanaian-American rapper and songwriter. Born in Accra and raised in Texas, Wood is best known for his work as a member of hip-hop collective an ...
– vocals (2012−2022)
* Bearface – vocals, guitar, production (2013−2022)
* Roberto Ontenient – production, web design, app programmer (2013−2022), skit vocals (2017, 2021), occasional production (2014, 2017)
*
Matt Champion
Matthew Garrett Champion (born February 14, 1995) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is known for his role as a member of hip hop collective and boyband Brockhampton, with whom he released eight studio albums. His debut solo albu ...
– vocals (2014−2022), production (2022)
* Jabari Manwa – production (2015–2022), vocals (2020−2022)
* Ashlan Grey – photography,
webmaster (2016–2022)
Former members
*
Ameer Vann
Ameer Emmanuel Vann (born September 22, 1996) is an American rapper. He is best known for being a member of music collective Brockhampton, until he was removed from the group in May 2018 due to sexual misconduct. After leaving Brockhampton, Van ...
– vocals (2010−2018)
* Rodney Tenor – vocals (2010−2016)
* Albert Gordon – production (2014–2016)
* Anish Ochani – management (2010–2017)
Timeline
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
Saturation
Saturation, saturated, unsaturation or unsaturated may refer to:
Chemistry
*Saturated and unsaturated compounds, a classification of compounds related to their ability to resist addition reactions
** Degree of unsaturation
**Saturated fat or satu ...
'' (2017)
* ''
Saturation II
''Saturation II'' is the second studio album by American hip hop boy band Brockhampton, released on August 25, 2017. Production is primarily handled by Romil Hemnani, alongside production duo Q3 (composed of Jabari Manwa and Kiko Merley), Bearfac ...
'' (2017)
* ''
Saturation III
''Saturation III'' (stylized in all caps) is the third studio album by American hip hop boy band
Brockhampton, released on December 15, 2017. Production is predominantly handled by Romil Hemnani, alongside production duo Q3 (composed of Jabari ...
'' (2017)
* ''
Iridescence
Iridescence (also known as goniochromism) is the phenomenon of certain surfaces that appear gradually to change colour as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes. Iridescence is caused by wave interference of light in microstru ...
'' (2018)
* ''
Ginger
Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...
'' (2019)
* ''
Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine'' (2021)
* ''
The Family'' (2022)
* ''
TM'' (2022)
Filmography
Music videos are listed under the
group's discography.
Awards and nominations
Notes
See also
*
List of Brockhampton concerts
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
2014 establishments in Texas
Alternative hip-hop groups
American boy bands
American hip-hop groups
Hip-hop collectives
LGBTQ-themed musical groups
Musical groups from San Marcos, Texas
Musical groups established in 2014
Musical groups disestablished in 2022
Pop-rap groups
RCA Records artists