Pimp C is mentioned, A$AP Rocky appears holding a picture of late A$AP founder A$AP Yams, and Frank laments the death of Trayvon Martin, singing, “RIP Trayvon, that n***a looks just like me.” If you have not posted Ocean’s first line in “Ivy” (“I thought that I was dreaming when you said you loved me”) under any of your Instagram pictures, you are obviously slacking. With splashes of gold, girls swimming in water tanks like mermaids, and glitter rain, Ocean entrances us once again with his creativity and sheer brilliance. Vivid in color, truly enthralling and outlandish, it is what you would expect from Frank Ocean but more. His first track “Nikes” comes along with a true artistic majesty of a music video. ESPECIALLY THOSE OF YOU WHO NEVER LET ME FORGET I HAD TO FINISH. Admitting that he was not completely oblivious to his fans suffering, Ocean wrote to his fans on his Tumblr after the release, saying: “I HAD THE TIME OF MY LIFE MAKING ALL OF THIS. There were a lot of individuals who helped him put Blonde together: Andre 3000 (who raps on “Solo (Reprise)”), Pharrell Williams, Kendrick Lamar, and Kanye West–who hilariously wrote a poem about McDonald’s for the ‘zine. Weaving a story, the artist warns us of the perils of peer pressure, staying to true to oneself, and distancing yourself from materialism. Blonde is an innovative, bold, and imperfect album that showcases Ocean’s nontraditional views of music and emphasizes his levels of maturity. Each track is crafted differently, tackling various conflicts and elements. Each song is uniquely different as it touches on different messages and tests new sounds and productions. Similar to Ocean’s first album Channel Orange, Blonde features 17 tracks. The music is calming as his songs thrum through and watching him work is eerily intimate. Frank is seen “building a stairway to heaven” as the ethereal soundtrack is played. Endless was originally 140 hours but was eventually cut down to 40 minutes.
But after four years of utterly maddening silence, Frank Ocean delivered another masterpiece, a true gift to music as each projects reminds us why Ocean’s sometimes nontraditional behavior has successfully reeled us in from the beginning.Ī day after releasing his visual album Endless, Frank Ocean released his second studio album Blonde. After the four-year lull of teasing singles like “Mezmerize” and “Hero,” heartfelt Tumblr posts, and the reveal of his previous title “Boys Don’t Cry,” fans were truly fearful that he would never deliver.
After bravely revealing that his hit single “Thinkin About You” was about a man, Frank Ocean took a hiatus after touring, going back to school and driving fans crazy. The original Odd Future crooner dominated the music world with the critically-acclaimed Channel Orange in 2012 along with his significant mixtape nostalgia/ultra. Frank Ocean proves once again that you cannot rush perfection with his visual album Endless and Blonde.