US hip-hop group BROCKHAMPTON have kicked out founding member Ameer Vann after a number of allegations of sexual misconduct were made against him.
A couple of weeks ago, several women came forward and accused Ameer Vann of emotional and sexual abuse, in addition to having sex with a minor. Vann, who is often noted as the face of the group after appearing on the cover for all three of the group’s albums, soon took to Twitter to address these allegations, denying the claims made, but conceding he may have been “selfish, childish, and unkind” in the past.
“I’ve been in relationships where I’ve fucked up and disrespected my partners. I’ve cheated and been dismissive to my exes,” Vann wrote on Twitter.
“In response to the claims of emotional and sexual abuse: although my behavior has been selfish, childish, and unkind, I have never criminally harmed anyone or disrespected their boundaries. I have never had relations with a minor or violated anybody’s consent.”
https://twitter.com/AmeerVann/status/995419173873315840
Last Friday, BROCKHAMPTON’s leader Kevin Abstract revealed that the group were probably going to delay their upcoming album, PUPPY, as well as potentially cancelling tour dates, in order to deal with the issues surrounding the allegations against Vann.
“We’re probably gonna push the album back but I still want a single to come out next month,” Abstract said in a live video on social media. “Having to deal with family problems in front of the world is very difficult, and I’m sorry if this isn’t enough… It’s heavy and I also understand if you’re mad and completely over it. Because, I should have said something, I shouldn’t have been quiet for so long.”
“I don’t agree with anything Ameer has admitted to, and I’ve talked with him about that and I’ve talked with a bunch of people,” Kevin Abstract continued.
“I also didn’t feel comfortable going into tour without addressing this because I know that, like, the BROCKHAMPTON concert is the one place where people feel like, you know, they fit in there if they don’t fit in at school or with their families, or whatever. And it really, it just fucking hurts and sucks.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqQApLk4ha4
Now, the group have announced that Ameer Vann is “no longer in BROCKHAMPTON”, and that they were planning to cancel all upcoming US tour dates in order to “go home and regroup” in light of the recent events.
“We want to sincerely apologize to the victims affected by Ameer’s actions. We were lied to, and we’re sorry for not speaking up sooner,” they wrote. “We do not tolerate abuse of any kind. This not a solution to their suffering, but we hope this is a step in the right direction.”
As Pigeons And Planes notes, the group performed a set at the Boston Calling music festival on Saturday, where they appeared without Vann, standing in silence during a segment of a song which would usually feature his vocals.
BROCKHAMPTON are currently set to make their Australian debut this September as part of the Listen Out festival. While these tour dates were announced before the group made mention of cancelling dates, a spokesperson for Listen Out’s promoters noted that, “While we can’t comment on the allegations, we have had confirmation this morning that Brockhampton’s upcoming tour of Australia for Listen Out is to go ahead.”
If you or somebody you care for has experienced sexual assault, contact 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 to speak to a counsellor.
Check out BROCKHAMPTON’s ‘SWEET.’:
Listen Out 2018
A$AP ROCKY
BROCKHAMPTON
CAMELPHAT
CONFIDENCE MAN
ENSCHWAY
FISHER
GLADES
HAIKU HANDS
KIRA PURU
KLLO
LIL SKIES
NONAME
PETIT BISCUIT
POLOSHIRT
SKEPTA
SKRILLEX
SNAKEHIPS
FLEXMAMI
GODLANDS
IMBI THE GIRL
MADE IN PARIS
+ More TBA
Saturday, September 22nd
Catani Gardens, Melbourne, VIC
Tickets: Official Website
Sunday, September 23rd
Western Parklands, Perth, WA
Tickets: Official Website
Saturday, September 29th
Centennial Parklands, Sydney, NSW
Tickets: Official Website
Sunday, September 30th
Victoria Park, Brisbane, QLD
Tickets: Official Website
— BROCKHAMPTON (@brckhmptn) May 27, 2018
