Brockhampton’s Grand Finale
The last two albums from Brockhampton serve as a fitting conclusion to the band's short but significant career.
(Brockhampton, photo by Robert Gauthier.)
Is Brockhampton finally coming to an end? In December 2017, the group said that SATURATION III would be their last release. However, a $15 million offer for a three-album contract from RCA was too good to pass up. There was speculation that 2021's ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE would be Brockhampton's last album, yet 2022 saw not one but two farewell efforts from the group: The Family and TM. While Brockhampton's The Family was released as their last studio album, vocalist Kevin Abstract pitched TM as a parting present to fans, including previously unreleased songs from their 2021 sessions in Ojai, California, which bandmember Matt Champion executive produced to completion.
It intended to redefine the phrase "boy band" that Brockhampton was formed, and it has since revolutionized the music industry with its collective-based approach. They started with about 30 people, all of whom contributed in some way (cinematography, design, marketing, etc.). Kevin Abstract continues to serve as CEO despite the departure of Ameer Vann, another co-founder, due to claims of sexual misconduct. Brockhampton has ended its "indefinite break" with its last offerings after extensive reorganization, rerecording, and rehashing of their live performances. After the band's performance at Coachella (after which they canceled any further concerts), a trailer was released for their upcoming album, The Family, which shows Abstract talking to the team and explaining that he had made something that was "not a solo thing, it's a group album. It's about the group."
It's clear from listening to the project that the band members come from many walks of life and are interested in all kinds of music. Production-wise, it's a throwback to their Kanye West influences. Certain songs, such as RZA and Good Time, have samples reminiscent of West's early work, while others, such as Gold Teeth, are more in line with the darker tones of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Even Prayer, which draws from church, sounds like West's other vocal-heavy songs (i.e., Only One with Paul McCartney). In addition to a wide range of hip-hop genres, the album has two indie-influenced vocal tracks: the catchy Any Way You Want Me and the album's centerpiece, My American Life.
The Family perfectly captures Brockhampton's challenging climb to success. To his listeners' delight, Abstract does not hold back in his words. To illustrate that things weren't all flowers for these inventors, he referred to the 2018-deal, saying, "I wish I knew the day we signed it would change sh*t”(Brockhampton). Other lines include "I turned my friendship into a business into an empire" (The Ending) and "as the checks grew, it became harder to leave" (The Family). Like other boy bands before them, their legacy will endure even if they're no longer together. The hip-hop group's farewell album strikes a vibrant mix between thanks and modesty, serving as a fitting capstone to their short but significant career.