The Redefinition of Boy Bands

THE REDEFINITION OF BOY-BANDS

It used to be that boy bands were so structured that it was hard for any of them to be different from each other. Each group made almost the same corny pop love songs, had one “punk” member for the teenage goths to relate to, and each member had their own “distinctive style” for merchandise purposes. Now, it’s 2018, and the face of the All-American Boy Band is a queer, diverse rap group called Brockhampton.

Brockhampton members met on an online Kanye West forum before coming together in San Marcos, Texas and then moving to Los Angeles to kick-start their careers. Brockhampton has totally changed what it means to be a boy band as they transform the intense structure to a culture that embodies individualism to the extreme. The group is made up of various artists and producers including Kevin Abstract, Dom McLennon and Merlyn Wood, all who seem to carry this persona of being an outsider, which is now dominating the group’s aura and the interpretation of boy bands themselves. Brockhampton is constantly compared to Odd Future, a rap group consisting of Tyler the Creator, Hodgy and many more. The reason why Brockhampton is considered a boy band and not Odd Future is because Brockhampton focuses almost all of their time producing their cohesive tracks, while Odd Future members mostly worked on their individual projects then would come together to produce the Odd Future tapes. Releasing their albums Saturation I, Saturation II and Saturation III within the span of a few months shows Brockhampton’s dedication to producing group projects.

If you would have asked me a few years ago to describe a typical boy band, I would have probably said something about a few straight white guys who got lucky on a talent show, but now my perspective has been totally warped. Rap groups have been around since the genre emerged, and Brockhampton identifying as a boy band shows that genre blending is more important now than it has ever been. The group, or should I say band, combines rap with aspects of literally everything, from rock to jazz to pop and EDM. Their blending has given them such a wide demographic for their fan base, which is why they probably choose to title themselves as a boy band rather than a rap group, a way less confining title for a group that embraces freedom.

Brockhampton is almost entirely self-run. With 14 current members, they design their own merchandise, produce and write their own music, and manage themselves. Their independence also contradicts the standard boy band, which is usually micromanaged by their parents or an old British white guy. They have created this culture of being carefree and independent. Brockhampton has inspired a whole generation of teenagers to be more unapologetic about themselves, whether that alludes to their sexuality, personality or mental states, thus making the new era of boy bands more influential and promising than ever.