Hip-hop’s favorite boy band goes on their own terms with the release of their final two albums: “The Family” and “TM” The beloved hip-hop group announced at Coachella 2022 that “The Family” would be the group’s last album together and surprised fans with the “TM” album hours after.

While the group was only together for six years, they made a big impact on R&B and hip-hop music and are said to be the “best boy band since One Direction.” “The Family” and “TM” are underwhelming compared to the group’s earlier projects, but both albums are very reflective albums of the events the band has endured through the years.

“The Family” was mainly written by Kevin Abstract and really showed the reflection of the singer throughout the years. In the lead song, called “Big Pussy,” Abstract is rapping about how the music was primarily made to show respect to the band and create a conclusion for himself and the fans.

This album lacked the unpredictability that other albums by Brockhampton usually contain, which makes for a very different listening experience for fans. Abstract sings, “My everyday lifestyle ain’t nothing but a hustle.” This lyric repeats many times and shows how much work the band has put into their music and how it reflects on their lifestyle.

The album that came as a surprise to fans was the drop of the “TM” album. While this album was technically released after “The Family,” it is actually an album of many old, unreleased Brockhampton demos. This album is much more similar to the group’s usual music, but fans have said that the songs seem to all mix into one and feel a bit washed out.

A highlighted song I have seen is “New Shoes.” This song includes rap lyrics from Meryln Woods and Matt Champion, which gives the album more credit. Again, this album was a surprise to all of us, but not the final album fans might have wished for.

Comparing these two albums to the group’s past albums like “Sugar” is almost impossible because they are so different, but I don’t think that these albums are going to take off as much as their first albums that made waves in the music industry. The song “Sugar” by the group was a viral hit on the social media app TikTok, and I don’t see any of the songs in these albums coming close to it.

“The Family” and “TM” fell short in my eyes, but we can look forward to solo careers from many of the band members. Maybe it was Brockhampton’s time to split.

These albums show that the band’s brightest days might have been in 2019.

Rating: 6 out of 10