Brockhampton (band)

Brockhampton was an American boy band/rap collective   founded in 2014 in San Marcos, Texas. Led by Kevin Abstract and formed partially through the online music discussion forum KanyeToThe, the group's final line-up consisted of vocalists Abstract, Matt Champion, Merlyn Wood, and Dom McLennon, vocalists/producers Joba, Bearface, and Jabari Manwa and producers Romil Hemnani and Kiko Merley, as well as graphic designer Henock "HK" Sileshi, photographer Ashlan Grey, web designer Roberto Ontenient (who also featured prominently in voice skits), and manager Jon Nunes.

After releasing the mixtape All-American Trash in 2016, the group achieved critical acclaim and commercial success with the studio albums Saturation, Saturation II, and Saturation III, which were released in quick succession from June to December 2017. In March 2018, the group signed to RCA Records, and in May founding member Ameer Vann 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 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". 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 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", in what the group called an effort to redefine the term.

2009–2014: AliveSinceForever
Although not all of them were a part of the original group, Kevin Abstract, Ameer Vann, Joba, Matt Champion, and Merlyn Wood met as teenagers, as they all attended The Woodlands High School in The Woodlands, Texas. 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 websites various sections before being brought together by Abstracts 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, 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 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. On March 24, 2016, Brockhampton released their debut mixtape, All-American Trash, 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 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. 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 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", "Gold", and "Star" receiving videos 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, 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. Saturation II 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". 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" 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 23rd, pre-orders began for the Saturation Boxset, a physical collection including Saturation, Saturation II, and the yet-to-be officially announced Saturation III. 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". 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. 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.

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. 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, 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, 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 in 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.

2019: Ginger
In April 2019, during the press cycle for Abstract's solo album Arizona Baby, 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. 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 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. On August 26, the band announced via Instagram and Twitter they would begin their Heaven Belongs to You Tour, with openers Slowthai and 100 gecs, from October to December 2019 in support of the new album.

The band made its first appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on September 6, 2019, performing "Sugar" and "Boy Bye", though the latter was not televised. Later that same day, they performed "No Halo" with Deb Never on Jimmy Kimmel Live! The group was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where they were interviewed and then performed "Sugar" with Ryan Beatty 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, American singer Jon B 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 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. 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 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, 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 and Dominic Fike. 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: Disbandment, 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. They played their final headline show on February 8, 2022, the second of two consecutive nights at the Brixton Academy. 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, 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 in Los Angeles.

Artistry and image
Brockhampton was a self-described "boy band", so-called in an effort to redefine the term. Complex 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 – vocals, production, video direction, creative direction (2010−2022)
 * Dom McLennon – vocals, production (2011−2022)
 * Kiko Merley – production (2011–2022)
 * Romil Hemnani – production, recording engineering, disc jockey (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 – 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 – vocals (2014−2022), production (2022)
 * Jabari Manwa – production (2015–2022), vocals (2020−2022)
 * Ashlan Grey – photography, webmaster (2016–2022)

Former members

 * Ameer Vann – vocals (2010−2018)
 * Rodney Tenor – vocals (2010−2016)
 * Albert Gordon – production (2014–2016)
 * Anish Ochani – management (2010–2017)

Discography
Studio albums
 * Saturation (2017)
 * Saturation II (2017)
 * Saturation III (2017)
 * Iridescence (2018)
 * Ginger (2019)
 * Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine (2021)
 * The Family (2022)
 * TM (2022)

Filmography
Music videos are listed under the group's discography.