Number 33: Saturation II by BROCKHAMPTON
Release: August 25th, 2017
Genre: Hip-Hop
Favorite Tracks: Swamp, Sweet, Jello
Where I heard it:
For as long as I can remember, I've generally turned a deaf ear toward mainstream music the kids listen to these days. My strategy usually involves letting a few years pass to filter out the forgettable and pan out the gold nuggets that reside among the vast sea of content released every day. For the most part, it's a successful practice that introduces me to some of today's premiere artists I'd have otherwise passed up on. The drawback is that I don't get to engage with fans during a release's initial run, the most potent time to discuss among the community. Fortunately for me, I discovered BROCKHAMPTON right at the precipice of their explosion in popularity. Initially, I was hesitant to dive in when one of my best friends introduced me to BROCKHAMPTON as a new boyband that was lighting it up. With my limited knowledge of boybands that included squeaky clean acts like NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys, I had no idea what to expect when my friend pulled up the video for their song Heat for me around Christmas of 2017. My expectations were immediately blown away by the heavy beat sample and aggressive verses from the band's multiple performers. I was then informed that BROCKHAMPTON were currently in the midst of an album trilogy that spanned over the course of a year. I couldn't believe that a band would achieve such consistency after Green Day's failed attempt at the concept with Uno, Dos, and Tre, but the Saturation saga proved me entirely wrong. While I have a soft spot for all three albums, Saturation II takes the cake for me personally.
Aiming with they keyboard
They shootin' uppercase
I'm bookin' tour dates
Money in the suitcase
Commander and the chief like Barack Hussein
Same nigga, two names
I am onto new things
Flyin' outta Houston
Lemme say a few things
I don't give a fuck about you or your screen name
I'ma be a star even if I say the same things
Cause them same things keep me on the wavelengths
~ Chick
What to expect:
BROCKHAMPTON is about as unconventional with their approach to the boyband model as you can get. Unlike modern pop groups like One Direction and the Jonas Brothers, BROCKHAMPTON favors bombastic hip-hop bangers that emulate artists like Kanye West in their production and songwriting methods. There do exist components to the group that remain faithful to traditional boybands, such as their collection of performers with unique personalities that bring a different flavor to every song. Saturation II also contains dreamy, melodramatic ballads that demand the most of the band apart from their ability to rap well. These sections of the album like Jesus and Sunny are some of the most engrossing parts of the album, revealing a more intimate side that is often unseen in hip-hop. Finding their strength in numbers, BROCKHAMPTON totals an impressive thirteen members consisting of six producers and seven vocalists during their Saturation run, each with their own sound and flow that define each individual performance. Dom McLennon and Ameer Vann take inspiration from gangsta rap, recounting harrowing tales of Ameer's time dealing drugs and Dom's violent upbringing with guns. Kevin Abstract and Matt Champion take a more down-to-Earth route in their lyrics, getting in touch with their emotions and reactions towards the changing world around them. Merlyn Wood, Joba, and Bearface all offer an interesting variety of styles between their occasional features. While Joba is often used alongside Bearface for their beautiful vocal harmonization, Joba and Merlyn deliver some of the boldest bars of the whole record in the limited verses they have. Operating like a modern day Wu-Tang Clan, BROCKHAMPTON wisely structures their verses to balance the representation of every member on Saturation II, fairly distributing the artists' time in the spotlight. Despite the obvious talent BROCKHAMPTON possess as a whole, every fan will naturally gravitate their tastes toward one of the group's seven performers. That's a large part of the draw for these guys; there's a lot to love among their eclectic conglomeration that shows in the passion they have for their material. It takes special minds to release three albums in a year, let alone make them all sound good.
You know like closet niggas, masc-type
Why don't you take that mask off?
That's the thought I had last night
"Why you always rap about bein' gay?"
Cause not enough niggas rap and be gay
Where I come from, niggas get called 'faggot' and killed
So I'ma get head from a nigga right here
And they can come and cut my hand off and my legs off
And I'ma still be a boss 'til my head gone
~ Junky
Why it's my favorite:
Over the course of BROCKHAMPTON's mainstream career, the group experienced plenty of turbulence between a shady recording contract and controversies surrounding allegations of sexual violence against Ameer Vann that they were able to withstand until their sudden dissolution in late 2022. It's still hard for me to believe that I was present for the majority of the journey, starting with the Saturation trilogy through the departure of Ameer and rebranding of the band moving forward. After the two concerts I attended of theirs, I was convinced that BROCKHAMPTON would be the next great band to explode on the scene in the coming years. Today, it's all but certain we've seen the last of BROCKHAMPTON in this form. The reality hit me like a ton of bricks when the band revealed they would be on a hiatus that eventually led to their disbandment. While the group who made these tracks may be gone, the music that created so many wonderful personal memories of carefree summers with the homies lives on. When I listen to Saturation II, I'm instantly transported back to that period of my life where BROCKHAMPTON's new release was the most important thing I had to worry about. It wasn't all that long ago, but it feels like a world away from me half a decade later. Now that it's all over, I have so much more appreciation for BROCKHAMPTON's accomplishments than I did during their years of activity. Sometimes, you don't know what you've truly got until it's gone. BROCKHAMPTON was something too special to last forever, and I'll never forget the way they improved my friendships for the better.
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