BROCKHAMPTON redefines the American boyband for the 21st century

Hailing from San Marcos, Texas, BROCKHAMPTON identifies as an all-American boy band. Despite creating music that most would not consider a part of the "boyband" aesthetic, founding member Kevin Abstract (pictured below) insists on this title.   

 

Breaking the mold of the traditional 4 or 5 piece boyband, the group is a 15-strong collective of artists, rappers, filmmakers, and producers. Current members include Kevin Abstract, Ameer Vann, Matt Champion, Jabari Manwa, Kiki Merley, Ashlan Grey, Henock "HK" Sileshi, Merlyn Wood,
Ciaran Ruaridh McDonald aka Bearface, Robert Ontinyent, Romel Hemnani, Dominic Michael Simpson a.k.a. Dom McLennon, and Russell Boring aka JOBA. Most of BROCKHAMPTON's members are involved in multiple facets of the creative process. The sheer amount of talent present in this one group is astonishing to say the least. Because of the diversity of creative pursuits found between the band's members, BROCKHAMPTON is a self-sufficient machine. The band writes, records, and produces all of their own music and films, directs, and edits its own music videos.

However, what really sets BROCKHAMPTON apart from other boybands is the heterogeneity of their sound. They often seamlessly transition between sad boy crooning, trap-oriented rap, and experimental RnB. The band is inspired by and dependent on a largely collaborative style. After meeting on an internet forum for Kanye West, the members decided to move from Texas to LA and live in a house together. All of the time they are able to spend creating together has definitely paid off, as debut album SATURATION (first photo below) and sophomore album SATURATION II (second photo below) have seen massive success in the music community. 

While their process is informed by a spirit of collaboration, the band's individual members often rap about their personal experiences. The incredible thing about the diversity of voices represented by BROCKHAMPTON is that listeners get access to many perspectives within one track. For example, Kevin Abstract is often vocal about his experience as a gay man of color, while other band members rap about their own experiences navigating their intersectional identities. 

With the current political climate being what it is, it is empowering and important to see a band breaking the hegemonic structure of popular music. The amount of members and the complexity of the band's lyrics mean that BROCKHAMPTON is not a band that is necessarily instantly consumable to a massive public. It is rare for an American boyband to create such an authentic, unique sound, but BROCKHAMPTON is here to shatter everything you though you knew about the genre. Watch out, world.

Sources: 

https://i-d.vice.com/en_au/article/9kb3av/meet-brockhampton-the-internets-first-boyband

http://www.brckhmptn.com

http://www.thefader.com/2017/07/13/brockhampton-members-kevin-abstract-interview-saturation