I first wrote about Frank Ocean around this time last year after hearing his mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra that introduced us to an introspective, yet forthcoming new artist that was gifted with the skill of writing and evoking romantic emotion that is often unheard of from artists his age; He's only 25. The subject matter that he displays through his songs are not only thought provoking, but wildly uncommon in this day and age of music that seems to focus solely on party and bullshit.
Ocean recently came out of the closet (acknowledging his love for men) by featuring songs on his debut album Channel Orange (released online on July 10th and available in stores next week) that focus on love and loss between two men. This album comes highly anticipated based off his previous work with Jay-Z, Kanye, and Beyonce, as well as, his own mixtape releases, but has left his current and new fans confused on what to expect next out of the newcomer.
I caught his performance on Jimmy Fallon that aired this past Monday and he sang a love song that he wrote about a man called "Bad Religion". I wasn't too blown away by the performance, but I thought to myself, is R&B/Hip Hop ready for a gay or possibly, bisexual artist? I've posed this question before in a previous blog titled, "Is Hip Hop Ready For Homosexuality?!?!?!." Personally, I'm not sure if I'm ready to hear love songs about love shared between two men. I am by no means homophobic and I respect everyone's right to live free of persecution or judgement based off of their sexual preference, however, I'm just not sure if I'm ready to cross that bridge.
Below is video footage of Frank Ocean's performance on Jimmy Fallon:
I'd love to hear from my BornTooBlog readers on this one!!!!
What do you think about the performance?
Are you a fan?
Did you know he was gay/bisexual? Does it matter?
Do you plan on copping the album?
Do you think his coming out will help or hurt his career?
WEIGH IN!!!!!
I loved the song... it was beautiful. Love is universal. I thought it would feel a little alien to hear a man sing about another man, but I was surprised at how ez it flowed...it really was beautiful. I think his audience will be women and gay males. I don't see very many men who r into the hip hop scene coping his album, but then how many men are into Maxwell or D' Angelo. I like him...and good for him for making his music his way. <3
ReplyDeleteOk I'm an Ocean fan, I think he is a great writer...but I don't think I'll be looking to pick up many more of his albums, just because knowing its about gay love it makes it unrelatable to me. His 1st Mix Tape was Amazing dealing with hetro-relationship issues, but the gay stuff just not for me. I can still see me listening to the songs he writes concerning male/female love songs.
ReplyDeleteI think F. Ocean is very talented. When it comes to music about gay love I can't vibe with that. But other than that, he makes good songs. I will continue to listen to his music because I'm a fan of good(straight) music. 1 of my favorite artists of all time(R.Kelly) is a pedophile so I'm not to quick to pass judgement on an artist's personal preference.
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