R&b
Matt Champion is the third face of CLASH 128.
For much of his twenties, the doe-eyed singer-rapper from The Woodlands, Texas, was a primary player in the raucous rap collective BROCKHAMPTON – a rotating Motley crew of producers, performers, and auteurs. The group disbanded in 2022 but lived on the imagination of a zoned-in fanbase, committed to preserving the lore of an “Internet boyband” that inspired its own viral subculture.
At a creative juncture, the seeds of a solo project began to germinate, overlapping for a few months with BROCKHAMPTON’s final release, masterminded by the LA visionary himself. Opening himself up to both familiar and new collaborators, Champion synthesised his love of shapeshifting sonics, sci-fi-inspired viscera and the rippling undulations of the natural world, into a work that brought to life his personal metamorphosis.
Today, less than a year before he turns 30, Champion is in a creatively fertile space. The edict he’s living by is less about chasing an ideal or an archetype, than it is about surrendering to his own zany impulses.
He tells CLASH: “Now, I don’t want to be perfect as much as I want to push myself to get the right outcome…”
Elsewhere in this issue you can absorb the truth of Bring Me The Horizon frontman Oli Sykes, explore the realm of future RnB auteur Saya Gray, and gain an audience with enigmatic UK rapper Jawnino. Jodie Harsh reflects on shifts in London’s queer nightlife over two decades, DIIV and Been Stellar dig deep into New York’s DIY underworld, and Hollywood actor and musician Rome Flynn reveals all.
Words: Shahzaib Hussain
Photography: Daria Kobayashi Ritch
Wardrobe Styling & Makeup: Tavia Bonetti
Creative Director: Rob Meyers
Prop Stylist: James Rene
All clothing sourced by 194local.
