Brockhampton, the 13-member, experimental, hip-hop boy band originating from Texas, released its first studio album entitled “Iridescence” since member Ameer Vann’s departure from the group.

Brockhampton’s member Vann left due to sexual assault allegations out against him.


A possible nod to Vann’s departure came about in the album’s “Berlin” lyric, “Never asked for the drama but I’ll turn it into dollars.”

Although the album release on Sept. 21 is its fifth since the group’s first release “All-American Trash” in 2016, “Iridescence” marks the rebirth of the all-male, hip-hop group.

The album cover indicates its rebirth as well because the featured photo is a pregnant woman with a thermal filter; Brockhampton’s previous release “Saturation III” came out nine months before “Iridescence.”


This release meant to tell the story of Brockhampton’s journey to fame and of Brockhampton’s experiences with fame, which is evident in its 14th track “Tonya.”

Before its album release, Brockhampton accepted a $15 million deal with Sony’s RCA records which aided in boosting its fame.

Unfortunately, Brockhampton’s “rags to riches” message fell flat when they overloaded many of the songs on the album like “J’ouvert” with synth and lacked cohesion throughout the album.

The synth made it difficult to pay attention to the deeper meanings of lyrics like “Pulled my life out of dirt, that’s a miracle/

If Jesus was a pop star, would he break the bank?” of the first track “New Orleans.”

Members of Brockhampton did not always have $15 million at its disposal. Its newfound wealth made them question their values which seem to be influenced by religious upbringings.

They did not want to sell out and become like famous hip-hop artists who speak only of money and of fame.

Brockhampton conveyed this message in “Tonya” when they delivered lyrics like “There’s no money on my mind, but my money or my mind/ What’s the first to fall?/ I never wanted this s—, yeah.”

It is important to note that not every artist in the hip-hop genre, experimental or otherwise, starts out poor. It’s dangerous to assume such ideas when referring to an entire genre and the group of diverse individuals within it.

Not every member of Brockhampton dealt with poverty, but they can all relate to being discriminated against in one way or another which is essentially the point of their “nothings to somethings” narrative.

Then, the cohesion issue was made apparent when the angry vibe of “J’ouvert” shifted to a calmer R&B vibe in “Tonya.”

So many different thoughts and feelings melded together to make a discordant track listing of songs that fit more with either the group’s previous “Saturation” album trilogy or with its previous single releases like “1998 Truman.”

If the members made more solid decisions on which song belonged where, then they may have created two outstanding EPs.

One EP may house the chill tunes with some upbeat tunes while the other houses the songs with angrier vibes like “J’ouvert” along with singles like “1997 Diana” and “1998 Truman.”

Although Brockhampton had some catchy hooks and meaningful lyrics, its lyrical mastery was lost in the mixing done by so-called professionals. One memorable hook that almost saved the album was “She said, baby boy, why you lookin’ grimy as s—?” featured in “Berlin.”

Money does not always equate to better sound in Brockhampton’s case, however.

Hopefully, Brockhampton will not allow the “professional” individuals who are in charge of mixing and mastering to overshadow its lyrical genius in their upcoming releases.

Image courtesy of Samantha Chung