I'm not here to tell you how to live your life, but I'll say this: you — and I cannot stress this enough — need to hop on the Brockhampton train. The self-proclaimed boy band consists of 13 members [1] — Kevin Abstract, Matt Champion, Dom McLennon, Ciarán "Bearface" McDonald, Merlyn Wood, Russell "Joba" Boring, Romil Hemnani, Jabari Manwa, Kiko Merley, Robert Ontenient, Henock "HK" Sileshi, Jon Nunes, and Ashlan Grey — and has been delivering bangers since 2015. Every member brings something special to the table, whether it's opening up about their sexuality, struggles with mental health, or their general disregard for acting a certain way to appease society.
So, how did Brockhampton come to be? Well, in 2010, Kevin decided he wanted to start a musical collective. He joined forces with schoolmates at Woodlands High School in Texas, as well as users on a Kanye West [2] fan forum to create the band AliveSinceForever. At first, there were about 30 members, but the number dwindled as they became more serious about cultivating their sound. In 2013, AliveSinceForever released their debut EP, ASF [3]. However, they rebranded the following year as Brockhampton. Since then, the band has dropped six albums — 2016's All-American Trash, 2017's Saturation, Saturation II, and Saturation III (yes, they dished out three albums in one year), 2018's Iridescence, and this year's Ginger.
Throughout their musical journey, the group has made a handful of other alterations to their framework — notably, the 2018 ousting of cofounder Ameer Vann [4] following sexual misconduct allegations [5] — until they became the now 13-strong squad. Although Brockhampton has already confirmed that the band won't last forever [6] (*sniffles*), we're going to enjoy every minute of their incomparable chemistry and enigmatic allure. Keep reading to learn more about each member!
Kevin Abstract, 23
Kevin is a rapper, singer-songwriter, and director who often talks about his identity as a gay man and mental health in his music. As a founding member of Brockhampton, he's typically at the forefront of the group's appearances.
The Texas native got into music around age 11 and released his debut album, MTV1987, in 2014. He then followed it up with the 2016 LP American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story. While juggling his own music, he formed Brockhampton out of the disbanded AliveSinceForever in 2015. Although he assumes the role of bandleader, Kevin often highlights the importance of brotherhood and teamwork within the collective.
His collaborative efforts are especially evident in Viceland's 2017 docuseries American Boyband [8], which followed him on his 2017 tour, Death of a Supermodel. Although he was performing to promote MTV1987 and American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story, he continued to spread the word about Brockhampton, prioritising the band over his solo career.
Fun fact: Some of his biggest influences [9] include Kanye West [10], Frank Ocean, Kid Cudi, Future, and Tyler, The Creator.
Matt Champion, 24
Matt is another Texas native who got an early start in music before meeting Kevin, Merlyn, and Joba at Woodlands High School. Known for his swagger, Matt often delivers confident verses, hooks, and bridges on Brockhampton's tunes. He also touches on a series of important subjects like family, misogyny, and rape culture.
Fun fact: Matt attended Tough Elementary School in Texas, which is oddly appropriate, considering his rugged personality and musical style.
Dom McLennon, 27
Dom, a rapper and producer for Brockhampton, was born and raised in Connecticut before he moved to Texas where he joined the band. He took a liking to music at a young age and even plays a handful of instruments, including the drums, piano, and saxophone. He was a part of AliveSinceForever with Kevin before it transformed into Brockhampton in 2015, and his lyricism and cadence is often the zenith of the group's music.
Fun fact: Any time he sees something related to Toy Story, Randy Newman's "You've Got a Friend in Me" plays in his head [11].
Ciarán "Bearface" McDonald, 26
Bearface is a singer and producer from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He was able to connect with other members of Brockhampton via Twitter and other online platforms, which led to him joining the band. Although he keeps a low profile online and tends to stay pretty quiet in group interviews, his talent speaks loud and clear. Between his soft vocals and subtle edge, Bearface plays a key role in adding more dimension to Brockhampton.
Fun fact: He was The 1975's opening act during their 2013 tour.
Merlyn Wood, 23
Merlyn was born in Accra, Ghana, and moved to Texas shortly after. While there, he attended Woodlands High School with Kevin, Matt, and Joba. He was also a part of AliveSinceForever before it became Brockhampton. Merlyn is often recognised for his playful, madcap nature, and being the group's hype-man.
Fun fact: He likes to do yoga, read, and ride his bike.
Russell "Joba" Boring, 26
Joba is a multitalented Texas native. Not only does he help create Brockhampton's sound, but he's also a keen rapper and skilled singer. Although he was a year ahead of Kevin, Matt, and Merlyn at Woodlands High School, he continued to work with them on music after graduating. He's arguably one of the most open members of Brockhampton, often speaking about his struggles with mental health (particularly, split personality disorder and bipolar disorder), as well as finding acceptance and practicing self-love.
Fun fact: His nickname reportedly derives from a secret language [12] he and his brother made up when they were younger.
Romil Hemnani, 24
Romil is a producer for Brockhampton and lends his creativity and musical genius to their tracks. He was born in Connecticut, but currently resides in LA with the rest of the group. Before Brockhampton formed, he worked with some of the bandmates invidually, notably Dom McLennon.
Fun fact: Each album from Brockhampton's Saturation trilogy was recorded in Romil's bedroom.
Jabari Manwa, 24
This Grenada-born master mixer keeps a relatively low profile, but helps create many of Brockhampton's hits.
Fun fact: Jabari was previously a bank auditor [13] and would make beats when he came home from work.
Kiko Merley, 22
Before Brockhampton, this Floridian built his musical résumé by producing beats for friends and sharing them on SoundCloud. He then connected with Kevin on the Kanye West [14] fan forum and came on board as one of the band's sound designers.
Fun fact: He also produced Allan Kingdom's 2016 track "The Potion," which features Kevin.
Robert Ontenient, 24
Robert wears multiple hats as a member of Brockhampton. He was brought on as a producer, but his role eventually expanded into web development. He also became known for opening many of Brockhampton's music videos with the line "Me llamo Roberto."
Fun fact: The videos that feature Robert's character are part of a larger storyline that strings together the Saturation trilogy. In 2017, a fan shared a theory on Reddit [15] about the meaning behind the music videos and how they all relate. Kevin tweeted about the post, saying it was the most accurate thesis he had seen thus far.
Henock “HK” Sileshi, 25
HK is the creative director and graphic designer for Brockhampton. Not only does he help bring their album covers to life [16], but he also edits their music videos and other media clips.
Fun fact: Members of Brockhampton agree that whenever they get into squabbles, HK is usually the peacemaker [17].
Jon Nunes, 27
Jon is Brockhampton's manager and sometimes accompanies the band in interviews.
Fun fact: When asked about how he manages all of Brockhampton's moving parts on Sway's Universe, Jon simply responded, "I sleep when I can." A mood.
Ashlan Grey, 24
Ashlan joined Brockhampton shortly after getting fired from Walmart and now serves as the group's photographer. If you scroll through any of their Instagram pages and see a dreamy, evocative snapshot, it was probably taken by Ashlan.
Fun fact: In an interview with Nardwuar, Ashlan revealed he came across Kevin's name while he was Googling abstract artwork [18], particularly from Jean-Michel Basquiat.
