My Fave Five: Brockhampton Songs

Brockhampton is one of my favorites of all time. They are a hip-hop boy band and were founded in San Marcos, Texas in 2010.

Unfortunately, the group announced an indefinite hiatus in January 2022, and officially broke up in November after the release of their eighth and ninth albums, “The Family” and “TM.”

Brockhampton consisted of main vocalists Kevin Abstract, Matt Champion, Russell “Joba” Boring, Merlyn Wood, Dom McLennon, Ameer Vann (until 2018) and Ciarán “bearface” McDonald.

All of the band’s former members are working on and releasing solo projects, which is a win for the fans.

Despite their breakup, which to this day still makes me sad, I could never abandon their music. Brockhampton has released so many songs that have passed the test of time for me, and I will continue to listen to them until I am fed up with every last track.

With that being said, here are my five favorite Brockhampton songs of all time.

“RENTAL”

“RENTAL” is an older Brockhampton song, released on “SATURATION III,” but it is one that I will never get tired of hearing.

Champion truly shines on this track, which is another reason why it’s so good. “RENTAL” was and still is recognized as one of Champion’s strongest features in their discography.

The song as a whole is outstanding and uses a wide range of sounds to add to Brockhampton’s diverse discography. It’s also a song that friends of mine who dislike their music have enjoyed.

Champion’s feature on the bridge of “RENTAL” is my favorite part. He strays away from rapping to give fans strong, melodic vocals. This verse tackles a very similar sound as Champion’s solo releases tackle.

“RENTAL” proved to fans that Brockhampton can diversify their sound and still produce music that is just as amazing. I love it.

“GOODBYE”

This song is the last track of Brockhampton’s final album “TM.” Joba is the main feature on “GOODBYE,” alongside Champion, and their vocals are what make it so impressive.

The whole song is soft, light, and somehow feels nostalgic. It is also quite emotional, as the two artists are closing out the boy band’s legacy, thanking the fans along the way.

Champion sings the line “Everybody’s been working all week, ready to release it all,” which I take as a reference to the pace at which “The Family” and “TM” were both released. Brockhampton released their last two albums rather quickly in order to finish their deal with RCA Records.

The final lyrics of “GOODBYE” are “This oughta be the best time, the best time of our lives.” This closing lyric seems to also be a reference to their song “FABRIC,” where multiple members say “It’s the best years of our lives” during the outro.

Overall, I love “GOODBYE,” and the emotion behind it makes me appreciate it even more. It was an unexpected sound for the band, but I think it serves as a perfect swan song.

“BOOGIE”

“BOOGIE” is an absolutely iconic song. Though I feel like it is one of Brockhampton’s more popular songs, I will say it’s not for everybody, but it sure is for me.

This song has no intro. It jumps straight into a loud, jumbled collection of beats and backing vocals and features the boy band members basically scream-singing their verses.

“BOOGIE” is the first track on “SATURATION III,” truly setting the tone for the album as a whole. It is also the song where the phrase “Best boy band since One Direction” was used as a lyric.

It is a song that is so perfect to dance to. I have loved “BOOGIE” for so long, and the internet memes are right, I did listen to this song at seven in the morning every day on my way to high school

If you get it, you get it. “BOOGIE” is nothing short of a masterpiece.

“I’LL TAKE YOU ON (feat. Charlie Wilson)”

When Brockhampton was teasing their album “ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE,” they posted 10-15 second snippets of each song. I was hooked on “I’LL TAKE YOU ON (feat. Charlie Wilson)” from the moment I heard it.

It’s such an upbeat song that always makes me want to sing and dance. The solo verses done by Champion, Joba and bearface are phenomenal, each in their own unique way.

The chorus of “I’LL TAKE YOU ON” itches a spot in my brain with every listen. Something about the beat and instrumentals used is so satisfying to me. I don’t think I could ever get tired of this song.

For me, when a good Brockhampton song hits, it hits hard. “I’LL TAKE YOU ON” is a song I could see so many people enjoying, even if they don’t usually enjoy Brockhampton’s music.

“WHAT’S THE OCCASION?”

This is not only my favorite Brockhampton song, but one of my favorite songs of all time. “WHAT’S THE OCCASION?” is track nine of “ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE.”

It does what Brockhampton is best at doing: combining beautiful vocals with rap verses and unique instrumentals and synths. This song is a more palatable Brockhampton track for new listeners, which is part of what makes it so laudable.

The way Joba delivers his vocals in the first verse of the song is absolutely amazing. Joba and Champion are definitely my favorite members of Brockhampton, so obviously I love that they are the two main features on this track.

My favorite part of this song is the outro. Joba sings the last full chorus of the song, and then the beat drops into a climax of electric guitar, drum beats and piano. Instrumentals like these are ones that I love hearing out of rap music. It’s wonderful.

I would love more than anything to be able to see “WHAT’S THE OCCASION?” performed live, and I could go on and on about how perfect it is.

Sarah Gavlak is a second-year majoring in telecommunications. To contact her, please email sng5393@psu.edu.