

SATURATION
BROCKHAMPTON
In 2017, BROCKHAMPTON broke out in the most spectacular fashion. They released three full-length albums in one year, quite literally saturating the musical landscape. You would think that with that amount of music released in such a short time em that the music couldn't possibly be of a high quality, but that couldn't be further from the truth. The collective (at this time) had something like ten members all taking on various performing and producing duties; allowing them to divide and conquer. On top of that, each member seemed to have equal voice and opportunity within the group, something that boy bands or pop groups in general - at least in my memory - never really achieved to do. Every pop group always had the one or two most talented members take centre stage and the others were a glorified chorus/dance line. That is certainly not the case with BROCKHAMPTON, as every member of the group gets their time to shine. And I must stress that there are no weak links here.
There are so many vocal personalities within BROCKHAMPTON that make their music so incredibly fun and interesting to listen to. Kevin Abstract is witty and unapologetically gay. Ameer Van delivers very blunt, straight to the point, and often troubled bars. Merlyn Wood, the self-proclaimed Ghana Prince, always delivers a cartoonishly wild performance. You can count on Dom McLennon to provide a cerebral, socially conscious, and self-aware verse. Matt Champion often gets a laugh with his absurd rhymes. Joba is the group's wild card, who can easily swap between his melty vocal chops, manic screams, and animated raps. And lastly, there's Bearface, who appears the least across the trilogy, but whose soulful voice and guitar typically get the final word.
Of course that is only half of the collectives magic. Producers Romil Hemnani, Jabari Manwa, Kiko Merley, Joba, Bearface, and Kevin Abstract deliver one heater after another. What is truly amazing is the em of hip-hop sounds or eras these amazing musicians and producers are able to successfully pull off. There are tracks that are menacing and industrial, beats with a bit of a mischievous edge that is very reminiscent of Slim Shady, lavishly produced bling era hip-hop, west-coast g-funk, some boom-bappy jazz rap, a little neo-soul, and some sunny indie-pop. I get the sense that there is no sound or style that these fine gentlemen can't pull off as every track here is packed with so many fine details. Then when it comes together with the performers I previously mentioned, who flow over all these different beats with the confidence and charisma of industry veterans, it felt and very much still feels like a lightning in a bottle moment.
The first instalment of the SATURATION series gets off to an incredible start. HEAT is a dark and brooding industrial track that features some violent, villainish, manic, and paranoid bars from many of the collective's members. The following track GOLD does a complete u-turn and offers up a smooth and sexy vibe with an infectiously catchy hook provided by Kevin Abstract. Then there's STAR, which shows the groups sense of humour. Verses from Dom McLennon, Ameer Van, and Kevin Abstract are pumped full of references to celebrities and pop culture to often hilarious ends. The way Kevin Abstract delivers baited lines like “Heath Ledger with some dreads, I just gave my n**** head,” or “I don't fuck with no white boys 'less the n**** Shawn Mendes” so nonchalantly and fearlessly is kind of inspiring. Remember, hip-hop has had a history of being homophobic, and while things are looking up, some of those views still persist (look at DaBaby's comments during one of his recent shows). Kevin Abstract is not the first to rap openly and honestly about his identity, but it's always nice to see more; a sentiment he shares later on a future track called JUNKY.
An unlikely hit for me is the song CASH which has a mysterious vibe of sorts. We have this guitar that sounds like it is aimlessly plucking away at open strings, just letting them all ring out to create this interesting overlap that is not quite harmonious, but not necessarily dissonant either. I also really love how the beat drops out for the first set of verses and comes back in for the hook with those heavy 808 bass hits. I love Abstract and Merlyn's verses as the former talks about being ready to defend one-self in a racist and homophobic area while the latter touches frustratingly upon gentrification, the commodification of black culture, stereotyping, and subjugation of black people. Joba ends the track with a wistful summarization, “me against the world.”
There are so many great songs on here, but SATURATION also features some of my least favourite songs on the trilogy. The sleepy TRIP is not as detailed or interesting as the rest of the instrumentals here, and also features an awkward example of pitch-shifted or otherwise synthesized vocals. Also, on a record with so many sticky hooks, BANK unfortunately comes up short from being one of the album's most memorable.
8.3
Standouts: HEAT, GOLD, STAR, SWIM, CASH, MILK
Hip-Hop (2017) QUESTION EVERYTHING. Reviewed October 25th, 2021


SATURATION II
BROCKHAMPTON
The sound of SATURATION II is informed a little more by classic hip-hop sounds, when compared to the first instalment. However, instead of just ripping off those sounds, some of which are a little dated by this point, BROCKHAMPTON elevates them to their incredibly high standard of production. Ushering these sounds back into the modern hip-hop landscape. The opener, GUMMY, has this classic g-funk sound thanks to the use of a saw wave synthesizer lead that is definitive of that style. SWAMP is an infectiously lavish piece of late 90s, early 2000s bling era rap. I'm talking Jay-Z, Big Pimpin vibes. TOKYO is also quite lavish, but I also hear a little bit of 2000s era Timberlake, funk and pop, especially in the fantastic baseline.
SATURATION II is by far the most solid of the three albums and includes most of the band's greatest songs. GAMBA, a very Kanye inspired electro R&B cut, is one of them. For a collective that was supposedly formed through the KanyeToThe fan forum, I'm surprised I don't hear more Kanye West in their music, but I digress. This track has so many wonderfully moody synth pads throughout, some guitars slipping and sliding around, making a fairly interesting racket in the background. The application of pitch and formant shifting on this track is done quite tastefully when compared to TRIP on the last record. The track progresses to incorporate some really odd sounds. We have a great vocal line which may be performed by Bearface, but I am unsure as it is treated with a great deal of vocal manipulations to give it a very feminine quality. There are also these screeching sounds that inject quite a bit of tension into the track.
JUNKY is another one of my favourite tracks thanks to the almost horrifying instrumental and the troubled verses delivered by many of the groups members. Kevin Abstract kicks it off by rapping over this unsettling plinky melody; again being open and honest about his sexuality. He heartbreakingly shares some of his family dynamic, specifically about how his mom was initially not supportive of him being gay and how that opinion has somewhat disappeared since he is now earning money to support his family. The end of his verse is stunning. “Where I come from, n***** get called faggot and killed” he raps before he declares that he will stand defiantly in the face of his opposition, even if he gets cut down. He is played out with a wash of noise and confusion before the melody returns, bolstered by a nasty set of percussion. Ameer Van takes over delivering a delirious and schizophrenic verse. Later on, Matt Champion denounces toxic, predatory men that commit acts of sexual violence towards women because they feel entitled. So much ground is covered on just this one track, therefore earning my distinction as the best song in the trilogy.
The only song on this album I didn't particularly care for was the final track, SUMMER. The Bearface led neo-soul track is not terrible, but does run a little plain. And while this is Bearface's bread and butter, I find his voice in this context to be a little slurred and incoherent. Just about every other track, however, is not just good, but stellar. Another batch of expertly produced songs that have a little more of a familiar footprint as far as the types of flavours the band was aiming for. This record features some of the most light-hearted and fun moments, and simultaneously some of the band's darkest. SATURATION II, to summarize, is just an incredibly well rounded record and easily their best.
8.8
Standouts: GUMMY, SWAMP, TOKYO, JUNKY, FIGHT, SWEET, GAMBA, SUNNY
Hip-Hop (2017) QUESTION EVERYTHING. Reviewed October 25th, 2021


SATURATION III
BROCKHAMPTON
The last instalment in the trilogy tends to meet somewhere in the middle of the first two records. There are some classic familiar sounds on a couple of tracks, but also some stuff that is quite daring and fresh. It kicks off with BOOGIE, a raucous party rager. The saxophone on the instrumental is so aggressive and there's also heavy resonant bass behind it. Each member of the group has a short opportunity to say what they need to say and it results in some pretty quotable lines. Likening the band's music to a skin infection that leads to incessant scratching, declaring that they are the best boy band since One Direction, and Joba saying that he breaks necks like a chiropractor are just a few examples of the hilariously fun and wild lines on this cut. The following track, ZIPPER brings back the mischievous Eminem vibes even harder as Joba raps in a goofy inflection over some saloon styled piano.
One of my favourite tracks on this record follows. JOHNNY is a really smooth piece of jazz rap that has some fantastic down stroked guitar chords and muted trumpet. I love Kevin Abstract's opening verse here despite how uninterested he is in sticking to a particular topic. He rebounds from talking about his preference in men, to being thankful that he is an independent artist, to trying to get Harry Style's phone number, and ends with how he doesn't have much of a relationship with his mom. Sure it is a little all over the place and unfocused, but every line hits and is incredibly quotable. Later on this song, we get a very personal verse from Joba. It is perhaps the first time he is so open and honest on record, and it is somewhat an opening of the flood gates as Joba would go on to deliver many more introspective verses. On this track, Joba comes off incredibly self-loathing, praying that he can somehow get his act together. There is also a clever line during his verse: “I spin a little wheel when I'm feelin' moody,” which may not make sense in the moment, but is later confirmed to be about his multiple personality disorder.
That confirmation comes on the album's most futuristic and hard hitting track, SISTER/NATION. This highlight opens with an upbeat bass synth line and Merlyn Wood going off. When Joba comes in, he reveals a little more about his mental health in a terrifyingly candid manner. He suggests a past that was violent, fuelled by drugs, and a soul ultimately drowned out by the voices that plagued his mind. When the beat comes in, it is unlike anything I've ever heard before. Thin ticking percussion motoring away, clapping snares acting like a compass so as to not get lost, and steam powered crash cymbals that ring out for a short while before being clamped. This isn't even the most puzzling moment on the entire song, but I'll leave that for you to explore. There's a brief intermission in the form of a steady sine wave tone before the song comes back in; a slower, more enveloping atmosphere that feels analogous to the first half, but still very much in the future.
This record has some really high moments, more high moments than the first one I think. However, SATURATION III has a few songs that would end up towards the bottom of my BROCKHAMPTON tier list. Tracks like BLEACH, RENTAL, and the closer TEAM I find underwhelming when compared to the high energy, high conflict, occasionally volatile cuts on this record and the rest of the trilogy. Despite the few underwhelming points, and I stress the word few, BROCKHAMPTON's SATURATION trilogy is undeniably an important moment in hip-hop history. We have an insanely talented and diverse collective who are all given equal opportunity to share their unique voices and make their mark on the BROCKHAMPTON legacy. Whether it's the music, visuals, marketing, whatever, it was all done in house and independent of any labels. Let's also not forget that the collective was able to release three amazing projects in the em of just one year, meaning that SATURATION marks one of the most creatively prolific runs of any hip-hop act ever. Sadly, after the release of this trilogy, Ameer Van left the group amidst some pretty awful allegations. This seemed to rock the group in a way where they couldn't really recover. The music was not as colourful, more minimal, seemingly less inspired than the material found here. In any case, all that transpired after can't take away from this amazing achievement.
8.4
Standouts: BOOGIE, ZIPPER, JOHNNY, STUPID, ALASKA, SISTER/NATION
Hip-Hop (2017) QUESTION EVERYTHING. Reviewed October 25th, 2021