As someone who doesn’t traditionally gravitate towards rap or hip-hop music, I think Brockhampton is particularly creative because they deliver a fresh and honest approach to the genre of music through the way they make music and the content they address in their lyrics.
Instead of talking about money, drugs, girls, etc. like most hip-hop/rap artists, Brockhampton uses their childhood and life experiences to drive the themes in their music—such as being black, homosexual, a delinquent, experiencing drug abuse, issues with family, and the importance of friendship. In addition, they don’t stick to the typical bass-thumping and synthesized aesthetics but instead aren’t afraid to venture in to different sounds and instruments, like a string-quartet for example. Other than describing them as a hip-hop-rap group, their sound is hard to pin down because it is so unique.
Their newest album, Iridescence is the most experimental and funky compared to their previous albums and singles. In an interview featured on the Abbey Road Studios YouTube account, Kevin talks about how they wanted the album to be completely different compared to the Saturation trilogy, because they “wanted it to be a breakaway from what people know [them] as”.
If you want to check out the album…. my favorite songs are HONEY, VIVID, SAN MARCOS, TONYA, and NEW ORLEANS.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brockhampton_(band)
I found this post super interesting, I love the band Brockhampton but I didn't know a lot about their background or creative process til now! I thought it was really interesting how you mentioned their process uses a lot of "flow," I think you're absolutely right. Especially considering what a massive volume of music Brockhampton has released in just a couple of years, I think it makes a lot of sense that the only way they've been able to accomplish this is by getting into a flow state to quickly make a lot of creative and unique music.
ReplyDeleteI honestly had been meaning to listen to Brockhampton for a while. All my friends listen to them and rave about how unique and creative their sound is. This article was the push I needed to finally listen to them, and boy am I happy I did. I am a sucker for hip hop or rap that strays from the mainstream norm. What I found with Brockhampton was exactly that. There are so many different levels to their music and your comment on the use of "flow" really helps to explain how they accomplished this. You really get the feeling that no idea was ignored. Everyone put something into this album and you can see the collective creative capabilities of a group of people building on top of each other. The result is some amazing music.
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't consider the boy band type at all, your mention of drug abuse in their lyrical themes immediately made me think of my favorite metal band, Lamb of God who wrote their second album on the singer's alcohol addiction. Much like Brockhampton, their album at the time was considered quite experimental and edgy compared to their contemporaries
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