“Victor Roberts” by Brockhampton
“Victor Roberts” is mostly by a de facto member of Brockhampton, that being the titular Victor Roberts. It details a certain period during his childhood where apparently illicit drugs had a regular presence in his household, and his mom in particular was a user. Moreover his father had regular interactions with the law and faced the prospect of life imprisonment if he were to get in trouble again. Also his family seemingly took in someone who on the surface appeared innocent but ultimately caused them a considerable degree of strife. In other words, Roberts had a very-challenging childhood. And the environment he grew up in discouraged him from aspiring towards something greater.
Victor Roberts survived
However, it would appear that Victor made it out okay since, as with other Brockhampton tracks, this one has a strong religious undertone. That is to say that the entire second half is centered on ‘thanking God’ for various aspects of the artists’ lives. More specifically, they are thankful for the loyalty of their girlfriends, insinuating that their girlfriends are more reliable than other people they interact with. They also thank God for listening when they “talk”, alluding to the idea of their prayers being answered. But more than anything, they take a self-congratulatory tone in their thankfulness. They perceive themselves as extraordinary individuals, being “built for the distance”, as in being able to endure anything and ultimately thrive. And consequently they are expressing divine gratitude for their own selves, as in being possessors of these attributes.
Thus it can be argued that as opposed to serving as genuine sentiments of appreciation, the latter parts of the song are actually designed primarily to big up themselves. Such is a recurring theme on the group’s “Ginger” album. And considering that “Victor Roberts” is the closing song on the album, this is actually the concluding attitude expressed, that being “thank God for me”. Basically Brockhampton are not shy about relishing their own accomplishments and lifestyles. And they have a tendency to use religious references to ultimately point back to more humanistic ideas.
Facts about “Victor Roberts”
- Victor Roberts is actually a close friend of Brockhampton member Dom McLennon. In fact Dom credits Victor for being “one of the first” people to genuinely encourage him to pursue a musical career.
- McLennon and Roberts met in 2009, reportedly on the online-gaming platform Xbox Live.
- The only member of Brockhampton to contribute vocals to “Victor Roberts” is Bearface. And Ryan Beatty, a regular collaborator of the group, also makes vocal contributions.
- The three vocalists (Roberts, Bearface and Beatty) also co-wrote the song alongside Brockhampton’s Abstract, Manwa and Hemnani.
- Romil also served as the track’s producer.
- Questing Everything Inc. (a label founded by Brockhampton) and RCA Records released “Victor Roberts” on 23 August 2019. It is the concluding track on GINGER (which is Brockhampton’s fifth studio album).
Was this a single on GINGER?
No. Below are GINGER‘s official singles:
