Album Rewind: Brockhampton’s SATURATION

In July 2017, Brockhampton were a generally underground group. Kevin Abstract had some buzz and the hip-hop world was excited to see what the group had to offer, but they were nowhere near the sensation they are today. They had only released one previous project: All- American Trash, which was very amateur overall and didn’t offer anything close to what they 

would go on to create. 

That all changed on June 9th, 2017, with SATURATION, the first of three albums the group would release under the moniker that year. The album set the stage for everything the group is today. The chemistry formed with SATURATION created an extremely strong foundation for the group’s future and has a lot to do with their evolution as a group. 

Brockhampton gave the world something it had never heard before in SATURATION. The synthy, ultra-produced, yet somehow beautiful melodies littered throughout the tracklist are so creatively separate from where the genre as a whole was headed. They are able to create such distinctive music because every member can add something that makes them distinctive. They honed these skills perfectly on SATURATION. Any group of talented people can make a good song, but it takes chemistry to put together a full project. That chemistry is on full display throughout the album. 

To truly break down this project, we first have to look at the production. The trio of Romil Hemnani, Jabari Manwa, and Kiko Merley are the backbone of this album. They set the precedent for just how groundbreaking the album would be. They challenged the vocalists of the group to match their inventiveness with their lyrics. The producers create an electronic vibe that can be fine tuned to the mood of the song. For example, “2PAC” is a complete creation of the production. They alter Ameer Vann and Kevin Abstract’s vocals to create a laid-back, smooth break from the rest of the album’s louder themes. 

That isn’t to say the vocalists don’t shine on this album, because they absolutely do on every track. “GOLD” stands out because it has three of the best performances in any Brockhampton song from Matt Champion, Ameer Vann, and Dom McClennon. Champion shows off his silky flow and sets up Vann to deliver one of his greatest lines: “Grab life by the horns when I whip the Lambo.” He follows this up with a velvety verse of his own. He then passes it to McClennon, who shows us his lyrical finesse. He raps: “I feel like Ratatouille when I’m whippin’ the cheddar, you see, you better find the thickest of sweaters, ‘cause this ice might f*** up around and change your whole life.” This track might be the best representation of Brockhampton to this day. Three outstanding rap verses strung together by an incredibly catchy Kevin Abstract hook, all backed by an incredibly complex and creative beat. Every track on SATURATION has a standout performance, but only one has three.

It’s also important to talk about how SATURATION became the first major rap project to prominently feature a gay man who actively discusses his sexuality in his lyrics. Kevin Abstract broke barriers on SATURATION, which is extremely important in rap, which is generally known as a very homophobic genre. The fact that SATURATION was able to succeed as much as it did is a great testament to the changing climate within the genre. 
SATURATION set the table for every album that the group went on to release. Though it is much more rap-centric than anything else they have gone on to create, it gave them the confidence to spread their wings and become the completely genre-bending group they are today.