Artist Spotlight: Frank Ocean

In the series, “Artist Spotlight”, I will delve into the life and work of my favorite musicians. To understand an artist, one must understand where they come from, and what inspired them to become a musician. 

The artist’s entire discography will also be outlined in this series, with notable tracks analyzed on a deeper scale.

Enjoy.

Bio:

The enigmatic and immensely talented Frank Ocean has emerged as one of the most celebrated artists of this era. Frank Ocean’s music is idiosyncratic, timeless, and constantly evolving with each project. As an artist Ocean has become ingrained within the zeitgeist of the ‘10s, a permanent staple shaping the very fabric of our culture.

While he was born in Long Beach, Frank Ocean was raised in New Orleans. Growing up Frank was exposed to a wide variety of music but his mother frequently played Jazz and R&B around the house. As a highschooler Ocean began recording music in local studios, which he paid for by working odd jobs. At 18, he enrolled at the University of New Orleans and continued to pursue his academic inclinations along with his music. The year Ocean enrolled in college, Hurricane Katrina forced Ocean to relocate to Los Angeles, where he focused on music and intended on staying for only a short while.

After his move to LA, Frank Ocean’s first exposure to the music industry was as a songwriter. His knack for crafting songs with clever lyrics and vivid imagery was quickly noticed by talented artists. As word of Ocean’s skill resonated around the LA music scene, he began ghostwriting for pop stars like Beyonce and Justin Bieber. 

While Ocean was writing songs for big names in the industry, he met the aspiring rapper Tyler, The Creator. Ocean began collaborating with Tyler’s notorious LA-based collective, Odd Future. A multitude of talent emerged from the collective, with renowned artists including Earl Sweatshirt and Syd Tha Kid.

FranK Ocean (left) and Tyler the Creator.

Frank Ocean was happy to be surrounded by young and free-spirited artists, which spurred him to start focusing on his musical career. As Ocean explored his artistry, it became clear that he had much more talent aside from songwriting. Ocean soon met Tricky Stewart, a producer with connections to DefJam. Ocean was eventually signed by DefJam as a solo recording artist, which sparked the start of his career as a singer/songwriter.

Discography:

After being signed to DefJam, Frank Ocean was shelved and largely ignored. Ocean’s first musical release was Nostalgia Ultra, which he released in 2011 on his Tumblr, and without any support from DefJam. Ocean was extremely frustrated with DefJam and took to Twitter to explain his disdain; "i. did. this. not ISLAND DEF JAM. that's why you see no label logo on the artwork that I DID. guess its my fault for trusting my dumbass lawyer and signing my career over to a failing company. fuck Def Jam & any company that goes the length of signing a kid with dreams & talent w/ no intention of following through. fuck em. now back to my day. i want some oatmeal and toast. brunch swag." 

During a 2012 video interview with BBC, Ocean detailed the making of Nostalgia Ultra. He called it a “labor of love,” and touched on the difficulty of making a record without any former experience making beats or producing. Nostalgia Ultra quite literally exudes an intense feeling of nostalgia.  The record showed the world Frank Ocean’s natural talent at creating a picturesque story with extremely clear imagery. Each track tells a story we can easily imagine. The album is glued together with interludes pulled from the video games Ocean played while growing up the ’90s. Most notably, in the intro, one can hear the iconic sounds of the video game Street Fighter booting up. Later in the record, Ocean pulls sounds from the video game Soul Calibur. The mixtape also features samples from artists that perpetuate nostalgia, all the way from MGMT to The Eagles. 

The second track off Nostalgia Ultra is "Strawberry Swing", a song that not only samples the same melody but shares the same name as Coldplay’s earlier version. The song is colorful and exudes a feeling of excitement. The bright chords and optimistic melody give the listener a feeling of a joyous “come-up”. Directly following “Strawberry Swing” is "Novacane", a song about meeting a girl who studies dentistry while working as a pornstar to pay for her tuition. They meet at Coachella and share an out-of-body and drug-fueled sexual experience. The song has a stark contrast when compared to “Strawberry Swing”. It has a bass you would find in a hip-hop record, paired with Frank’s beautiful voice delivering his strikingly contrast hedonistic lyrics. Ocean creates a graphic scene with his voice, “Sink full of dishes, pacin' in the kitchen, cocaine for breakfast, yikes. Bed full of women, flip on a tripod, little red light on shootin'. I'm feelin' like Stanley Kubrick, this is some visionary shit. Been tryna film pleasure with my eyes wide shut but it keeps on movin'.” One can imagine this situation dramatically: a drug-fueled sexual experience with a pornstar, yet extremely emotionless and dulled out due to heavy drug use. 

My favorite track off Nostalgia Ultra is the  "American Wedding", the climactic song on the album that samples the famous Eagles track, “Hotel California.” Like a lot of songs on Nostalgia Ultra, “American Wedding” has a very uplifting melody compared to the more depressing lyrics.  The song is about an impulsive marriage between a young woman and an older man, which quickly dissolves, much like the transition from summer to fall. Oceanis critiquing the typical American marriage, which oftentimes ends in divorce. In the third verse, Ocean sings, “Well, you can have my Mustang, that's all I've got in my name, But Jesus Christ, don't break my heart.” The character Ocean is portraying is more willing to give up his most prized possession over being heartbroken.

Nostalgia Ultra introduced the world to Frank Ocean’s beautiful music and captivating style. Even though the album had no monetary success due to it being released for free, it was extremely popular and allowed Frank to repair his relationship with DefJam. 

Following the success of Nostalgia Ultra, Frank began working on his next project: Channel Orange. Released in 2012, it immediately received critical acclaim. Channel Orange won Frank Ocean a Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album. Directly following the release of the album,  Ocean came out about his sexuality via a beautiful poem he released on his Tumblr. Ever since he has been outspoken in his support of the LGBTQ+ movement and has recently launched a nightclub that acts not only as a safe space for the community but a place of celebration. His sexuality has been a constant theme in his music ever since, with tracks like "Forrest Gump" detailing his physical attraction to a man.

While the Channel Orange can’t be pinned down to one genre, it has heavy influences stemming from R&B and soul. Influences from all-time greats like Stevie Wonder and Prince can be heard when listening to Channel Orange. The second track off the record is "Thinkin Bout You", which is Ocean’s most popular song and subsequently launched him into stardom. The song sets the tone for the entire album, painting pictures of heartbreak and tales of a previous love affair. The song begins with Frank acting tough and downplaying his relationship with his old lover. However, later in the record, Frank sings, 

“Yes, of course, I remember, how could I forget (How could I forget?) how you feel? (How you feel). You know you were my first time, a new feel. It won't ever get old, not in my soul, not in my spirit, keep it alive. We'll go down this road 'til it turns from color to black and white.”

 Ocean takes back his prior sentiment and lets his old flame know that he hasn’t forgotten about their love, and he never will. Their love will live on, shared between their memories until the end of time. 

Another great track off the album is "Super Rich Kids", featuring bars from the Odd Future rapper Earl Sweatshirt. The song has a very steady melody that can easily be sung along to, with Frank Ocean not only rapping but also singing about extremely wealthy teens in Los Angeles who numb themselves with drugs, endless partying, and fake friends. Towards the end of the chorus, Ocean raps;

“Parents ain't around enough. Too many joy rides in daddy's Jaguar. Too many white lies and white lines. Super rich kids with nothing but loose ends. Super rich kids with nothing but fake friends.” 

Much like Ocean’s tracks on Nostalgia Ultra Ocean creates an extremely vivid story layered with the sad truths hidden in plain sight in today’s society.

Following the release of Channel Orange, Frank Ocean became a household name. He made himself into the artist he always wanted to be, but Ocean was still dealing with disputes from his label DefJam. Growing frustrated with the music scene in LA, Ocean left for London armed with nothing but a USB drive full of unreleased music.

Four long years went by until Frank Ocean released his sophomore studio album, “Blonde”. While Ocean was bouncing from hotel to hotel in London, he was working extremely hard on his next project. Devoted fans were teased along the way, with songs released here and there on his Tumblr. The enigmatic nature of Frank Ocean’s image only grew during this time. He deleted all social media except for his Tumblr, and every bit of content he put on his blog was scrutinized by his cult-like following. Rumors went around that his next project would be called “Boys Don’t Cry” due to his cryptic Tumblr posts. Four summers had passed since Ocean’s Channel Orange, and fans were starting to lose hope. 

On August 19th, 2016, a mysterious video titled Endless was released iTunes. A man who appeared to be Frank Ocean was building a spiral staircase in a giant warehouse. As Ocean worked on the staircase, music blasted in the warehouse. The enigmatic hipster was back, and fans rejoiced. The video was layered with multiple tracks featuring Frank Ocean that no one had ever heard. Ocean eventually released Endless on Vinyl, and fans put CDQ versions of the album on the internet. Endless is considered to be Frank Ocean’s best work by many of his fans, but it sadly has yet to be released on any streaming platform. The record features an extremely stripped-down production, and cannot be pinned down to any one genre. Some notable tracks include "Higgs", "Rushes", and the much more upbeat "Comme Des Garcons".

Even with the release of  Endless, there was still no official studio album, and fans anticipated something big coming soon. They were right.

The following day, Frank Ocean released his magnum opus, Blonde. An album that is considered a timeless masterpiece by many critics, and was even named the best album of the decade by Pitchfork. Blonde is one of the most singular and rare pieces of art that has ever been released. Frank Ocean broke down every boundary regarding genre and made something entirely new. His idiosyncratic style oozed through every note, and he created something that sounded almost alien.

Blonde presents itself as a collection of memories, both good and bad. The inherently psychedelic production paired with Frank Ocean’s distinct lyrics make the record come alive. The first track off Blonde is "nikes". The beginning of the song starts with Frank singing, in an almost chipmunk-like voice. Towards the middle of the song, he gifts his fans with his in-pitch voice, and a new era of Frank Ocean music began. “Nikes” is presented in a stream of consciousness, with Frank Ocean almost drunkenly rambling in an off-the-cuff style critiquing a loveless relationship. 

One of my favorite songs of all time is the heartbreaking ballad, "Self Control", a song that describes a relationship slowly falling apart. It can remind even the most emotionally stable person of their ex. At the start of the song, Ocean sings, “Wish I was there, wish we'd grown up on the same advice. And our time was right.” Ocean realizes that relationships often end when people go different ways in life, and it could be due to different ideals they grew up believing. In the chorus, Ocean pleads to his ex; “Keep a place for me, for me. I'll sleep between y'all, it's nothing. It's nothing, it's nothing. Keep a place for me, for me.” A common theme that transcends all of Frank’s music is a memory, “Now and then you miss it, sounds make you cry. Some nights you dance with tears in your eyes.” Ocean knows that his old lover will miss him from time to time, and something as simple as a song they used to dance to could exude extreme longing. 

Another great track on the record is “Close to You”, and the live version is even better. The song is very short and is as follows:

“I'll be honest, I wasn't devastated. But you could've held my hands through this, baby. Let my mind run underneath warm jets. I run my hands through what's left. But we're getting older, baby. Don’t have a much longer baby. Why am I preaching? To this choir, to this atheist? Just like mine, versions of these belong to you. After a while, they're keeping me close to you. (Just like me, they long to be close to you).” 

Ocean describes a breakup where he realizes he is talking to someone who no longer loves him, but they still both have their memories, which is the last thing keeping them close together. 

Frank Ocean’s Blonde is a powerful piece of art and will forever be heralded as a masterpiece. Following the release of Blonde, Ocean was surprisingly active in terms of releasing music. He released a multitude of singles, my favorite being the summer jam "Slide" produced by Calvin Harris and featuring Migos. Another great track released post-Blonde is "Chanel", an upbeat song that pretty clearly addresses Frank’s sexuality; his attraction to both men and women.

Looking Forward:

It has been nearly four years since Frank Ocean’s last full-length studio album. His fans have been waiting for new music, something they are painstakingly used to. However, this past week, Frank Ocean has been extremely active. He has not only released merch on his website, but he also previewed unreleased snippets of songs performed in his new club Prep+, in New York. Last week, a new single titled "DHL" appeared on all streaming platforms. His cult following is once again filled to the brim with anticipation. The new single is somewhat similar to his most recent projects, however, it is still exceedingly different. It can be described as “shoegaze rap,” a genre no one has even attempted to curate except Frank Ocean.

Frank Ocean is one of the most respected artists of the past decade, and his influence is obvious in all those who have followed his wake. He has a talent for creating art that can evoke painfully sharp memories and lucid imagery. With a knack for creating the heartbroken ballad, Ocean’s music is a vessel that takes the listener to memories long forgotten. 

KYLE COOPER - 11/5/2019