On June 9, Brockhampton made a splash by dropping “Saturation,” a 17-track rap album that was a huge step up from its debut album, “All-American Trash.”
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the self-proclaimed “all-American boy band,” the diverse group known as Brockhampton is composed of rappers, producers, designers and artists who all pride themselves on their uniqueness and close bond with each other.
Its debut album had its fair share of flaws, but they seemed to erase everything that was hindering in “Saturation.” It is one of those albums that’s just piled on with good track after good track.
The tracks “Star” and “Fake” are highlights in the first half of an album that is loaded with bangers. The chemistry between the rappers, along with excellent hooks by the group’s lead man Kevin Abstract, makes these songs very hard to hate.
But this album encompasses more than just bangers. Tracks like “Milk” and “Swim” show a deeper, more emotional and more personal side of the group. Although a couple of the lyrics can come off as cheesy and are blunt throughout, the group provides the listener with a very genuine, personal and catchy album.
I would definitely recommend checking this album out if you haven’t already.
Hits: “Star,” “Fake,” “Gold,” “Milk”
Misses: “Bump”
Rating: 8.5/10
Now, most artists would be content with releasing one album in a year, but Brockhampton isn’t like most artists. The group went out and dropped the sequel to “Saturation” less than three months after the first.
On “Saturation II,” Brockhampton seems to fully cultivate all its strengths shown in “Saturation” while sticking to a very similar formula that worked for its predecessor.
It starts with a killer, memorable track in “Gummy” and keeps the momentum going with “Queer” and “Jello.” The fourth track, “Teeth,” changes things up thanks to a very intense and memorable verse by Ameer Vann. The album continues to impress through the middle with tracks like “Swamp,” “Tokyo,” “Chick” and “Junky.”
The latter portion of the album doesn’t disappoint with another memorable Ameer Vann performance in “Fight” and the highlight of the whole album, “Sweet.” This song brings all of Brockhampton’s best qualities into one track. With a catchy hook, an instrumental that makes you just want to dance, and great vocal and lyrical performances by Kevin Abstract, Matt Champion, Merlyn Wood, Don McLennon and JOBA, there is not much more that you can ask for in a track.
The next two tracks, “Gamba” and “Sunny,” are a little more slow-paced and personal. The closer to the album, “Summer,” isn’t necessarily a bad song, but it definitely could have been stronger.
Hits: “Gummy,” “Tokyo,” “Fight,” “Sweet”
Misses: “Summer”
Rating: 9/10
Overall, these are both very good hip-hop albums. “Saturation II” is a little more consistent and complete than the first, but is also more of the same that we saw in “Saturation.” I definitely recommend checking out both albums, as they are both enjoyable listens.
Daniel Lopez is a sophomore in environmental design. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Collegian. Please send comments to opinion@kstatecollegian.com.
