Who knew that the Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All collective included a smooth-as-hell R&B singer/songwriter? Well it does, and his name is Frank Ocean. He dropped his impressive debut album on March 1, and you can download it from his Tumblr for free (scroll down and click on the album cover). I recommend that you do so immediately.
According to Pitchfork, Frank Ocean is a 23-year-old songwriter who has provided lyrics to Justin Bieber, John Legend, and Brandy. Despite his talent, he was ignored by his label, Island Def Jam, for a year before releasing his debut album himself and giving his label the full OFWGKTA "Fuck you!" treatment on Twitter (Pitchfork's full review has excerpts).
Island Def Jam sleeping on the album may have been be a blessing for Ocean and his audience. Lupe Fiasco's difficulties with getting Atlantic to support his artistic vision are well documented, and it's doubtful that a major label would see a place in today's R&B for lines like these from Ocean's "Novocain": "She said she wanna be a dentist really badly. She’s in school paying for tuition doin porn in The Valley... But girl I can’t feel my face. What are we smokin anyway? She said 'Don’t let the high go to waste. But can you taste a little taste of Novocain?'"
By releasing Nostalgia, Ultra himself, Ocean gets to say what he wants and listeners get quality, non-cheesy R&B. Hopefully, he'll be paid back for this free album with sales of his next one. Enjoy these samples:
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