Brockhampton
Brockhampton were an American hip-hop group founded in San Marcos, Texas, in 2014. Formed partially through online forums, the group was often noted for their size, diversity, and prolific discography. The group's final line-up included vocalists Kevin Abstract, Matt Champion, Merlyn Wood, and Dom McLennon, producers/vocalists Joba, Bearface, and Jabari Manwa, producers Romil Hemnani and Kiko Merley, graphic designer HK, photographer Ashlan Grey, web designer Roberto Ontenient, and manager Jon Nunes.
Founded by de facto leader Kevin Abstract in 2014, Brockhampton consisted of members of the defunct Internet music collective AliveSinceForever. Their debut mixtape, All-American Trash, was independently released in 2016. After relocating to Los Angeles, the group achieved critical and commercial success with their studio albums Saturation, Saturation II, Saturation III, which were released in quick succession over six months in 2017. The next year, they signed to RCA Records, and shortly afterwards founding member Ameer Vann was removed from the group following accusations of sexual misconduct. After repeated delays, Iridescence debuted atop the Billboard 200 and earned the group a nomination at the Brit Awards. Ginger and Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine were released to similar commercial success, with the former producing the multi-platinum single "Sugar". In 2022, the group disbanded following the release of their final studio albums The Family and TM.
Generally categorized as a hip-hop collective, the group was notable in their early years for branding themselves as a boy band, in what they referred to as an effort to redefine the term. The group's size and diversity was often noted, with the groups roster containing rappers, singers, producers, photographers, and more of various sexualities, ethnicities, and nationalities. The band was also recognized for their output, having released eight studio albums within five years of their debut project.
Career
2009-2014: AliveSinceForever
In 2009, a 13-year-old Kevin Abstract made a post on the internet music discussion forum KanyeLive asking for members to form a collective. Several of the groups members were previously acquainted through the forum: producers Robert Ontenient and Romil Hemnani met on the website's Lupe Fiasco section, while graphic designer Henock "HK" Sileshi was well known for creating and posting custom cover art for popular songs. HK was introduced to the rest of the group after Hemnani responded positively to a 2 Chainz and Barack Obama parody cover HK had posted. Producer Jabari Manwa, who lived in Grenada, also met Abstract through the forum.Aside from the forum, many of the groups members were recruited through prior connections. Abstract, Merlyn Wood, Matt Champion, and Ameer Vann began making music together as classmates at The Woodlands High School. Russell "Joba" Boring, who worked at a recording studio in Houston, was originally hired by the four as a recording engineer before being asked by Abstract to join the group. Hemnani, Dom McLennon, Rodney Tenor, and Jon Nunes all lived in Connecticut, and worked on music together before being recruited by Abstract. Northern Irish singer and producer Ciarán "Bearface" McDonald was introduced to Hemnani through a mutual friend during a recording session in New York City.
The collective, named AliveSinceForever, included approximately 40 members and was heavily decentralized, with each member working to establish their own solo careers in different cities. The group played several sparsely populated shows together, including an appearance at South by Southwest. In 2013, the collective released an EP, titled The ASF EP. In 2014, AliveSinceForever collaborated on Abstract's debut studio album, MTV1987; Hemnani, Champion, Joba, Vann, Wood, HK, Ontenient, and Kiko Merley contributed to the record alongside Abstract.
2014-2016: Formation and early releases
In late 2014, Joba moved to San Marcos, Texas, to attend Texas State University. Several members of the group, including Abstract, moved with him. Abstract, who had grown frustrated with the lack of coordination in AliveSinceForever, decided to dissolve the collective. He invited select members of AliveSinceForever to move to San Marcos to form a new group, Brockhampton, named for the street Abstract grew up on in Corpus Christi.In January 2015, Brockhampton's debut single, "Bet I", was released alongside an accompanying video directed by HK and Franklin Mendez. By 2017, "Bet I" had been removed from all streaming platforms. "Bet I" was followed by "Hero" in June, and the same month the band were announced as the winners of the VFiles Loud Contest, winning them a professionally directed music video for their next sing, "Dirt", released through Fool's Gold Records. On March 24, 2016, Brockhampton released their debut mixtape, All-American Trash, for free. In November, Abstract released his sophomore studio album American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story, with Hemnani, Bearface, Joba, Albert Gordon, Ashlan Gray, Ontenient, HK, and Wood receiving credits on the album.
2017: Relocation to Los Angeles and ''Saturation'' trilogy
Immediately after the release of All-American Trash, the group relocated to a shared home in South-central Los Angeles. Around the same time, singer Rodney Tenor and producer Albert Gordon departed from the group, and photographer Ashlan Gray was invited to join. In January 2017, the group released the standalone single "Cannon" alongside the promise of solo projects from several members.On May 3, Abstract announced the group's debut studio album, Saturation. At the time of the announcement, no writing or recording had begun, and work on the project began immediately after the announcement. The album was entirely self-made by the group, with recording, mixing, and mastering all occurring almost entirely in the bands South Central home. For the next month, the group released the singles "Face", "Heat", "Gold", and "Star" on a weekly basis, with each song accompanied by a music video directed by Abstract and filmed in South Central. Also in May, Brockhampton were announced to be the subject of the Viceland 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.
Following the release of Saturation, the group moved out of their house in South Central to a new home in North Hollywood. Before work on Saturation had finished, a follow-up, Saturation II, was announced. Similarly to Saturation, the album was made at the groups home in North Hollywood. "Gummy", "Swamp", "Junky", and Sweet" were released on a weekly basis from August 1 to August 22. This was followed by the surprise release of non-album single "Follow" on August 22. Saturation II was released on August 25 to further acclaim and attention. On September 3, the group embarked on their first national tour, Jennifer's Tour, in support of Saturation I and Saturation II.
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, "Boogie". 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, removal of Ameer Vann, 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. 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.In May, Vann was accused of sexual and domestic abuse by singer-songwriter Rhett Rowan and another unidentified woman. Although Vann admitted to being mentally and verbally abusive, he denied allegations of sexual abuse. Abstract responded to the allegations on May 24, asserting that he was unaware of Vann's actions and that Vann would be held accountable by the group. He also hinted towards Puppy being delayed from its original release date. 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. 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.
After Vann's removal, the collective traveled to Hawaii to regroup and rework their fourth studio album. During this time, the group wrote the song "Tonya". On June 20, the band appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, in their late-night television debut, and their first performance since announcing Vann's departure. They debuted "Tonya", accompanied by guest vocalists Jazmine Sullivan, Ryan Beatty and Serpentwithfeet, 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. The next month the group announced a Beats 1 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. 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, recorded over ten days at Abbey Road Studios, 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, concluding on December 6, 2018, in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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.