What makes Frank Ocean different than the rest of those people that think they can break out in the rap/R&B scene? Well, first off, he did break out. He became a sensation. I can't really tell if he really blew up after Channel Orange dropped, or if he was really that big before that because I get the feeling that not enough people knew about him before the album came, and there really aren't that many people that know him still.
This troubles me. He's a trailblazer. He doesn't go with the conventional sound, he makes his own. I think that his participation in the Watch The Throne project is really what solidified his place in my mind as one of the premiere artists of this age.
His affiliation with Odd Future is another thing. Most of the artists that are a part of Odd Future are very strange individuals. They have a very different vein that runs through their music that is hard to find anywhere else. They have been alleged to worship satan, they talk about excessive drug usage and suicide, and most of all, they have extremely homophobic lyrics. Tyler, The Creator, the leader of the group, came out and said that he had full support for his friend Frank Ocean when Frank officially came out to the world and said that he was gay. This was another thing that separated him from the pack. Not many artists today will outwardly express their homosexuality, especially in the rap community. He wanted to be a different kind of artist from the beginning, and he wanted to set a trend. Channel Orange did just that.
Even though, like most years, he wasn't truly a "new artist" this year, the VMAs were still a huge misrepresentation of who the "best new artist" truly was this past year. One Direction, the plastic, fake boy-band from the UK does not ever deserve an award, unless it's an award for making 12 year old girls swoon. I just had to throw that in because I truly think that he was cheated by the voting population out of a well-deserved award. The performances that took place during the show this year should have been evidence for who was to win Best New Artist. Frank changed it up and did a different take on Thinkin Bout You, while One Direction did the same plastic sounding version of one of their hit songs. They didn't change it up at all, because they don't know how. They aren't talented enough to change it up in the heat of the moment.
Frank, like most rap artists, sings about his past. He sings about the problems that he sees in the world. He sings about the things that trouble him on a daily basis, and he does it well. The variety of sound that we see on Channel Orange is very refreshing. It's almost My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy-esque in that the different beats all complement each other, but they also are their own independent track in themselves.
Also, the focus on an R&B type music rather than a rap-oriented one is another thing that makes me think that Frank Ocean will end up being one of the best artists of the time, if not ever. His collaboration with John Mayer on a couple songs goes to show that he is willing to bring that blues influence into his songs, which really makes them sound more diverse in the end.
That's my take on Frank Ocean and why he is amazing. Tweet me with suggestions about what to talk about next. @CBMARTIST
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