| Matt Champion | |
| Birth Name: | Matthew Garrett Champion |
| Birth Date: | 14 February 1995 |
| Origin: | The Woodlands, Texas |
| Years Active: | 2014–present |
| Label: | RCA |
| Past Member Of: | Brockhampton |
Matthew Garrett Champion (born February 14, 1995) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is known for his role as a member of hip hop collective and boyband Brockhampton, with whom he released eight studio albums. His debut solo album, Mika's Laundry, was released on March 22, 2024.
Champion was raised in The Woodlands, Texas, and is of partial Japanese American ancestry.[1] While a student at The Woodlands High School, Champion began rapping and met his future bandmates Kevin Abstract, Ameer Vann, Merlyn Wood, and Russell "Joba" Boring.[2]
See main article: Brockhampton (band). Champion joined AliveSinceForever, an internet music collective, in 2014 shortly before the group reorganized into Brockhampton. Along with the rest of the group, Champion relocated to San Marcos, and later Los Angeles.
Champion contributed to the groups mixtape, All-American Trash in 2016, and later appeared on the groups breakthrough debut album Saturation, released on June 9, 2017.[3] Saturation was followed by Saturation II and Saturation III on August 25 and December 15, respectively. In May 2018, Ameer Vann was removed from Brockhampton amidst allegations of sexual misconduct.[4] Shortly afterwards, the group cancelled their planned fourth studio album, and released a new record, Iridescence, on September 21. Iridesence became the group's first album to debut atop the Billboard charts.[5] It was followed by Ginger on August 23, 2019.[6] In January 2022, the group announced that they would go on an indefinite hiatus, and cancelled all remaining shows in support of the their sixth studio album (2021).[7]
The final Brockhampton albums, The Family and TM, were released on November 17 and 18, respectively.[8] The latter record, which consisted of outtakes from the groups recording sessions in 2020 and 2021, was curated and executive produced by Champion.[9] [10]
In June 2014, a nineteen year-old Champion's debut single "Die For Me" was featured by Pigeons and Planes in "5 On It", a feature highlighting underground hip-hop artists.[11] The next month, he appeared as a featured artist on bandmate Kevin Abstract's debut studio album MTV1987.[12] On December 31st, Champion released the single "Burn", featuring Memphis rapper Jon Waltz.[13] On April 6, 2015, Champion and Ameer Vann made appearances on Abstract's single "Not On DOASM 01", a cut track from Abstract's sophomore album American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story, at the time titled Death of a Super Model.[14] On April 27, Champion was once again a featured artist on "Not On DOASM 02".[15] On May 11, Champion released the single "El Dorado" alongside a corresponding music video.[16]
After a nearly year-long hiatus, his next single "Punks" was released in February 2016, and was described as a refinement of the sound of his previous singles.[17] On March 23, he released the single "Salud", featuring Abstract and Michael Christmas.[18] On December 22, "Mansions" was released along with the promise of a studio album the following year.[19] On February 17th 2017, Champion's next single "Fangs" was listed by Pigeons and Planes as one of the best singles of that week.[20]
On April 6, 2021, Champion appeared as a featured artist on 97 Blossom, the debut extended play by The Blossom, released on bandmates Kevin Abstract and Romil Hemnani's record label Video Store. The EP also featured collaborations with Abstract, Hemnani, and Brockhampton producer Jabari Manwa.[21]
See main article: Mika's Laundry.
On February 14, Champion released his first solo work since Brockhampton's dissolution. The single "Aphid", featuring American singer Dijon, was produced by Champion and Henry Kwapis and has been described as "lush" and "melodic".[22] [23] "Aphid" was followed by "Slug", a "nostalgia-inducing funk and soul" track on February 28. On March 3, Champion began teasing a collaboration with South Korean musician Jennie.[24] The resulting drum and bass song, "Slow Motion", was released on March 8 alongside the announcement of Mika's Laundry, Champion's debut solo album, released on March 22.[25] [26]
On June 20, Champion appeared on the cover of Clash's 20th anniversary edition, titled "Kool Things".[27]
As of 2024, Champion is dating Canadian model and designer Tavia Bonetti.[28] Champion has starred in campaigns for Bonetti's brand, Friends With Animals.[29]
| Album details | ||
| Mika's Laundry |
|
|---|
| Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR DL [30] | NZ Hot [31] | UK DL [32] | |||||||||
| "Die with Me" | 2014 | — | — | — | rowspan="8" | ||||||
| "Burn" | 2015 | — | — | — | |||||||
| "El Dorado" | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "You're Too Cool for Me" | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Punks" | 2016 | — | — | — | |||||||
| "Salud" | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Mansions" | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Fangs" | 2017 | — | — | — | |||||||
| "Aphid" | 2024 | — | — | — | Mika's Laundry | ||||||
| "Slug" | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Slow Motion" | 116 | 28 | 68 | ||||||||
| "Dogfish" | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | |||||||||||
| Year | Other performer(s) | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Snakes" | 2014 | Kevin Abstract | MTV1987 | |
| "Drown" | 2016 | Young Lungs, Cian P, Roy | Contradiction | |
| "Smoke" | 2021 | The Blossom | 97 Blossom |
| Year | Title | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Role | Medium | |||
| 2015 | Dreams Die Young | Himself | Short Series | |
| 2016 | All-American Trash Documentary | Documentary | ||
| 2017 | Helmet Boy | Clyde | Short Series | |
| American Boyband | Himself | Documentary Series | ||
| Jennifer's Tour, A Live Show By Brockhampton | ||||
| Billy Star | Van Nuys Matt / "South Central" Crew | Short Film | ||
| Saturation | Himself | Documentary | ||
| 2018 | Love Your Parents Tour | Documentary Series | ||
| The Longest Summer In America | Documentary | |||
| 2019 | Keeping The Band | Himself (fictionalized depiction) | Series | |
| 2021 | Live from The Chapel | Himself | Concert film |
| Year | Album(s) | Director(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| "El Dorado" | 2015 | Matt Champion, Albert Gordon, Henock Sileshi | |
| "Aphid" | 2024 | Mika's Laundry | Anna Pollack |
| "Slug" | |||
| "Dogfish" |
| Year | Album(s) | Director(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| "New Shoes" | 2022 | TM | Matt Champion, Onda |
| "Man on the Moon" | Matt Champion |