August was a hot month for rap, with releases from Rick Ross, Bas, Black Milk, Tobi Lou, Cousin Stizz, Quality Control, A$AP Ferg, Snoop Dogg, P-Lo, Young Thug, a Little Brother reunion, Jeezy, Rapsody, Saint JHN, Trae the Truth, Pusha T, and the release of “Hot Girl Summer” with Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj, but the most exciting release of the month was undoubtedly GINGER by Brockhampton.
Near the middle of the record, the group addresses the heartbreak of when they had to remove their good friend Ameer Vann from the group due to claims of sexual misconduct. I was at the show at Boston Calling where they hugged each other and cried in the silence where Vann’s verses were removed, right before announcing their brief hiatus.
In “Dearly Departed,” Kevin Abstract, Matt Champion, and Dom McLennon discuss how Ameer Vann’s actions affected them personally, Brockhampton aside, and Dom’s ending verse wins out even on emotion alone. Read the lyrics via Genius and listen to Brockhampton’s “Dearly Departed” below:
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