The ascension of Brockhampton

Don't want to see ads? Upgrade Now

By m_x_ 15 Dec 2017, 12:30pm

Brockhampton's Saturation trilogy is now complete and if you haven't heard about the boy band/creative collective before, now is the perfect time to explore their music (just don't call them a rap collective).

Brockhampton is proving to be an authentic and refreshing offering for those growing tired of disposable, manufactured music and wanting to reject the omnipresence of pop singers such as Drake or Taylor Swift.

Thanks to the prolific output of the collective, who released their debut album Saturation back in June 2017, it didn't take long for their music to catch everyone's attention on Last.fm, social media and through word of mouth. When they released Saturation II in August 2017 (debuting at No. 57 on the Billboard 200 independently), Brockhampton achieved the feat of climbing all the way to No. 3 on Last.fm's Top Artists chart, just below Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar. With Saturation III, Brockhampton have done it again by taking the No. 1 spot on our Top Tracks and Top Artists charts, proving that the stream of talent coming our way isn't over.

For those who want to know who is behind Brockhampton, we've compiled a cheat sheet below.

KEVIN Abstract (Ian Simpson)
Founder of Brockhampton. Rapper, singer-songwriter, director. From Corpus Christi, Texas. Born 16 July 1996.
Kevin is the mastermind behind Brockhampton, which he dreams of turning into a huge corporation inspired by the likes of Apple, Paramount and Def Jam. Among his influences, he cites Tyler, the Creator, Frank Ocean, Kurt Cobain, Kid Cudi, Justin Timberlake, Will Smith and Shawn Mendes.

AMEER Vann
Rapper. From Houston, Texas. Born 22 September 1996.
Ameer met Kevin in high school. His influences include King Krule, Earl Sweatshirt, Yeezus Christ, Beyoncé, Frank Ocean, MF DOOM, Eminem, Radiohead, Tool, Nucleus, BADBADNOTGOOD and Kevin Abstract.

MATT Champion
Singer, rapper, songwriter. From The Woodlands, Texas. Born 14 February 1995.
Matt met Kevin, Merlyn and Ameer in high school. Through his lyrics, Matt is known for talking against misoginy and violence towards women.

MERLYN Wood (William Wood)
Rapper. From Houston, Texas. Born 1 May 1996.
Merlyn is not your average rapper when it comes to delivery. Full of energy, he is one of the disrupting forces behind Brockhampton.

BEARFACE. (Ciarán Ruaridh McDonald)
Artist and producer. From Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Bearface is one of two Brockhampton members who aren't from the US (together with Jabari). In the early days of Brockhampton, he spent a lot of time and money flying back and forth from Ireland to the US, but he now has a 3 years visa.

ROB (Robert Ontinient)
Web developer and producer. From Miami, Florida.
On many of Brockhampton's tracks, Robert delivers intriguing skits in Spanish under the name of Roberto. This could be a way for the band to personify how it feels like when people don't understand them.

JABARI Manwa
Producer. One half of production duo Q3. From St. George's, Grenada. Born 3 September 1995.
Together with Bearface, Jabari is one of only two members who aren't from the US, coming from the capital of Grenada, a Caribbean island.

KIKO Merley (Isaiah Merriweather)
Producer. One half of production duo Q3. From Jacksonville, Florida and South Carolina. Born 2 March 1997.
Although he is one of the discreet members of the band, Kiko works together with Jabari on production to help create that special Brockhampton sound.

ROMIL Hemnani
Producer. From South Windsor, Connecticut.
Romil is one of Brockhampton's producer extraordinaires. He helped produce Kevin Abstract's debut album MTV1987 back in 2013.

DOM McLennon (Dominic Michael Simpson)
Rapper. From Hartford, Connecticut. Born 10 July 1992.
Although Dom keeps it low key, he bring some deep verses and lyrics to Brockhampton. Last October, he shared an open letter on self-harm and opened a support chat room called 'What Will We Be.'

JOBA (Russel Boring)
Artist, producer, and engineer. San Marcos, Texas. Born 5 August 1993.
Joba went to school with Kevin, Merlyn, Ameer, and Matt. They used to record at his house and Joba would charge them a fee, until Kevin asked him to join Brockhampton.

JON Nunes
Manager. Born 12 July 1992.
Jon is the manager of Brockhampton and an integral part of the band.

HK (Henock Sileshi)
Graphic designer and creative director. From Jacksonville, Florida.
When it comes to Brockhampton, HK leaves his mark on everything visual related. Rarely seen, HK has created designs and album covers for other artists such as Post Malone and A$AP Mob.

ASHLAN Grey
Photographer. From Glen Rose, Texas. Born 4 August 1995.

Together with HK, Ashlan is one of the most discreet members of Brockhampton, working behind the scene on all things visual while hiding behind the lens to deliver the unique aesthetic of the band.