Two women who say they were physically abused during sex by former Brockhampton member Ameer Vann have spoken to Pitchfork to detail their allegations. The first, Shawna Berry, has not spoken publicly before; the second, Rhett Rowan, previously posted a tweet alleging that Vann was “emotionally manipulative and mentally abusive” while the two were in a relationship. Though both women say they consented to having sex, they allege that Vann bit, bruised, restrained, and choked them during the act, which each says they first tried to interpret as a form of BDSM or “experimental” sex but came to understand as non-consensual and abusive.
“If I told him I didn’t like something, it only made him want to do it more,” Berry told the site via email. “I had no idea what was to be expected, and once it started I had no way to end it.”
“The sex itself was consensual, but not what he’d do, and saying stop was not an option,” Rowan said, also via email.
Vann had previously denied allegations of misconduct on Twitter, writing, “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.” It appears he has since deleted his Twitter account.
Late last month, Brockhampton announced that Vann was no longer in the group and canceled their tour, writing, “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. We do not tolerate abuse of any kind.” The popular boy band were set to release an album, Puppy, this month, but band member Kevin Abstract has suggested the release will not occur as originally scheduled. You can read Pitchfork’s full report here.
Spin has reached out to Brockhampton and Vann for further comment and will update this post should they reply.
