Frank Ocean’s revolutionary music has opened new perspectives of art in all of the most wonderful ways possible. His lyricism, vocal range and raw talent have resulted in some of his greatest achievements in the music industry. He stands as not only an influential figure to many but also a comfort artist as his music extends to all audiences touching one’s soul in every way possible. Yes, if you couldn’t already tell by now, I am a huge Frank Ocean fan, and he has served as an artist that is so deeply influential to me and continues to inspire the music industry and so many others with his art.
Frank Ocean’s music is timeless and will continue to live on for generations. From his first album Channel ORANGE released in the summer of 2012, to the long-awaited Blonde album released in 2016, Ocean has teased fans with so many other singles and mixtapes exposing all of his exquisite talents in music. He not only excels as a solo artist but also features on some top hits such as “No Church In The Wild” by Jay Z and Kanye West or SHE by Tyler, the creator.
One particular thing that is so admired by Frank is his natural ability to authentically write. Every Frank Ocean song holds lyrics that evoke emotion and passion behind each word. He has served as a ghostwriter on some of the greatest songs to be heard by the industry like “Scared Of Beautiful” by Brandy or “I Miss You” by Beyonce. He is none other than a visionary and blueprint to so many upcoming artists we hear today. Some of his greatest influences are classic artists like Stevie Wonder, Prince, and Donny Hathaway.
Here are all of Frank Ocean’s projects thus far:
Channel ORANGE
Frank’s first project, Channel ORANGE, laid the foundation for all of the talents the world would continue to hear from him in the years to come. Within this project, we hear raw hits like “Thinkin Bout You”, “Lost”, “Super Rich Kids”, “Bad Religion”, and so many others that continue to dominate. This album tells a story as the first track is entitled “Start” and the last entitled “End” where he sings “looks like all we have is each other” as he perfectly wraps up the story he told within this project. This album proves how timeless Frank Ocean is as an artist. It has been a decade since its release date and people still continue to bump this incredibly written project.
Blonde
The long-awaited Blonde album is undoubtedly a no skip album. It provides listeners with so many lenses of Frank as an artist and exposes how much depth he really possesses when it comes to making music. His lyrical ability in this album is highlighted in various songs like “Self Control”, “White Ferrari”, and “Futura Free”, just to name a few. Frank makes it apparent to tell a story with each project he creates. Listeners hear an array of talent coming from Frank, some of which is just dialogue, like in the song “Be Yourself” or “Facebook Story”. It is definitely an iconic album that so many fans have grown to love and appreciate deeply.
Nostalgia, ultra
Nostalgia, ultra is one of my favorite Frank Ocean projects. It is unreleased on main music platforms because it’s originally a “deleted” project, but can be streamed on Soundcloud and or downloaded. The 14 track mixtape shares some of the greatest and underrated hits most fans don’t even know about. It focuses on the importance of self-reflection and how to detach from societal norms, and furthermore the issues of relationships between self and others. This mixtape evokes an R&B/ alternative electric feel to it. Undoubtedly some of the greatest Frank Ocean songs I’ve heard are within this mixtape like “Novacane”, “Swim Good”, and “Lovecrimes”. I would 10/10 recommend it to listeners every time.
The Lonny Breaux Collection (unreleased)
The Lonny Breaux Collection is merely a collection of Oceans throwaways, unfinished or unreleased singles. With over 63 items included in this collection, it provides listeners with a raw process of how Frank creates and produces.
Unreleased MISC (unreleased)
Unreleased, MISC is an 18 track mixtape with most singles Ocean has not released on music streaming platforms. It also has most of his original songs which he ghostwrote for artists like Beyonce and Brandy. We are also able to hear samples of various different pieces of work he included in some of his greatest singles within this collection.
Endless
Endless is a visual album released in 2016 prior to the release date of the album Blonde. The visual album is 45 minutes long as it explores the subjects of his career, and his life journey thus far. Endless brings listeners through the narrative it is unlike any other Frank project. Each transition effortlessly leads to more amazing songs. This album is very well done and features some great artists on it as well such as Sampha and Jazmine Sullivan
Frank Ocean’s music holds so much inspiration for me because I’ve grown to classify and appreciate his music as mere artwork. Much of this is because of his ability to tell a story within every one of his songs while so eloquently vocalizing his passion behind each word. It’s effortless and all the while beautiful.