Saturation II

Saturation II (stylized in all caps) is the second studio album by American rap collective Brockhampton, released on August 25, 2017.[1] Production is primarily handled by Romil Hemnani, alongside production duo Q3 (composed of Jabari Manwa and Kiko Merley), Bearface, Kevin Abstract, and JOBA.

Saturation II
Studio album by Brockhampton
Released	August 25, 2017
Studio	Brockhampton Factory, Van Nuys, CA
Genre	Hip hop
Length	48:02
Label	Question Everything Empire
Producer	Brockhampton Kevin Abstract (also exec) Romil Hemnani (also co-exec.) Joba (also co-exec.) Bearface Q3 (Jabari Manwa Kiko Merley)
Brockhampton chronology
Saturation (2017) Saturation II (2017) Saturation III (2017)
Singles from Saturation II
"Gummy" Released: August 2, 2017 "Swamp" Released: August 8, 2017 "Junky" Released: August 15, 2017 "Sweet" Released: August 22, 2017

Background

With only a few months since the release of their debut album, Saturation (2017), the group revealed plans to release the sequel to the predecessor.[2][3] The album's official cover art and tracklist was revealed on August 21, 2017.[4]

Singles

The album was supported by four singles, "Gummy", "Swamp", "Junky" and "Sweet". The lead single, "Gummy" was released on August 2, 2017.[5] The second single, "Swamp" was released on August 8, 2017.[6] The third single, "Junky" was released on August 15, 2017.[7] The fourth and final single, "Sweet", was released August 22, 2017, alongside "Follow", the lead single from the upcoming Saturation III. However, it was later revealed that "Follow" would not be on Saturation III.[8] As the four singles were released, they were accompanied by their own music videos.[9][10][11][12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[13]
GigSoup	[14]
HotNewHipHop	85%[15]
PopMatters	[16]
Pitchfork	7.2/10[17]
Pretty Much Amazing	A-[18]
The Young Folks	[19]

Saturation II received general acclaim from music critics upon its release, with most favouring it over its predecessor. For Fact, Al Horner called the album "sublime", commenting that "on the adventurous, quietly subversive Saturation II, [Brockhampton] dare to imagine a better hip-hop world to blaze trails in". He however warned of a "suspicion that Brockhampton could do with reviewing their balance of quality versus quantity", criticizing "moments on Saturation II that reduce its pace to a drag like the sluggish 'Chick'".[20]

Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Neil Z. Yeung wrote that "building upon the promise of its predecessor, II is another genre-blurring collection of thrills that's packed with even more wild energy and potential. The flurry of activity produced by this gang of strong personalities manages to be a cohesive and seamless experience."[13]

In a positive review for Pitchfork, Matthew Strauss praised the group's "sleek and cool performance style" and "aggression and swagger", as well as noting that the group have "ameliorated some of their more glaring flaws that existed on their debut". However, Strauss criticized the group's chemistry, writing that "there are precious few moments where they complement each other or build on distinct themes", summarizing that "there remains a sense that no matter how cool BROCKHAMPTON sound, they prize coolness more than they prize breaking molds and taking risks to become something bigger."[17]

For PopMatters, Christopher Thiessen praised the group for "creat[ing] a new offering that is equally refreshing and enjoyable by pretty much following their original formula to the letter".[16] In a joint review of the trilogy's first two installments for Pretty Much Amazing, Mick Jacobs wrote that "Brockhampton understands how to get your attention: by addressing all the shit that's taking up yours right this moment", asserting that "where Saturation feels more upfront, II feels more mischievous, a willingness to twist things to their own perception".[18]

Ryan Feyre wrote for The Young Folks that "much like on their previous album, Brockhampton brings versatility on every corner of Saturation II, and … they’ve even one-upped themselves".[19] DJBooth's Henry Solotaroff-Webber highlighted the tracks "Queer", "Junky" and "Summer" as highlights, concluding that "despite the wild, creative energy Saturation II embodies as they charge toward their final destinations, the album is far from slapdash, is mostly cohesive and has certainly yielded some diamonds".[21]

Year-end rankings

Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
BrooklynVegan	BrooklynVegan’s Top 50 Albums of 2017	12	[22]
Consequence of Sound	Top 50 Albums of 2017	34	[23]
Highsnobiety	The 25 Best Albums of 2017	14	[24]
The Needle Drop	Top 50 Albums of 2017	2	[25]
New York Daily News	The 25 Albums of 2017	25	[26]
Pigeons & Planes	Best Albums of 2017	15	[27]
Pretty Much Amazing	The Best Albums of 2017	17	[28]
The Skinny	The Skinny's Top 50 Albums of 2017	40	[29]
State	State's Albums of 2017	5	[30]
Stereogum	The 50 Best Albums of 2017	11	[31]
Vinyl Me, Please	The Best Albums of 2017	25	[32]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Gummy"	Ian Simpson William Wood Ameer Vann Dominique Simpson Matt Champion Russell Boring	Romil Hemnani Q3 (Jabari Manwa Kiko Merley)^[a] Joba^[a]	4:20
2.	"Queer"	Champion Wood I. Simpson D. Simpson Vann	Hemnani Manwa^[a]	3:47
3.	"Jello"	I. Simpson Champion Vann D. Simpson Boring	Hemnani Bearface	4:00
4.	"Teeth"	Vann	Hemnani	1:20
5.	"Swamp"	I. Simpson Champion Vann Wood D. Simpson Boring	Manwa	4:11
6.	"Scene 1"	I. Simpson Robert Ontenient	Hemnani	0:39
7.	"Tokyo"	Boring I. Simpson Vann D. Simpson	Hemnani Manwa	3:12
8.	"Jesus"	I. Simpson Ciarán McDonald	Hemnani	1:20
9.	"Chick"	Champion Vann D. Simpson I. Simpson	Hemnani	3:24
10.	"Junky"	I. Simpson Vann Wood Boring Champion D. Simpson	Hemnani Q3^[a] Joba^[a]	4:08
11.	"Scene 2"	I. Simpson Ontenient	Hemnani	0:29
12.	"Fight"	Vann D. Simpson I. Simpson Wood	Hemnani Kevin Abstract^[a]	3:01
13.	"Sweet"	Champion I. Simpson D. Simpson Wood Vann Boring	Kiko Merley Hemnani^[b] Manwa^[b]	4:34
14.	"Gamba"	D. Simpson I. Simpson McDonald	Hemnani Manwa Kevin Abstract^[a]	3:22
15.	"Sunny"	Wood I. Simpson Vann Boring McDonald	Bearface Hemnani^[a]	2:50
16.	"Summer"	McDonald	Bearface	3:24
Total length:				48:02

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer
• ^{^[b]} signifies an additional drum programmer
• All tracks stylised in all caps. For example, "Gummy" is stylised as "GUMMY"

Personnel

Brockhampton

• Kevin Abstract – performance (tracks 1–3, 5, 7–10, 12–15), additional production (tracks 12, 14), executive production, creative direction
• Ameer Vann – performance (tracks 1–5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15)
• Dom McLennon – performance (tracks 1–3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12–14)
• Matt Champion – performance (tracks 1–3, 5, 9, 10, 13)
• Merlyn Wood – performance (tracks 1, 2, 5, 10, 12, 13, 15)
• Russell "Joba" Boring – performance (tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 13, 15), additional production (tracks 1, 10), co-executive production, mixing, mastering
• Bearface – performance (tracks 8, 14–16), production (tracks 3, 15, 16)
• Romil Hemnani – production (tracks 1–4, 6–12, 14), additional drum programming (track 13), co-executive production, recording engineering
• Q3 – additional production (track 1, 10)
  • Jabari Manwa – production (tracks 5, 7, 14), additional production (track 2), additional drum programming (track 13)
  • Kiko Merley – production (track 13)
• Henock Sileshi – creative direction, graphic design
• Ashlan Grey – photography
• Robert Ontenient – webmastering, performance (tracks 6, 11)
• Jon Nunes – management

Additional personnel

• Ryan Beatty – additional vocals (track 2)
• Dijon – additional vocals (track 16)
• Nick Lenzini – creative assistance
• Kevin Doan – creative assistance
• Chris Clancy – management
• Kelly Clancy – management
• Brian Washington – management
• Craig Marshall – legal counsel
• Orienteer – publicity

Charts

Chart (2017)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[33]	108
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[34]	50
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[35]	156
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[36]	35
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[37]	44
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[38]	17
US Billboard 200[39]	57
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[40]	12
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[41]	34

References

1. Goddard, Kevin (August 15, 2017). "BROCKHAMPTON Shares Release Date For "Saturation 2" Album". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
2. Liam (July 6, 2017). "BROCKHAMPTON announces "Saturation 2" is coming next month". Elevator Mag. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
3. Skelton, Eric (August 1, 2017). "Brockhampton Preview 'Saturation II' With Video for New Song "GUMMY"". Pigeons and Planes. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
4. Liam (August 21, 2017). "Brockhampton shares "Saturation II" track list". Elevator Mag. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
5. "Gummy – Single by BROCKHAMPTON on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
6. "Swamp – Single by BROCKHAMPTON on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
7. "Junky – Single by BROCKHAMPTON on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
8. "Sweet – Single by BROCKHAMPTON on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
9. Renshaw, David (August 2, 2017). "Brockhampton Share New Song "Gummy"". The Fader. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
10. Craighead, Olivia (August 8, 2017). "Brockhampton Share Video For "Swamp"". The Fader. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
11. Craighead, Olivia (August 16, 2017). "Brockhampton Share "Junky"". The Fader. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
12. Price, Joe (August 22, 2017). "Brockhampton Share One Last Preview of 'Saturation II' with New "Sweet" Video". Pigeons and Planes. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
13. "Saturation II - BROCKHAMPTON | Songs, Reviews, Credits". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
14. "BROCKHAMPTON 'SATURATION II'". gigsoupmusic.com. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
15. "Brockhampton "Saturation II" Review". Hot new Hip Hop. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
16. "Brockhampton: Saturation II". popmatters.com. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
17. "BROCKHAMPTON: SATURATION II Album Review". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
18. "Review: Brockhampton, Saturation / Saturation II". prettymuchamazing.com. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
19. "Review: Album Review: Brockhampton – "Saturation II"". theyoungfolks.com. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
20. "There's no I in Brockhampton on their sublime Saturation II". factmag.com. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
21. "3 Best Songs From BROCKHAMPTON'S 'Saturation II'". djbooth.net. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
22. BrooklynVegan Staff (December 22, 2017). "BrooklynVegan's Top 50 Albums of 2017". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
23. Brennan, Colin (December 26, 2017). "Top 50 Albums of 2017". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
24. Boyer, Jake (December 14, 2017). "The 25 Best Albums of 2017". Highsnobiety. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
25. Fantano, Anthony. "Top 50 Albums of 2017". The Needle Drop. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
26. Rowe, Amy (November 30, 2017). "The 25 Albums of 2017 7". New York Daily News. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
27. Price, Joe (December 22, 2017). "Best Albums of 2017". Pigeons & Planes. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
28. Groundwater, Colin (December 7, 2017). "The Best Albums of 2017". Pretty Much Amazing. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
29. The Skinny Music Team (November 29, 2017). "The Skinny's Top 50 Albums of 2017". The Skinny. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
30. State Staff (December 19, 2017). "State's Albums of 2017". State. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
31. Stereogum Staff (December 5, 2017). "The 50 Best Albums of 2017". Stereogum. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
32. Penn II, Michael (December 20, 2017). "The Best Albums of 2017". Vinyl Me, Please. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
33. "Ultratop.be – Brockhampton – Saturation II" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
34. "Brockhampton Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
35. "Dutchcharts.nl – Brockhampton – Saturation II" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
36. "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 4, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
37. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
38. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
39. "Brockhampton Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
40. "Brockhampton Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
41. "Brockhampton Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2018.