Beatles in Brockhampton – a brief history of boybands

If you have not heard of Brockhampton (BRKHMPTN) yet, it is not for lack of effort on their part. They describe themselves as "the most hardworking group of boys in show business". Yadana Saw looks at how they measure against the big boys bandom.

The 13-piece indie hip-hop collective began life in 2015 in an online fan forum on Kanye West, when founder and creative visionary Kevin Abstract issued a request for anyone wishing to create a band.

The formal training includes an ethnically diverse musical staff: abstract singers / rappers, Merlyn Wood, Joba, Matt Champion, Bearface, Dom McLennon; producers Romil Hemnani, Kiko Merley, Jabari Manwa. In an unusual way, Brockhampton also listed his visual media team and his leadership as genuine members of the group – more details later.

Since then, the self-funded company based in California and Texas has produced several studio albums, several parallel projects, played at Coachella and was the subject of a series of documentaries.

In the long tradition of boys 'groups, Brockhampton knowingly reverses many of the norms associated with the fabricated, clean and clean heterosexual image of boys' groups. On the other hand, they respect some of the "rules" specific to this form of entertainment.

To understand Brockhampton and the great legacy of boys' groups, one must not go further than the second letter of the alphabet.

1. Boys' bands start with the letter "B"

The emergence of groups of young boys dates back to the 1960s, when four young Liverpudlians conquered the world with their music, thus changing the meaning of the fandom.

Beatlemania has revealed one side to be a fan of mostly female and deeply personal music.

Over the generations, many male musical troupes have followed the commandments of boys founded by John, Paul, George and Ringo.

"Let It Be" they sang, and whether the Fab Four had the intention or not, the letter B was an almost mandatory entry for any serious boy group.

From tartan Bay City Rollers to the impeccably choreographed dance routines of BoyzIIMen, Backstreet Boys, Boyzone, Blackstreet, every group of young boys worthy of their name is approaching the opening of the alphabet.

Honorable Mention Must Go To Boston, Massachusetts "New Kids On The Block To End Their Name With A B.

2. Accessible to fans

Boys' groups have always cultivated the perception of being within the reach of their worshiping fans, or the 'stans' while super-devoted fanatic fans are now commonly referred to

It starts with the lyric content. Fans attach a certain amount of intimacy by connecting to song messages or believing that songs are "for them".

Love is the most enduring theme of the group of boys. Brockhampton has his own passion for love, with lyrics that deal with identity, homosexuality, racism and mental health, giving their fans a wealth of words to explore the different social media platforms.

This differs from previous boy band fan communities, where Brockhampton stations do not connect to each other only, but through social media, they can connect publicly with many members of the group.

To truly understand the depth of fan love, try the excellent I Used To Be Normal documentary that gives a glimpse of three generations of boyband fans and their imaginary worlds.

3. Show your love with merch

What better way to show your love and dedication to a group of boys than to give money to your memories?

A key aspect of boys' items is to look as stylistically repellent for older generations as possible.

The Beatles achieved this goal with the plastic wigs of the mop that no relative of the 1960s would be seen dead.

Bay City Rollers fans proudly wear tartan cut trousers and scarves as pledge of allegiance.

To coincide with the release of their new album, Brockhampton cleverly launched five clothing collections with graphics that can be described as thermo-camera-meets-MS-Paint. In other words, clothes that only a real character would like and that parents could never understand.

4. Aggressive album release strategy or tireless work ethic?

This prodigious work ethic has long existed in the boy band universe. The Beatles set the tone when they followed their 1963 debut album Do you like me? with With the Beatles the same year. The following year, they published Night of a hard day and Beatles for sale, shot a movie and played several hundred shows in the UK, Europe and the United States.

Since then, groups of young boys have known that they need to maintain a faster and faster exit pace than non-boy groups.

Brockhampton is no exception. In 18 months, they gave up their first mixtape All American trash cans and their Saturation trilogy (three albums entitled Saturation I, II and II, released respectively in July, August and December 2017.) The group is expected to release its highly anticipated fourth studio album Iridescence while they are in New Zealand.

4. Screen time

If you can appeal to the masses on stage, you can multiply this audience via the screen!

In addition to their extensive discography, the Beatles have engaged in a rich collection of films (A difficult night, help, mysterious visit) as well as to give their character to the comic strip Yellow submarine.

Taking advantage of the multiplatform success of the Beatles, the American entertainment moguls made a facsimile known as The Monkees. This "group" began its career as a NBC television series about a group of friends trying to become a band. Curiously, the imaginary group did it as a group.

Fast forward in the 1990s when New Kids on The Block adorned the small screen of a season-long animated show. The intrigues largely shed light on Maurice Starr, director-creator of NKOTB, who also directed the new pop RnB.

Brockhampton follows this boy group tradition, though in the Millennial-Gen generation, more-the-meta-than-Monkees fashion. They broadcast live on social networks, while a team of documentaries from VICELAND films them by making their own web series. To accompany their last outing (Saturation III), they released a short film Billy Star directed by Brockhampton's creator and creative brain, Kevin Abstract. For Iridescence, their next exit, they are the projection The longest summer ever, a documentary dealing with tensions surrounding the ouster of founding member Ameer Van after allegations of sexual misconduct.

5. Unofficial and official members of the group

Beatles producer George Martin was dubbed "the fifth Beatle", leaving manager Brian Epstein and media chief Derek Taylor to compete for the Beatles' sixth and seventh roles.

Maurice Starr, director of NKOTB was often a visible presence when the group was attending public events.

Brockhampton flattens this notion by making its members of official touring groups of the management, display, graphics and web team who are also committed to the collective's goal of creating meaningful art for young people. like them.

The founding members are the self-taught graphic designer, the video editor Henock 'HK' Sileshi and often responsible for the realization of the creative visions of Kevin Abstract alongside the cameraman Ashlan Gray.

Robert Onitient is the web developer of the group that sparked a cult following his frequent appearances in Brockhampton clips.

7. Birthplace of Boys' Bands – Abbey Road

The boys' circle of knowledge is complete when a group of boys record at the Abbey Road studio. Made famous by The Beatles and the eponymous album, working at the studio is a great distinction in any artist's career.

Earlier this month, Brockhampton revealed that they had finished Iridescence at Abbey Road. It was after the group had finally signed with the big RCA label for a $ 15 million deal.

When asked if the group was "selling", founder Kevin Abstract responded with a touch of spirit and attitude long displayed by his ancestors (remember when John Lennon was said the Beatles were bigger than Jesus?). He said, "Nothing changes. We're still in this room doing songs, doing all that stuff. RCA has just helped us move this gay agenda forward. "

8. Endurance

Certainly, the production of post-Beatles youth groups should not stand the test of time as do the Lennon-McCartney songs. Unlike others of this type, the Beatles went beyond their status as a group of young boys to become some of the greatest blacksmiths of the twentieth century.

No matter what they tell us, and even though they've had a seven-year hiatus, the Boyzone Irish band (founded in 1993) is officially calling it a day this year with a farewell tour and an album.

But some groups of boys are experiencing a renaissance on the circuit of nostalgia. That's right, Backstreet is back! Although sincerely, they never left because they have been around each of the past 25 years.