The Perfect Release of Frank Ocean’s “Blonde”
Joining the hype train.
I wasn’t one of Frank Ocean’s first fans, but you can be sure I’m one of his most dedicated.
Back in the ancient history of 2016 (probably the last good year we’ve had) there was a small corner of the internet heating up. The subreddit for Frank Ocean, r/frankocean was abuzz with news of an upcoming album. After months upon years of teases, missed release dates, and rumors, something was in the air that made it seem that this would be the year we finally get a follow up to Channel Orange.
I’m not sure what made me finally listen to Channel Orange in the first place, maybe I just wanted to be a part of internet history, but man I was hooked. For those of you that can attest, there is something about Frank Ocean as a writer that is at once so deeply personal but also so direct and relatable. He is so open with his emotions, it’s hard not to see his music as a mirror that you can use to examine yourself.
I followed the subreddit and joined in on the conspiracy. In July, the hints became concrete with an infamous “library card” showing dates, and on August 1st, a video appeared on Frank’s website that showed him making something with wood and playing instrumentals.
The internet exploded with rumors, as fans watched the livestream/recorded/what is happening day and night. The sheer ingenuity of some people on that subreddit can not be understated as they stared at the website code, tried to connect the instrumentals, and so on. Later that month, Endless was released as a 45 minute visual album on Apple Music.
This story isn’t about Endless though. At the time, there was a weight lifted upon finally getting a follow-up to Channel Orange, but fans had a feeling that this couldn’t be it. The songs here were too strange, too raw to not have some sort of hidden message behind their release. We all listened through the night and enjoyed what we had gotten.
The following day, the 20th of August, I was beginning to move into my dorm for my freshman year of college. Stuck with my parents, I couldn’t play Endless endlessly, as Frank intended! I distinctly remember sitting in the car scrolling through the Frank Ocean subreddit, reading news of pop-up shops opening up in major cities. It was a swirl of emotions as I wished I could drive to NYC just to get a chance, but also hopeful of moving into college and not wanting to miss the experience.
Before I go on, I should mention that August 20th happens to be my birthday. Going to one of those pop-up shops would’ve been one of the best gifts to myself ever. Driving from rural Pennsylvania to New York City was to get a copy was likely impossible, but we dared to dream back then. Reading the stories of people receiving their magazines was a thrill in itself.
There I was, in the back of a car headed to the store for dorm room supplies when the lead single “Nikes” dropped. Attached with a video, I must’ve watched the thing three times over in that car ride. I probably annoyed my parents just sitting in the car, waiting for the video to finish again before we went into the store. Something in me just knew this was it. This was what the wait from Channel Orange was for. “Nikes” is admittedly a strange choice for a single, but as an artistic statement it’s second to none.
In the back of the car, listening to that song, I didn’t care that Frank’s voice was coated in autotune, didn’t care that this sounded way left of Channel Orange, I was just ecstatic that there was more. I felt the warm tears on my cheek as I took in everything I could from the music and video. Thank you Frank and Tyrone Lebon for your astounding artistic vision.
I was riding that high later that day when I returned from dinner where I met my roommate. Back in my dorm, it seemed almost casual, Frank’s message on tumblr. Apparently he fell asleep as the album dropped on Apple Music. It felt comical, because I couldn’t imagine being asleep for such an event. I felt bad for myself because I missed the live drop, but no matter.
No one speak to me, because this was going to be all I talk about for weeks on end. Needless to say, I listened to it straight away, and I still feel the same as I did all those years ago. Listen to it yourself and form your own opinion. For me, what a birthday gift.
Perhaps Frank’s time away from the public spotlight and perspective allowed him to grow even further to give us something that we could never have expected. I know for a fact that with the distance of time, the hearts of r/frankocean only grew fonder.
I shouldn’t have to mention that Blonde’s release is unconventional. Released on a Saturday with barely any promotion, Frank followed the path of Beyoncé and others in his choice to shirk expectations and let the music speak for him. No huge interviews, no expected radio play, just himself laid bare on the album’s 19 tracks.
Blonde these days is pretty much mythical in every sense of the word. For people like me, for r/frankocean, it’s a deep part of ourselves from which we cannot estrange. It’s an album that you can divide your time before and your time after.
There’s a lot to be said about Blonde, how it was a bold artistic statement with concepts such as sexuality, lost love, and race in America. How it was developed and released under the nose of a major label, a massive middle finger to the mainstream industry. How its’ DNA took in so much influence but also seems to influence so much music that we listen to today.
For me, it’s all of those things and more. Partially because of its’ release on my birthday and partially because of the material within, I feel very tied to Blonde. There are parts of me in there and vice versa. Most simply, it’s just the best birthday gift I’ve ever gotten.
