![]() If Odd Future's frequent use of the word "faggot" unsettled liberal stomachs, Ocean was brave enough to stand alone once more, declaring on We All Try: "I believe that marriage isn't between a man and woman, but between love and love." You could argue many mainstream stars (Katy Perry, Lady Gaga) were expressing similar views this year, but Ocean wasn't one for bandwagons. The album was personal, but it was also political. Over a glitchy beat and with heavily synthesised vocals, he sings: "Hide my face, hide my face, can't let 'em see me crying/ Cause these boys didn't have no fathers neither/ And they weren't crying," before offering the devastating line: "You can't be there, that's all you had to say to me." Another equally crushing track is There Will Be Tears, win which Ocean discusses not just the pain of having an absent father but also the pressure not to let these feelings show. ![]() Ocean was also grouped among the current crop of "sensitive" R&B types, although unlike the cocaine comedowns of the Weeknd or the meandering moans of Drake, he was behind a record with genuine heart.Īdmittedly, sometimes this heart would be broken and stuffed inside the boot of his car – as on the astonishing suicide song Swim Good, in which Ocean finds himself dressed in black ("Like I'm ready for a funeral"), tormented by heartbreak and on the verge of driving his car into the sea. The record was one of several mixtapes posted online this year that caused more of a buzz (see also the Weeknd's House of Balloons, A$AP Rocky's LiveLoveA$AP) than some of the year's biggest "proper" releases. Indeed, Nostalgia, Ultra seemed perfectly plugged into the pop world of 2011. Ingratiating himself with Odd Future showed Frank Ocean's skill of being in the right place at the right time while retaining his own identity. Standing on the fringes of this gore-splattered gang was a 23-year-old R&B kid called Frank who wrote songs for Justin Bieber and Beyoncé, and saw no shame in sampling the Eagles and MGMT. Odd Future, after all, are the group of LA skater kids who set 2011 ablaze with hype and featured one member ( Tyler, the Creator) who fantasised about stabbing Bruno Mars, and another (Earl Sweatshirt) who wanted to "poke Catholics in the ass". ![]() Standing out from the crowd in pop is hard enough at the best of times, but when you're a member of hip-hop collective Odd Future it's near impossible. ![]()
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