While millennials have grown up with boy bands like The Jonas Brothers, Hanson, N*SYNC and the Backstreet Boys, Gen Z is about to experience a boy band phenomenon that greatly contrasts to the choreographed, hunky pop groups every teenage girl knows and loves. As the self proclaimed ‘best boy band since One Direction,’ BROCKHAMPTON is growing momentum through a loyal online fan base that cannot get enough of their cohesive sound, raw energy and innovative outlook.
Origins
Photo by Eric Shih
The group started as the brainchild of Kevin Abstract, who began looking for members in a Kanye West online fan forum in 2012. Originally behind the name AliveSinceForever the group released their first EP out of Texas with four members.
Since then, the group has changed their name, moved to Los Angeles and grown to fourteen members forming a hip-hop collective made up of MC’s, producers, designers and artists. It’s a group focused on collaboration to produce a genre-bending sound like nothing we’ve ever heard before.
Diversity Creates Unity In Sound
The group is not shy to intertwine difficult subjects and political messages with fresh beats. With an array of skin tones and sexualities, BROCKHAMPTON’s music holds a message relevant to the social issues of our modern era.
Photo by Eric Shih
David Lokman, a Penn State sophomore and self-identified BROCKHAMPTON fan explains what makes the group different than other artists.“They have the ability to remain fluid and sound smooth even though they repeatedly switch up the tempos from song to song,” says Lokman. “It’s something groups like Kansas did back in the day, but nothing has been able to compare until the SATURATION albums came out.”
The team shares the same home in Los Angeles, where they produce music 24/7. With such an ambitious atmosphere of creatives, BROCKHAMPTON has put out three albums in 2017, SATURATION I, II and III, along with multiple ‘no-budget’ music videos containing fresh concepts and aesthetically strong visual art.
Expectations Of The Future
“I don’t think they can [change the music industry] at this point [in their career],” says Lokman. Although many BROCKHAMPTON fans seem to believe that they will change their sound, Lokman says that “the youth culture surrounding music is overly picky and kids don’t really listen to music the way they used to. To really change the scope of the industry the group would have to put out a complete album that explodes in popularity, which they haven’t achieved yet.”
Though not entirely well-known, BROCKHAMPTON has been making waves in the music industry after releasing their twenty-two minute music video, “Billy Star,” in December. The band is now rumored to be working on a full-length feature film shot by ‘house’ photographer Ashlan Grey. Their “Love Your Parents” 2018 tour is already on the road and will be coming to cities and festivals all across the United States, including Philadelphia on January 30. “At one point in the future I could see them having a great amount of influence,” says Lokman.
3 Comments