The album's full effect is more abstract and nebulous than his debut, and far more rewarding. In the years before "Blonde," waiting for new Frank Ocean became something like a national pastime. With that kind of hype, it's unfathomable that anything he released could've satisfied the masses.
And yet, it did. Just as the sheen of "Blonde" had begun to wear off and we stocked the bunkers for another four years, Ocean appeared on Calvin Harris' single "Slide," which locked down "song of the summer" four months before summer even started. Then came the brilliant "Chanel.
Ocean casually released two of the decade's best songs in a matter of months. Turns out, he's just that good. And he just really doesn't care about what anyone wants from him. It speaks to Ocean's stature in our culture, the way he's changed our very understanding of modern music, that it almost feels irrelevant to point out how good his music is. It's true, of course — a "bad" song by Ocean's standards is one that's marginally less sublime.
But it's also an inadequate observation. Ultimately, the way Ocean earnestly grapples with themes like youth, innocence, lost love, loneliness, desire, and mortality — in a way that feels fresh and extraordinary, in a way that makes the introspective sound universal and transcendent — is why he's one of the defining artists of our time.
Frank Ocean is It. Everything he does now is a cataclysmic Event. But he makes music as though he's untouched by fame, pressure, self-doubt, or the machinations of the music industry. His lyrics are still so intimate, so jarringly honest and tenderly perceptive, that it's like he has no idea anyone will ever hear them. For those of us who have ever felt alone or heartsick or repressed — and particularly for those of us in the LGBTQ community — this is barely less than a revelation.
Listening to Ocean's music feels like sitting in a planetarium. We're seeing his memories, musings, and complex emotions reflected prismatically across a spacious, sparkling sky.
No one has ever witnessed a celestial event and wished it had been more contained or self-conscious. Through his art and his actions, Ocean has sought limitless freedom: from fans' ever-more aggressive expectations in the quantity-focused world of streaming ; from restrictive contracts; from outdated industry gatekeepers ; from reductive stereotypes; from heteronormative prejudice ; from fear of vulnerability; from "shame or self-loathing" ; from celebrity social media paradigms ; even from the pressure that he'll keep serving as our pillar of openness and vulnerability.
Breaux chose not to continue his academic career after recording a few demos with friends who landed him a songwriting deal. In , he joined the Los Angeles-based hip-hop collective, Odd Future, which led to a signing a contract with Def Jam recordings later the same year. Ocean self-released his mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra on February 18, after Def Jam refused to release it under their label. The debut was a smash hit, sending Ocean quickly to the top of the charts and improving his relationship with Def Jam.
It also led to collaborations with rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West. To make money during this time, Ocean took a job processing insurance claims. Eventually, he got a songwriting deal and began collaborating with producers. That same year, Ocean began to work with the Los Angeles-based hip-hop collective Odd Future, most notably with Tyler, the Creator, who encouraged Ocean in his songwriting. Around this time, he also met producer Tricky Stewart, who helped land Ocean a contract with Def Jam as a solo artist.
The following year, Ocean officially changed his name to Christopher Francis Ocean, believing that the new name would look better on magazine covers. Still riding the wave of success that followed his release of nostalgia, ULTRA , Ocean began to work on a follow-up album to be released by Def Jam records, with whom he had begun to repair his relationship.
In June , he unveiled a new track, Pyramids , again via his Tumblr site. The following month he performed another track from the album on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Also in July, Ocean posted an open letter to his website, in which he revealed that he had feelings for both men and women. Many of his colleagues in the music business immediately showed their public support for his courageous decision to be open about his sexuality, although he made a point not to label his orientation.
Most of the day I'd see him, and his smile. By the time I realized I was in love, it was malignant. It was hopeless," Ocean writes. Ocean continues to share more of the relationship, closing with, "I feel like a free man. If I listen closely I can hear the sky falling too. Ocean's admirable statement comes two days after rumors of bisexuality spread like wildfire over the 'net.
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