The Brockhampton Family Tree
7 artists thriving under their blueprint
As Brockhampton prepares to release their new album Roadrunner, I’m taking a look back at other groups that have popped up since their 2017 ascension. The “Brockhampton Family Tree” is really just a branch off of the Odd Future family tree, but what Brockhampton did differently was making and releasing music as a unit more than they did solo. While Odd Future did have tapes and shows together, the focus was always more on their solo work (musically at least). Wether the influence is intentional, or not, there seems to be a clear wave of rap groups that have sprung up in the years since Brockhampton popped onto the scene with their Saturation trilogy. These are some of the best ones that bring their own unique sound and style to the table.
Raised By The Internet
This group was one of the first to pop up after Brockhampton, and is the only one I can say for sure is influenced by them. Jelani Aryeh saw how Brockhampton formed on a Kanye West forum, and put out a similar call to action on an Odd Future subreddit. The call was answered by vocalists, producers, engineers, and visual artists. In execution though they function like Odd Future, operating as more of a collective than a boyband. They have one group project called Motherboard which has since been wiped off of streaming, but the tracks are still up on their Soundcloud page (with the exclusion of the closing track Malware, a six and a half minute track that is their only one to feature a verse from a majority of the members). Since they focus more on solo output, you’ll have to listen to a few tracks to get a full view of what this collective has to offer (can’t recommend enough the recent singles by Aryeh and Asha Imuno’s latest album). This track below, Kodachrome, was the intro to Motherboard and features vocals from Aryeh, Imuno, and Troi Blank.
Seeyousoon
I wrote about seeyousoon in one of my first What I’ve Been Listening To posts last year. That write-up was highlighting their debut album and in true Brockhampton fashion they already seem to be rolling out the follow-up (just speculating as there is no announcement, but they’ve dropped two new singles in the last two months). This 9-piece Florida group formed in 2018 after bonding through a shared love of artists from Mars Volta to Jadakiss. The debut album VIDÉ came in July 2020, bringing with it attention and acclaim from the internet. Their youtube channel will show you multiple high energy videos like this one that make sure to feature all members.
A.G. Club
Coming out of the Bay Area, A.G. Club has four core members that do all the production, vocals, writing, designs, and visuals. Though they come from the Bay Area, their group was born from almost a rejection of that area’s sound. They felt they stood out as others around them chased the sounds making waves in Oakland and San Francisco, while they focused on making the music that they wanted to make. Their first tape, Halfway Off The Porch, released in early 2020, and they just dropped their newest project FYE (FUCK YOUR EXPECTATIONS) Pt. 1 last week. They were also able to secure a remix to their most popular track Memphis with NLE Choppa & A$AP Ferg. Pay attention to this group that you might be a part of … according to them:
“It’s the Avant Garde Club. Everyone is in the club, unless you're not. AND YOU WILL KNOW IF YOU'RE NOT.” - A.G. Club for i.D. Magazine
Drop Dead XX
Drop Dead XX is a twelve person collective formed through a combination of in person and online relationships. The majority of the group was based in Kansas City, with other members hailing from Michigan, DC, Indiana, and the UK. They have a range of influences including Wu-Tang Clan, The Neptunes, Kanye, and The Cool Kids, but they would probably cite Odd Future as the biggest (some of the online relationships formed on an OF forum). They’ve acknowledged their Brockhampton comparisons during a podcast interview, but feel it’s mainly just because of the coincidental timing, and that they’ve had most of their ideas and influences happen independent from BH. To date they have two albums out, and an EP of b-sides that came out in 2019. Unfortunately, they’re on hiatus right now per their IG bio, and it’s unclear if this is permanent or temporary. This most likely comes on the heels of the group members seeing success with their solo work like BlackStarKids and Paris Williams (read my interview with Paris here!).
grouptherapy.
I wrote about this group in one of my recent What I’ve Been Listening To posts. But a summary of that write up would describe grouptherapy. as a 4-piece group of child actors/entertainment industry workers that are now working outside of the major label system in search of a more authentic sound. And by the looks of it, they found it. I’ve found grouptherapy. to have a really strong understanding of everyone’s role in the group. They know when to have everyone on a track, as well as when to have some people step into the spotlight for other tracks. Their first album “there goes the neighborhood” came out in 2020.
MONEYPHONE
MONEYPHONE doesn’t quite fit the criteria, as they’re just a duo, but in sound there is undeniable influence. Blending rap and bedroom pop with punchy drum/bass, some R&B crooning, and pitched vocals is basically the formula for most of the Saturation trilogy. MONEYPHONE is two high school friends from Toronto, both of whom can switch between vocals and producing. When they started making music, they had to carve out a lane for their sound in the city. To them, it felt like you had to choose between catering to the indie crowd or the OVO crowd to stand out. It seems they were able to tune out the noise and push through with their own sound. Their first EP TOLERANCE came out in 2017, and the debut mixtape FAITH* dropped in November 2020. FAITH* capitalizes on two years of work and a strong run of singles leading up to it, their most complete work to date.
99 Neighbors
99 Neighbors is the first rap group (or even solo rapper) I’ve ever heard of from Vermont, a state not well known for its rap scene. The 9-member group (mostly) grew up in the Burlington area, with some members going to high school together. They all joined forces after graduating and deciding to focus on music. In total there are four vocalists, two producers, a DJ (from Boston, the only non-VT member), a photographer, and a manager, but many group members wear multiple hats. The name comes from the first apartment some of the core members moved into that had an open door policy for local artists to come through and collaborate, where they found the members that rounded out the group. In 2019, after releasing their debut album Television January 1st, they signed a deal with Warner Records and Pat Corcoran (Chance the Rapper’s former manager). Since being signed, the group has been steadily releasing singles, and announced they will be performing at Bonnaroo this September.
Who’d I miss?