The 13-member Brockhampton collective are usually described as a pan-racial, non-heteronormative, self-proclaimed boy band, a rap group born on the internet and destined for pop domination. All of this obscures what Brockhampton truly is: a savvy, decent alternative rap group who understands the modern cyber-grind. Their output is staggering, a perfect model for the era of content: In two years theyve released five albums, 20+ music videos, and have starred on their own Viceland TV show. Fifth album Gingeris more proof that they have absorbed all the Very Now signifiers of Very Now rap: tales of depression, melody, occasional SoundCloud distortion, Kanye-style diaristic writing, memes, Three 6 Mafia samples, ASMR and post-Tumblr-era aesthetics.
Their music approach onGinger is truly omnivorous, blasting out shards of acoustic guitar and sideways techno, murky R&B and bars-centric lyricism, at times evoking artists as diverse as Childish Gambino, Travis Scott, Rex Orange County, Pharcyde, Goodie Mob, Bon Iver and Sage Francis. The groups vocalists polyglot/leader Kevin Abstract, the skills-centric Matt Champion and Dom McLennon, the melodic Joba and Bearface and the hyperkinetic wildcard Merlyn Wood take turns exploring mental health, relationships, addiction, and their faith in God. However, they rarely take these topics too far past surface level brushes, resulting in a lot of talking sad and saying nothing. More than 25 years after Scarface spit scene-setting lines like I sit alone in my four-cornered room staring at candles, we get hazy emo sentiment like Better days follow me like the saddest song (Love Me for Life) and Trauma the price for the patience/Character shaped like an arc (Boy Bye).
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For his part, McLennon is the stand-out MC here, diving deepest into his struggles with mental health and performing the albums boldest showcases of lyrical rhyme-writing: On If You Pray Right, he raps Sending out projections with prejudice/My attention to detail is in scale with classic impressionists/So the lesson is that prerequisites are irrelevant to my standards/Its a deficit in your sentiment, you better learn to mind all your manners. McLennon closes out Dearly Departed, a song that the internet seems to agree is about ex-Brockhampton member Ameer Vann, who was booted from the group last year after multiple accusations of sexual misconduct. McLennons verse is raw and venomous, ending with a voice-cracking motherfucker and what sounds like a mic drop or headphone drop. However the rest of the song doesnt hold the same weight, Joba singing the bathetic cry Dearly departed/Look what youve started/Ive been so heartless/I try, I try I try and then belting out Whyyyyyyyyyyy
The most evocative moment onGingercomes from new associate Victor Roberts II, who closes the album with an eponymous story-song about childhood trauma. The lede is absolutely stunning, maybe one of the years best: My fuckin Power Rangers couldnt protect me from that LAPD kick, though. His first-person narrative hits extra hard after an album of vague alienation.