It’s fall 2011, and my 18 year old self is wandering through the streets of Philadelphia, a freshman at a catholic university in the suburbs, trying to locate the venue where Odd Future would perform that night. I didn’t know what to expect from their show – I had only seriously listened to them for a few months at that point. Their music was inconsistent, and at times off putting. I felt uncomfortable liking a lot of it. But there was an unmistakable energy, a magnetism that I couldn’t ignore. The energy was present that night, as I found myself deep in the mosh pit for the next 2 hours. It took some time for me to process the movement I was immediately apart of. I hadn’t planned on dancing myself dehydrated that night. I hadn’t planned on spending $100 on merch. I hadn’t planned on crowd surfing to the stage and diving off into the sea of screaming fans. I got swept up in the electricity of the whole Odd Future insurgency. I saw them again that summer, playing at the Best Buy Theatre in Times Square, this time with Earl Sweatshirt and Frank Ocean completing the collective on stage. These guys were undoubtedly having a moment, and it was bliss to be a part of it from the beginning.

It’s winter 2018, and I find myself adjacent to a similar hip hop insurgency, a group that has taken the OF blueprint and tweaked it to perfection. My impulse purchase of a last minute BROCKHAMPTON ticket got me in the door, but I’ve said goodbye to my mosh pit days. I’m by the bar in the back of the TLA, another eclectic venue in Philly’s vibrant music scene. I’ve got an entirely new perspective, but I recognize myself in every kid desperately pushing to get closer to the stage. The entire crowd is singing along to the tracks that play as we wait for the show to start. In between songs they pivot to “Fuck Tom Brady” and “Let’s Go Eagles” chants. At 9:30, someone wearing a surgical mask walks onto stage, and slowly zips up his orange prison jumpsuit. The figure undoes the mask to reveal himself as Ameer Vann, the group’s drug kingpin, and the crowd goes absolutely berserk. A beat drops, and I’m transported back to 2011, where I’m every kid in the crowd, scream-rapping every lyric. Self-awareness is easier at the back of crowd, and BROCKHAMPTON is certainly having their moment. The energy, the electricity, the magnetism – it’s all present. Hell, it’s overly abundant. As I watched the group plow through tracks off their 3 full length albums from 2017, I soaked in the deja vu of their moment. It was Odd Future all over again, for more than a few reasons.

While the groups are certainly different instrumentally, there are heavy handed similarities that are too blatant to ignore. Both Odd Future and BROCKHAMPTON were birthed on HipHopHead internet forums of fandom. Both assaulted the door to the mainstream carried on the backs of their raving youthful fans. And both, I can safely assume, laid the groundwork for future individual success.

It goes further. Kevin Abstract serves as the groups Tyler, the Creator, the charismatic frontman and maestro of all moving pieces. Ameer Vann comes off as a new age Earl Sweatshirt, a “rapper’s rapper” who holds songs hostage with every verse. Dom McLennon can be our Domo Genesis, using technical proficiency to make up for any underwhelming personality.

The one to one comparisons don’t do either group justice, though, especially when considering BROCKHAMPTON’s self proclaimed “boy band” configuration. For me, accepting that claim as a reality has elevated what these guys are doing to a new level. Maybe it takes seeing them live for some people to get it, but they’ve taken the unasked question “what if a boy band rapped?” and are running away with it. It’s almost formulaic how they’ve executed on so many boy band tropes. With a crowd of 18 year olds arguing over who is their favorite member, the ensemble donned matching orange jumpsuits, standing arms length apart at the front of the stage for a majority of the night. Each artist has their specialty, not unlike our Backstreet Boys and NSYNC’s of the past. Abstract does the heavy lifting on hooks, Ameer rarely strays from drugs, JOBA hits the falsetto, and Matt Champion is the unlikely heartthrob. Hell, even Merlin Woods, who was unfortunately underwhelming live, had fans chanting his name throughout the show. For a seemingly young collective, they handle themselves like old pros on stage, mastering the tricky balance between hitting every word on the mic versus letting the audience recite them back for you.

As I reflect on my two nights, 7 years apart, I can only imagine that BROCKHAMPTON’s future will be as brighter, and likely brighter, than Odd Future’s. OF continued their hot streak for some time, but they yielded to several strikingly successful solo careers for their members. Frank Ocean has established himself as a generational talent who can whip the music world into a frenzy by merely hinting at dropping music. Syd da Kid, formerly OF’s producer and DJ, has carved out a niche as a critically acclaimed R&B singer. Earl Sweatshirt is firmly established as your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper, while Tyler, the Creator just reestablished himself as a major player in the music industry with his best, and most vulnerable, album to date. Not surprisingly, other members have faded away with time. Domo Genesis is still releasing quality music, while Hodgy Beats and Mike G have drifted into the ethers of my search history.

After last night, I can only see success in BROCKHAMPTON’s future. Kevin Abstract has already dropped 2 solid solo projects, and has the mainstream crossover appeal that could launch him into stardom. There’s talent in each member that, if harnessed properly, could cement them as real deal’s in the industry. Does JOBA have a little Frank Ocean in him? Will Ameer mimic Earl Sweatshirt’s career, minus the mysterious stay at a reform school in the middle of nowhere? Will bearface pull a Syd and unleash a wave of talent that’s been calmly pacing in the background? No matter how this plays out, it was impossible to miss last night that BROCKHAMPTON is knee deep in their moment right now. Carried on the backs of their loyal, manic fanbase, the sky is the limit for this group of misfits who met on a hip hop forum. I was lucky enough to be in on the Odd Future tidal wive before it crested. I’m lucky enough again to get in on BROCKHAMPTON at the ground floor. You can join me if you want, because it’s going to be a hell of a ride. Again.