Brockhampton is a fairly unknown name among the world of popular music. Slowly the band is gaining fame through the help of Generation Y and Z. Over the past couple of years hip hop and rap have surged in popularity. This has brought out a wide variety of diverse bands and artists. Brockhampton is a great example of that, which collectively holds 15 members. Those 15 members include vocalists, producers, photographers and creative directors. The founder of the group is Kevin Abstract. He is a vocalist on most, if not all Brockhampton tracks. He also has released a solo album entitled American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story. Some other vocalists include Ameer Vann, Russell Boring (Joba), Matt Champion, William “Merlyn” Wood, Dom McLennon, and Cieran “Bearface” McDonald.

Brockhampton has not always held the name Brockhampton. In 2012 the band was known as Alive Since Forever, the EP for Alive Since Forever was released in 2013. In 2014 the band was disbanded then rebranded to the current Brockhampton. In 2015, they became active again, working on their EP All-American Trash. This is a moderately unknown album by Brockhampton. All-American Trash was released in 2016. Soon after they started work on their debut album Saturation. This earned them a growing fan base along with praise due to the diversity in the tracks. Within the same year they released two other parts of their three part album entitled Saturation ll and Saturation lll. There most current album Saturation lll skyrocketed them into the orbit of generation Y and Z. Each part of the album is similar, but also vastly different. The first Saturation installment offers assertive vocals and beat driven backgrounds on “GOLD,” “STAR,” “BOYS” and “BUMP.” While songs “FAKE” and “SWIM” offer more relaxed verses and lyrics. “GOLD” is obviously the most popular song on the album, if not one of their most popular songs out of all Saturation installments. “GOLD” holds the mostly diversity on the album housing the vocals of Abstract, Vann, Champion, Wood and McLennon. Saturation ll gives a lower level of intensity, with sunny vocals and animated raps. “GUMMY” is a good song to represent the overall vibe of the album, it carries five different voices that flow so seamlessly you cannot distinguish the separation in vocals. Senior Mitchell Kawaguchi says,“I really like the overall sound and beat of “GUMMY.” It has a really appealing beats and vocals.” All the varying ideas woven through the album makes it difficult to categorize Brockhampton as a hip hop group rather than a collective constantly innovating and expanding the world of music to new bounds.

Saturation lll contrasts so vividly compared to the other two installments. It showcases the highest amount of different vocalists out of all three. The album opener “BOOGIE” is filled with fast pace beats and positive lyrics discussing the goals and achievements of the band. Senior Mackenzie Azaiga says, “Saturation lll is what threw them into the public eye. It is so different in comparison to other hip hop albums, the sound the beat and even the cover is very off beat from the typical conceptions of hip hop and how it should look and sound.” As you scroll through the album the pace of the songs slowly winds down. “HOTTIE,” “STAINS,” and “BLEACH” are good examples of a transition to the more relaxed and creative parts of the album. Azaiga says, “My favorite song off of Saturation lll has to be ‘BLEACH.’ It’s so unique.” Saturation lll is overall the band’s most popular album and is the true creator of their current fan base. Junior Ally Salvador says, “The diversity and sound of Brockhampton is very unique. It is helping to open the doors for other diverse artists. The overall dynamic of this group is unlike any other. The combination of their voices and verses provide for such a different and enjoyable vibe.”

To many, Brockhampton is categorized as a hip hop group. However, lead vocalist Kevin Abstract has titled the group as a boy band. According to the Washington Post, “Brockhampton members adamantly refer to themselves as a boy band. And not just any boy band: the greatest boy band in the world. They proclaimed this during a sold-out show at the Fillmore Silver Spring. It’s an audacious statement, but Brockhampton has the bandwidth and confidence to attempt to support it.” Sophomore Reuben Doyle-New says, “I have never listened to a self-proclaimed boy band before, but I was pleasantly surprised when I listened to Brockhampton for the first time. Their new spin on what a boy band can be is really interesting.” Typically the name ‘boy band’ is associated with pop music. It is refreshing to listen to this original take on a not so original idea. Brockhampton is quickly adapting to be an entirely independent creative agency, recording label and an inventive band with dedicated fans all over the world. Slowly, they are changing the negativity that is associated with boy bands and hip hop.