Wildfire
BROCKHAMPTON was an LA-based boyband formed in San Marcos, Texas in 2015.
In 2012, high school friends Ian āKevin Abstractā Simpson and Ameer Vann formed the hip-hop group AliveSinceForever. In 2013, they released their debut EP, The ASF EP. At this time, the lineup consisted of Kevin Abstract, Ameer Vann, Dom McLennon, MiC Kurb and Sage. At the end of 2014, ASF disbanded and later rebranded as BROCKHAMPTON with several new members, some of which were recruited through the Kanye West fan forum KanyeToThe.
Featuring a roster of creatives, BROCKHAMPTON boasts musicians, graphic designers, producers, and videographers who are combining their talents to grace us with a mix of content. BROCKHAMPTON was named after the street that Kevin Abstract grew up on in Corpus Christi, TX. BROCKHAMPTON founder Kevin Abstract said on VICELANDās American Boyband:
I made BROCKHAMPTON because I didnāt have any friends.
In 2015, their song āDirtā was released on A-Trakās Foolās Gold Records and it was a breakthrough moment in their career.
In 2016, they released their debut mixtape ALL-AMERICAN TRASH. However, it was in 2017 that the group started to gain popularity, when they started releasing singles to promote their debut album SATURATION (released in June 2017). Building upon the success of their debut, the band released SATURATION II (released in August 2017) and SATURATION III (released in December 2017). The band didnāt plan on releasing three albums in the span of a year, producer Romil Hemnani explained:
After a successful 2017, the band began to experience a few big changes. First, on March 30th, 2018, the band announced that they had signed to the RCA Record Label. Second, on May 27th, 2018, rapper Ameer Vann was dismissed from the band, after a series of sexual assault allegations. Finally, they followed up the SATURATION trilogy with their fourth album iridescence. The album was recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios and went on to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart. The bandās previous chart peak was with SATURATION III, which peaked at number fifteen. The release of iridescence also marks the beginning of a new trilogy of albums titled THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES.
On August 23rd, 2019, the band released their fifth full-length record, GINGER. The record seemed to put a halt on the THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES trilogy, as the record has no branding for the trilogy in its art like iridescence did.
During the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the band released singles weekly, which were summarized under the title Technical Difficulties, and announced the work on their sixth studio album.
On January 1, 2021 BROCKHAMPTON posted a video teasing new music to their Instagram. On March 10 a video titled āMEET THE ROADRUNNERSā was posted to their YouTube channel. Between then and the 22nd of March they had posted videos of Rick Rubin and RZA talking about their new album. On March 24 they released their single āBUZZCUT.ā On March 25 they announced their sixth album āROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINEā along with limited edition box sets and tickets to a livestreamable concert performed at Rick Rubinās Shangri La studio in Malibu, CA.
On January 15, 2022, the group took to social media to announce they would be taking an indefinite hiatus after the release fo their forthcoming studio album.
Current members:
- Kevin Abstract, singer, rapper, producer and filmmaker
- Matt Champion, rapper
- Merlyn Wood, rapper
- Dom McLennon, rapper and producer
- Russell āJobaā Boring, singer, rapper, producer, and mixing engineer
- bearface, singer, rapper and producer
- Jabari Manwa, producer, singer, rapper, and āvibe contributorā
- Romil Hemnani, producer and DJ
- Kiko Merley, producer
- Henock āHKā Sileshi, graphic designer and creative director
- Robert Ontenient, webmaster, producer, and skit vocalist
- Jon Nunes, manager
- Ashlan Grey, photographer, cinematographer and social media manager
Associates:
- Kevin Doan, app designer, VFX, production assistant
- Nick Guilmette, assistant
- Brian Kinnes, video director
- Ryan Beatty, vocalist
- Roy Blair, back-up singer for Kevin Abstract tour
- Milos Mihajlov, production assistant, skit vocalist
- Jaden Walker, stylist
- Nick Lenzini, stylist, designer
- Weston Freas, stylist, creative assistant
- Anish Ochani, manager
- Victor Roberts, vocalist
- Spencer Ford, video director
Former members:
- Ameer Vann, rapper (2014-2018)
- Rodney Tenor, vocals (2015-2016)
- Albert Gordon, production (2015-2016)
- Franklin Mendez, photography (2015)
- Titus Gilner, photography, creative direction (2015-2017)