LA Times calls his debut “the twentysomething experience in Los Angeles,” but some would argue it as a more transcendent work than that. Yes, he sings with an undeniably beautiful voice of “Super Rich Kids,” over-attentive maids and overly generous parents, but he also sings about wanting a man.
Ever since his Tumblr post describing his love affair with another man, his name has been in headlines every single day from the ‘Calendar’ cover of LA Times to a daily headline in the all-knowing Billboard Bulletin–and basically every music blog in existence. He has been a publicist’s dream: a de-closeting just in time for a week-long approach to his first televised performance on Jimmy Fallon, to an album release only hours after its airing. Leading up to his much anticipated debut release, there have been premature evaluations and skeptical journalists connecting his moment of honesty with his album release date as a publicity scheme. However, Channel ORANGE garnered talk long before he granted his fans access to himself completely. Album teasers like “Pyramids” and “Forrest Gump” grasped our attention as much as his well kept secret.
Channel ORANGE deserves its own coming out party. Sexual preferences and a genre-transforming culture aside, the album is ripe with talent and a soulful delivery unexpected as a part of the profanity-flinging boys of Odd Future. Gems like “Bad Religion,” “Thinkin Bout You,” Super Rich Kids (feat. Early Sweatshirt),” “Lost,” and “Forrest Gump” ride on slow, sensual beats and contrasting strings. That sleek voice skips back and forth from falsetto to talk-rapping, constantly evoking a comparison as a modern-day, hip hop-tainted Stevie Wonder. He is nouveau soul.
He may not be challenging hip hop with a new identity, but then again, he very well may be. Luckily, Channel ORANGE has the ability to overshadow the talk surrounding it and its creator, and simply speak for itself.
TAGS: Bad Religion, Channel Orange, Forrest Gump, Frank Ocean, hip hop, Lost, Odd Future, Pyramids, R&B, soul, Super Rich Kids, Thinkin Bout You
WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?
- http://twitter.com/m7namaste
Let’s talk about Frank Ocean.
Last time we scribbled about this 23 year old writer for Beyonce and Justin Bieber, the splash size he would make as an artist himself was completely unforeseen. Now, with Channel ORANGE, his new chart erupting album and a face synonymous with single-handedly breaking up the marriage of homophobia and hip hop, Ocean has opened himself up to public criticism and an untapped demographic for fanfare.
May 22 13 @ 5:37 PM
of Montreal at Music Hall of WilliamsburgMay 23 13 @ 5:27 PM
ØDD Spring SaleMay 24 13 @ 5:40 PM
Yacht at Shea StadiumMay 25 13 @ 5:50 PM
James Murphy and Special Guests at Grand Prospect HallMay 26 13 @ 5:54 PM
Oneohtrix Point Never at Saint VitusMay 27 13 @ 6:01 PM
A conversation With James MurphyMay 28 13 @ 5:46 PM
Naoaki Funayama: X-don at Ouchi GalleryMay 29 13 @ 6:06 PM
Marina & The Diamonds and Charli XCXMay 30 13 @ 6:10 PM
Lee "Scratch" Perry at Le Poisson RougeMay 31 13 @ 6:15 PM
Azari & III at Highline Ballroom
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beautiful work! posters for posterity!2
I like it. And it grabbed your attention esp. if you posted a comment below. whether you love it or hate I don't see anything where it promotes violence or degrading women.. what i see is government taking away the rights of a citizen n the rights away from people. Failure to follow instructions will land us in prison like the model. Now if steven photographed the same concept with average shmucks would we pay much attention to it? i dont think so. it'd be just another political journalistic photograph.3
i agree4
Lovely inspirations <3www.whitebluebird.com5
Perfect inspiration for our soon to be flat : )6
This list is one of the best of restaurants around England.7
... Tilda is like kristen mcmenamy - magic in everything8
the tilda shoot is magic.9
Boring10
LOL this is such a frumpy campaign. Raquel Zimmermann looks so awkward dancing those bad bad moves. WWTT??? a.k.a What Were They Thinking?