BROCKHAMPTON was an American hip-hop band and collective founded in 2010 in San Marcos, Texas. Self-described as a boy band, the group was led by Kevin Abstract and was partially formed through the online Kanye West fan forum “KanyeToThe.” The group was known for their diversity not only in their lyrics and sound, but in their membership.
BROCKHAMPTON consisted of Abstract in addition to vocalists Matt Champion, Merlyn Wood, and Dom McLennon; vocalists/producers Joba, Bearface, and Jabari Manwa, and producers Romil Hemnani and Kiko Merley. The group also included graphic designer Henock “HK” Sileshi, photographer Ashlan Grey, web designer Roberto Ontenient, and their manager, Jon Nunes. Kevin Abstract has argued that there are additional figures working behind BROCKHAMPTON besides the official members.
Abstract’s band AliveSinceForever, founded on the KanyeToThe forum, disbanded at the end of 2014, with some members remaining to rebrand as BROCKHAMPTON. Their debut single, “Bet I,” was released in January 2015 (it was removed from all streaming platforms in 2015), with their second single, “Hero,” releasing that June.
Later that month, BROCKHAMPTON won the VFiles Loud Contest, with their prize being a professionally-directed music video for their next single “Dirt,” released on Fool’s Gold Records. In March 2016, the group released their debut mixtape, All-American Trash. Their debut full-length album, Saturation, was released in June 2017 to critical acclaim. The second and third parts of the Saturation trilogy were released in August and December 2017 respectively.
In March 2018, it was announced that BROCKHAMPTON had signed with Sony’s RCA Records. Their fourth studio album, Puppy, was delayed following sexual misconduct allegations against founding member Ameer Vann, who denied the allegations. In May 2018, the group announced that Vann was no longer in the group, resulting in a cancellation of the remainder of their tour dates and festival appearances.
Their first album following Vann’s exit (and their major label debut), Iridescence, was released in September 2018 following the release of several singles that summer. It debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200, making it BROCKHAMPTON’s first chart-topping album.
Their fifth album, Ginger, was released in August 2019 and debuted at No. 3 on the US Billboard 200. Album single “Sugar” became the group’s first true hit, debuting at No. 70 on the Billboard Hot 100.
BROCKHAMPTON’s sixth album, Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine was released in April 2021 to positive reception. Kevin Abstract announced that another BROCKHAMPTON album was planned to be released in 2021. It was delayed until 2022 before BROCKHAMPTON announced an indefinite hiatus on January 14, 2022. The band indicated that their performance at Coachella that April would be their final performance.
