BROCKHAMPTON
Ginger
Release Date: Aug 23, 2019
Genre(s): Rap
Record label: QUESTION EVERYTHING, INC.
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Album Review: Ginger by BROCKHAMPTON
Very Good, Based on 5 Critics
Based on rating 4/5
The boyband's fifth album is short on potential hits but sees them move past the intense, dogged emotion of predecessor 'Iridescence', proving they're built for distance 'Ginger' is Brockhampton's fifth album, but by rights it should be their seventh or eighth. In the last few years the LA boyband have scrapped records by the names of 'Team Effort', 'Puppy' and more, putting a halt to their seemingly runaway momentum as one of the hottest bands on the planet after the departure of founding member Ameer Vann, who was accused of sexual misconduct in 2018. READ MORE: The Big Read - Brockhampton: "Shia LaBeouf is our idol and inspiration" All of this was contended with on last year's 'Iridescence' LP, a dogged, fiery record about reckoning with the past in order to move forwards.
Based on rating 6.5/10
The BROCKHAMPTON boys are looking for a way forward. After releasing four albums in quick succession and forcing out their best rapper, Ameer Vann, when he was accused of sexual misconduct, the group experienced severe burnout and anxiety. So, they took a six-month hiatus to both regroup and disperse. Abstract put out a solo record and the band's $15 million RCA deal ushered them out of their communal North Hollywood house and scattered them across Los Angeles; they now meet up at a central home studio, called the Creative House, to record.
Based on rating 3.2/5
Since signing to RCA, Brockhampton have become much more scarce in their output. Even if their recent creative risks occasionally haven't paid off, there was an unmistakable aura of confidence on their last album Iridescence and group leader Kevin Abstract's solo project Arizona baby. But Ginger, their fifth studio album, represents a dip in quality and a sign that perhaps it's time to get back to the drawing board.
Opinion: Great
The Lowdown: Sometimes a hype becomes an institution. Look at the Wu-Tang Clan, U2, Stevie Wonder, Drake. Increasingly, Lana Del Rey, Odd Future. All of these once-improbable entities went from not existing to changing popular music entirely. BROCKHAMPTON first seemed like a fount of online ….
Opinion: Fairly Good
A journey filled with religious themes, mental health awareness and mainstream fame, Brockhampton's fifth effort 'GINGER' resurrects the partially dead brotherhood that was close to burial on their previous project, 'iridescence'. The much-discussed departure of Ameer Vann had such an impact on the last album that it didn't meet the standard fans had become accustomed to with the Saturation trilogy. Even frontman Kevin Abstract admitted the album wasn't as successful as he wanted it to be.
'Ginger'
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