Contrary to popular belief, Ameer Vann isn’t just primetime meme material – he’s a real guy with talent by the bucket. Here’s everything you need to know about Brockhampton’s hard AF and smooth as velvet vocalist.
Yes, we are aware that Ameer is no longer in Brockhampton. Instead of overhauling this piece to discuss his exit, this guide will instead serve as a testament to his accomplishments and work put in during his time as part of Brockhampton.
Who is Ameer Vann?
Name: Ameer Vann
Birthday: September 22, 1996
Sign: Virgo
Ameer Vann is a vocalist for America’s favorite boyband, BROCKHAMPTON. Ameer is the heart and soul of Brockhampton and is one of the most distinctive rappers in the industry today.
Brockhampton has a bunch of standout personalities, but Ameer is impossible to miss. Ameer is integral to Brockhampton’s performances, often being the first out on-stage and even rapping Kevin Abstract’s lines for him when he was out sick. Ameer, along with Kevin Abstract, loves to use Brockhampton’s platform to provoke thought and shed light on his experiences with discrimination – especially when it comes to racial dynamics in modern America.
But it’s not always so serious with Ameer – in fact, you’re just as likely to find Ameer giving his shoes away to fans outside a show as you are to find him calling out racist language in a show. Plus, Ameer is Brockhampton’s most memeable member for fans – particularly because he’s so adamant against becoming a meme.
Ameer on “JELLO”
“They need my niggas in the White House
I do business with the white folks
Bring that money back to black folks
Flip it, stimulate the cash flow
Economic, but I speak ebonics”
Ameer Vann’s Texas Origins
Ameer Vann was born and raised in Houston, Texas. Ameer went to highschool at The Woodlands, a school on the North side of Houston, where less than 3% of the student population was African-American. Ameer experienced a great deal of prejudice in the predominantly white community, but still did well in school. Also in attendance at Ameer’s high school was the Texas core of Brockhampton, including Kevin Abstract, Merlyn Wood, Matt Champion, and Russell “JOBA” Boring – although JOBA was a year older and class above at the time.
A few fun facts about Ameer: his first vinyl was Eminem’s Encore and he used to work in a slaughter house prior to his music career taking off.
Through both his family and the Woodlands community, Ameer was exposed to racism, addiction, and drugs early on, both serving as major sources of inspiration in his music.
Ameer Vann on “Sincerely, Yours”:
“If I could walk on top of oceans
I’d change the whole world and make it better for my mother
And get a message from my sister
That’s just fucking fiction
She out there flirting with addiction
She don’t got no time to call me
Me you and our father
All hopeless alcoholics
If you get a chance to call me
Just remember that I love you
And I’ll always be your brother”
“The average American teenager can be much more than just a cell phone-clutching zombie. There are all kinds of things going on in these kids’ heads that you wouldn’t even believe. Yet, no one seems to see it or hear it. But if I bare it on myself, if I place that brand on myself and focus it through the correct channels and in the correct way, it’s a more effective at making the right people pay attention.” Ameer Vann with Respect-Mag
How did Ameer come to be in BROCKHAMPTON?
Unlike the majority of Brockhampton, Ameer never planned on being a musician or rapper – in fact, his original plans were to be a petroleum or mechanical engineer. But then everything changed at age 15 when he got randomly selected for a leadership class in high school. In this class, he would meet his best friend and greatest inspiration: Kevin Abstract.
“I got put in a teen leadership class in 10th grade and met Ian (Kevin Abstract). That’s it, that’s the only reason I started making music or even became interested in it. I grew up in Third Ward, Houston, so I was always around hip-hop, all my cousins rapped and freestyled. I never thought about being a rapper until I got put in that class with Ian. A computer algorithm decided the course of my future and I couldn’t be happier.” Ameer Vann with Respect-Mag
From then on, Ameer matched his path with Kevin’s, including serving as a founding member for both Alive Since Forever and BROCKHAMPTON. Through just about every stage of Brockhampton’s formation and development, Ameer was at the center of it all.
“The best memory I’ve had with all these guys was when we first went to Corpus Christi, Texas, for a show. [I was] fourteen or fifteen years old, and that’s when I met Dom [McLennon] and Romil [Hemnani], and kind of everyone that’s in the group right now. It was memorable because I had never really left Houston by myself before and we all drove down there and stayed in this house with our friends, and it was kind of a party.” – Ameer Vann with the Fader
Ameer’s Role in BROCKHAMPTON
Ameer is an important piece of Brockhampton’s music, but he’s an even more essential piece of their brand and group identity. Ameer served as the face of the entire Saturation Trilogy (no really, he was on the cover for each album) and was also the defining vocal sound of the group’s early music. Visually, Ameer is always at the forefront in Brockhampton’s music videos with a variety of thematic costumes and brings gravitational energy to their live performances.
Among many things, Ameer is known for his willingness to take on racism and injustice through his music. On his striking verse from SATURATION II’s track “FIGHT”, Ameer draws the connection between casual racism in the classroom and police brutality:
Ameer on “FIGHT”:
“My male role models drug dealers and thugs
My father learned how to solve problems with guns
And when I grew up I learned what racism was
And what teaching it does, and like my teachers would say
‘Little black boys have a place in the world
Like hanging from trees.’
Or dead in the street, like I seen on TV
All them boys they killed, they looked just like me
Not like Brandon or Chandler, but Malik and Kareem
I was born with a target, and it stuck to my skin
And I learned in social studies, I was one of them men
Who were locked in the chains, but not locked in the pen
But I’m bigger than that, I’m the beginning and end”
Ameer also is the only member of Brockhampton that speaks about religion in any context – Ameer is a christian and even spoke about the Bible’s significance to him in an interview with Vice.
Ameer in BROCKHAMPTON’s Music
Ameer has a distinctive voice and sound that, to many listeners, is the backbone of Brockhampton’s unique sound – particularly for the group’s more hip hop heavy tracks. Ameer’s distinctive flow pops up again and again throughout Saturation I, Saturation II, and Saturation III, serving as a bridge that connects each album conceptually and sonically. It’s a flow, cadence, and rhyme scheme that’s easy to sing/rap along with for listeners and complements the Brockhampton production sound very well. Ameer’s vocal approach also provides a compelling structure for story-telling and reflection on some of his most common topics like drug culture, violence, the black experience, and general sex icon type shit.
But Ameer is far from a one-trick pony. The classic “Brockhampton flow” isn’t the only tool in his belt as a vocalist. The standout track “STAINS” from SATURATION III, for example, begins with one of the most freeform and interesting flows on the entire album from Ameer.
Here’s every verse of Ameer’s in the SATURATION Trilogy:
“When you make music that’s based in reality, it’s forever. And I think that’s why the things we do are special, because it comes from a real place. Everything is so literal. JOBA’s a real person, if you listen to his music you’re gonna know way more about him listening to his album than you would if he could tell you everything that he’s been through, all his past relationships. You can listen to the album and be like, ‘Wow, I understand this person, I know where he’s coming from. Not only do I know his personality traits, I know what’s going on in his head, what’s going on in his heart.’” Ameer Vann with Dazed Digital
Ameer Vann’s Solo Music
Ameer’s solo work is excellent but is unfortunately extremely limited. In his individual projects, we see a more thoughtful and introspective version of Ameer than the hard-edged version heard in most of Brockahmpton’s music. Of course, he hasn’t created any music since the group made their pact to remain exclusive and blow up together before setting their sights on the Saturation Trilogy in early 2017.
“My solo work is a lot of chiseling away, like a mine. It takes so long to make solo work, but with Brockhampton it just grows. It’s musical vomit, you just throw it up, you can’t resist the urge. We’re just trying to capitalize on how easily everything is flowing right now, we don’t really want to stop.” Ameer Vann with Pigeons and Planes
Here’s some of Ameer’s best Solo Music to check out:
“Sincerely, Yours”
“I’m sorry”
“LOVE”
LOVE
“High Tolerance”
AMEER VANN - HIGH TOLERANCE
“Making music without direction or making anything without direction is dangerous. It’s dangerous for your creativity because you don’t grow. You don’t go anywhere if you make music without saying, ‘Here’s what I want to do,’ and more importantly, ‘Here’s how I want to make people feel.’ And if you can’t figure out those few things then you probably aren’t making the best of your creativity.” – Ameer Vann with Dazed Digital
Ameer’s Influences
Ameer Vann has perhaps the most recognizable voice in all of Brockhampton (with possible exception to MERLYN! Wood). Ameer’s deep, velvety vocal style is reminiscent of the smooth rapping styles of 50 Cent, MF DOOM, and Tyler, the Creator. Although Brockhampton pulls inspiration from a variety of musical influences, Ameer’s top influences are based in and around hip hop. In fact, according to Ameer, his top three influences are Tyler, the Creator, Kanye West, and Kevin Abstract.
Other influences that Ameer has listed in various interviews since 2014 include:
- King Krule
- Earl Sweatshirt
- Kanye West
- Beyonce
- Frank Ocean
- MF DOOM
- Eminem
- Radiohead
- BADBADNOTGOOD
“I’m extremely aware of the Odd Future comparison. It’s definitely something we all hear often, some more than others. Getting that comparison used to be a drag, but I can’t deny that I’ve learned a lot from the members of Odd Future artistically, and I latched on as a 14-15 year old to the do-it-yourself, fuck-what-people-have-to-say, just-make something-you-think-is-rad-and-the-rest-will-follow theme that they push in all their shit. Like when Tyler won that VMA I was freaking out; it felt like I won that shit. It was the first time I saw someone that looked like me up there and it’s one of those moments that’s going to stick with me for my the rest of my life.” Ameer Vann with Respect-Mag
Ameer’s Best Lyrics & Verses
“HEAT”
“I got pipe dreams of crack rocks and stripper poles, of fucking centerfolds
So I got secrets only me and all my niggas know, of kicking in the doors
I’ll send a bitch to get ya, so don’t play fucking stupid
I know you got the product
‘Cause I could smell the money, I could taste the weed
Give me somethin’ or a body, only way I’ll leave
I love to watch ’em squirm, I love when bitches bleed
If she’s sucking on the barrel, you can’t hear her scream
So kiss the fucking carpet, this aggravated larson
And then I’m out the door, it’s monsters in your home
Black gloves, mask on, muzzle plated chrome”
“STAR”
“I’m the black Tom Hanks, you can call me Nigga Banks
Secret Agent Cody Banks, quarter pound of the dank
On the scale and it stank, put my mama in a Range
I just bought a new Wraith, Nic Cage with the face off
John Travolta when I take off, Brad Pitt, start a fight club
Turn the trap into the nightclub, I’m like Prince with the white doves
Paint a picture with the white dust, Lionel Ritchie with the white bitch
Try to tell it to her nicely, but she never wanna listen
Beat the pussy to submission, Tom Cruise on a mission
Pull a R&B singer, bring her back to South Central
I shine just like a popstar, MJ my initial
Kobe Bryant with the spin moves, if these niggas got issues
H-Town with Beyoncé, turn her to my prom date
Kingpin like JAY-Z, dance moves like JT”
“I’m sorry”
“All my life I broke everything I touched
Like my damn phone screen so I don’t hear it when it ring
I wouldn’t answer anyway
I’m afraid of conversations, they only lead to temptation
So I always spend the night and I’m gone in the mornin’
And then those tears in your eyes turn to voicemail recordings”
“CHICK”
“Niggas talk a lot of shit, in a safe place
Aiming with they keyboard, they shootin’ uppercase
I’m booking tour dates, money in the suitcase
Commander and the chief like, Barack Hussein
Same nigga, two names, I am onto new things
Flying out of Houston, lemme say a few things
I don’t give a fuck about you or your screen name
I’ma be a star even if I say the same things
Cause them same things keep me on the wavelengths
I dropped another verse, so you gon’ have to pay me
Glock with no safety, seen niggas on the pavement
Over gang affiliations, guns with extensions
Seeing niggas get anxious, all these internet gangstas
I’m running outta patience, nigga, stick to your day shift
And watch what you’re saying, and please keep praying
Cause niggas talk big ’til that price on their head”
“Black Snake Moan”
“He got a father down below and a father up in heaven
And I still ain’t never met him
And man let me tell you, ain’t no stairways to heaven
Only highways to hell
Cities full of killers and nightmarish villains
And black hearted women tryna to rob you of your feelings”
“SISTER/NATION”
“I hate the quiet suburbs, I hate those picket fences
I hate the separation, first thing they called me “nigga”
I fight, I got suspended, my teachers saw me hit him
So they ain’t listen to me, and from that moment on
I would learn that I was different, I would grow to see the difference
Second guessing my decisions, black bodies come up missing”
“Rabbits”
“A sinner so sinister the ministers never mentioned
How something so vicious could be so gifted with the diction
While sipping on the medicine wrote the first drafts of Oedipus
So eloquent with elegance my goons got that silk shirt etiquette
Once equipped we are the deadliest nemesis since the serpent of Genesis”
“Silent Water”
“Similar incidents, penitent menaces
Losing grip of the whip and I’m thinkin’ I put a dent in it
Drinks, finish it, maybe not, swallow oxycots
My troubles fade and my head nods off
Now that papa’s gone, things been going wrong
And me and moms is crawling so I guess he’s walking strong”
“FACE”
“I need a friend
And you need a home
I love when you come
I still feel alone
You make it warm in my bed, butterflies in my head
Sun rise and it set
But you don’t love me like you say you do
White lies hold the hidden truth
You keep leaving when I need you most
It’s true what they say about
Love had and love lost
Here you are and now you’re gone
I’m left alone in the same bed
I wake up in a cold sweat”
“GUMMY”
“Call me king of the niggas, I need a crown made of thorns
God said, “Let there be light”, on the day I was born
Step off the ship with the slaves, then I go hit the stage
I just left in a whip, all I need is a chain
I don’t trust no niggas, and I don’t trust no bitch
‘Cause people talk too much, I bought a black fo’-fifth
And a brand new clip, that’s my new best friend
‘Cause I’m a brand new nigga, in a brand new crib
I ain’t sellin’ no more, but got my hand in the zip
Whitey gave me the check, I ain’t ask for the fame
I used to deal with the grams, ’til they put the cam on my face”
“TOKYO”
“I got cracks in my phone screen, the past fuck with my psyche
Smoke weed and get high, please, went to school in The Woodlands
And that made niggas wanna fight me, so I don’t take threats lightly
Tell them niggas come and find me, got his head in my eye view
New house off iTunes, new money, my perfume
Big smile, in a good mood, I been running outta issues
I ain’t trippin’ when the rent due, I ain’t runnin’ with a pistol
I ain’t locked in the system, taking care of my kinfolk”
Potential for Solo Career
Ameer has great potential for a successful solo career because he’s confident, speaks his mind, and has ambition. His early solo work intrigues and shows great promise, and he has grown throughout the Saturation series. He has shown quite a bit of lyrical flexibility and can fit a surprisingly broad array of beats. The one area you’d like to see Ameer develop a little more fully is his willingness to experiment with his voice, but it’s not essential to his opportunity for success. His technical proficiency, brash style, and easy-to-hear voice is more than enough to career a solid career. Ameer also has seen so much of the creative and directive process from Kevin as his right hand man, it can only mean good things for Ameer after Brockhampton inevitably part ways.
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