BROCKHAMPTON - GINGER
Additional Editing by Anouska Liat
Unifying in the burrows of a Kanye fan forum, BROCKHAMPTON were a hip-hop collective destined for superstardom after the fabled SATURATION trilogy (and still are), but 2018 dragged them all into a state of turmoil. After the eviction of sexual misconduct-accused member Ameer Vann and the divisive iridescence album, the self-proclaimed ‘boy band’ abandoned plans for a second trilogy and took a breather. That being said, fans were still adequately supplied. De-facto leader Kevin Abstract’s third album ARIZONA BABY serves as a primer to some of the sounds and ideas on the full group’s sixth project, GINGER.
Specifically, elements such as indie-rock flourishes on ‘Georgia’ (courtesy of Jack Antonoff) and airy dream-state of ‘Corpus Christi’, glittering with electronics, extend themselves into an album that looks to observe what made the SATURATION records such a spectacle. A look at the album art shows two figures hugging, one being band member Joba with his distinctive coloured mullet, and the other having the same shaved head as SATURATION-era Joba. Could this be symbolic of a reconnection with the spirit that coursed through that time period? A binary answer won’t suffice.
Contrary to the bursts of energy that race out the gate on previous LPs, GINGER lifts the curtain to a double-helping of R&B throwbacks with a dark twist - ‘NO HALO’ brings short verses that touch down on individual mental troubles atop a guitar-twanged beat. A particular highlight is Matt Champion’s introductory tale in which he sees the reality of a failed relationship, told in a tone that is bereft of the youth and attitude seen in their earlier tracks and this continues into ‘SUGAR’. With voices all masked in autotune, the track throws it back to classic Timbaland, allowing a filtered guitar lick to loop forever. Although it may appear to be laidback and sensual, the content is anything but. Each of them is desperate for companionship, be it through a friend or lover, to balance them in a continued difficult situation. Resident lyricist Dom McLennon describes their feelings perfectly: “My instability's trademark, copy-written in all my decisions”. BROCKHAMPTON’s opening one-two punch shows that the boys have had to grow up quickly to face their misfortunes.
Sonically, a bulk of the beats on GINGER feature oodles of bass and a slow kick-snare drum pattern, informing the more vigorous posse cuts that could be construed as “the bangers”. ‘IF YOU PRAY RIGHT’ is the Everest point of these types of songs on the album, from Dom’s boastful bars to Kevin’s twisted pitched-shifted outro, every rapper lends their unique edge to the overall shape of the piece.
‘I BEEN BORN AGAIN’ is another great group workout, tackling the ghostly instrumental with buoyancy; Merlyn Wood even exclaims one of his many Merlyn-isms - “she so bad, I let her touch my butt!”. The off-kilter Latin flip on ‘BOY BYE’ sets the scene as each rapper carries their portion of the track’s length like a well-drilled relay team, surprisingly passing it to Slowthai on the next song. ‘HEAVEN BELONGS TO YOU’ is essentially a guest verse from the British rapper that preprises ‘IF YOU PRAY RIGHT’ (together completing the Nina Simone reference) and though he doesn’t bring along his best bars, his slurred cadence adds another dimension to the same subdued sounds as the parent track.
For the hip-hop side of GINGER, central beatmakers Jabari and Romil have produced a bare aura that invites lyricism to be upfront, but for several songs the range of sounds and ideas on the musical front is frustratingly limited - enough to experience déjà vu. ‘ST. PERCY’ offers nothing more than alien sound effects for a unique selling point, sitting uncomfortably close to ‘I BEEN BORN AGAIN’’s sinister groove. Thankfully, BROCKHAMPTON fair better with genre switch-ups than sonic brevity on this project, leading to one of their most revelatory, and important, works so far.
In a brand new venture for the clique, dream pop is meshed with rap to create a high-octane slow jam that finally addresses the loss of Ameer Vann. An array of heavy emotions coats the water-logged mix, all devoted to how the boys are still feeling the absence of one of their best friends. Meanwhile Kevin sounds departed, his deadpan delivery conveying the type of numbness only experienced after being betrayed by a lifelong partner. Though their sultry vocalist, Bearface, could have incorporated some breathtaking harmonies, Joba handles the hook well, using his falsetto to illustrate pain. However Dom’s verse breaches the other end of the scale, as his abhorrence spits out towards Ameer like hot grease. He questions his former bandmate’s true character, nodding back to when Ameer sent someone to rob one of Dom’s friends. Fury ignites a guitar solo taken from the fan-favourite ‘SUMMER’, snatching back a moment that Ameer was once a part of.
Despite offering a more cerebral listen, GINGER has the potential to stick in memory through all the noise of today’s rapid-fire release rate that the collective themselves arguably contributed to. The fifteen-piece find power in lyrical maturity and audial simplicity as their creative muse. To respond to an earlier question, BROCKHAMPTON are looking back at their most prosperous span of time, but they refrain from reaching out for it. Instead, GINGER marks the beginning of a new flame.