[Opinion] Frank Ocean Is Not Singing Songs, Just To Sing The Songs
Two days ago London based media personality Max had an early listen to OFWGKTA affiliate Frank Ocean‘s forthcoming album “Channel Orange.” From that preview she gleaned the expected; that the music was superb, and also a bit of the unexpected.
“Frank has also opened up about his sexuality on the album, we think it’s brave and admire him for being so honest and sharing such a personal aspect of his life through his music. On the songs “Bad Religion” “Pink Matter” and “Forrest Gump” you can hear him sing about being in love and there are quite obvious words used like ‘him’ and not ‘her’.”
She also posed a poignant question immediately after her analysis – “In the world we live in now we can’t see this being an issue or why it should be??”
But oh, is it an issue, if only for the fact that we have to question if it is. I talked to several friends about it to a range of reactions, some cynical “I think the reporter is reaching,” to encouraging; “good for him.” Amidst the dustup of speculation was the artist himself, on the verge of a triumphant moment. If you were up on Twitter last night you witnessed it; his soul baring testimony of first, unrequited, “forbidden,” revelatory love.
When responses to that beautiful, rhythmic affirmation are “I’m not listening to his album,” I know that the “world we live in now” is still cold, heartless and afraid. Even seemingly acceptable sentiments are telling. “I don’t care, I just don’t want to hear about it,” is more a push back toward the closet door than a walk along the “higher” road where only the music matters. We would rather sing along to lies than face the real stories. If you want to know the truth, the matter IS the music.
This is for every time Luther sang “she’s the girl of my fantasies,” George Michael belted “I said you were the perfect girl for me,” or Ricky Martin intoned he was “thinking of her in leather and lace.” We reveled in those tales told on behalf of someone else; perhaps, as Frank noted, in a foreign language to the translators themselves. So much of art is self-exposure and we connect most to artists who give us a piece of themselves. And although their genius shone through the lies, sometimes I wonder what we lost the privilege of experiencing due to their restraints.
Ocean crooning his truth on “Channel Orange” affects everyone who’ll listen — those who identify and those who don’t. Hopefully for the better. The sooner we stop being deathly afraid of what we don’t understand, the sooner we can understand it. The sooner we don’t need written explanations of other folks’ sexual preferences. The sooner they don’t feel the need to provide them because it’ s not taboo, covertly or otherwise. The sooner we create that world Frank was talking about where “the babies born these days will inherit less of the bullshit than we did.”
That is why this is an issue. That is why it should be.
As a confidant pointed out this morning, Ocean is a writer of James Balwin-esque proportions. I, for one, am glad he doesn’t have any secrets he needs kept anymore. We can only hope he continues to tell his stories as he knows them, in his own language. Not just as a gift to those of us who enjoy his art, but an example everyone can get familiar with. Without the pronouns, this could be any of our stories. It’s just like he said, we are all the same “human beings spinning on blackness.”
As a str8 man, theres nothing I want to understand about being gay. Nor do I even care.
I don’t hate Frank O for being gay. I don’t hate him for coming out. Kudos to him.
He’s made some good music. I was a fan of his. Looking forward to buying Channel Orange. But not anymore.
My preference is listening to straight love songs sang by straight people. Doesn’t make me a bigot or a person of hate.
Just like women ladies say they like hearing Mary J when she’s going thru something, her songs resonate. It’s the same way I feel about Males in RnB.
Frank O’s Song, Songs For Women seems like a lie now. As a straight man I don’t wanna listen to songs about men loving men. What guy does.
The real victims here is all the straight men who are being crucified for no longer wanting to listen or support Frank Ocean any longer. When it’s all about preference and not hate.
well he did not say that he did not like women too. He could very well be bisexual or just pansexual.
to me it does not make a difference if it is a guy singing about guys than a girl singing about guys, the songs dont really change. I mean don’t you listen to Badu or Blige or Alicia Keys?
i think that you should at least consider that not wanting to listen to a song by an artist that you already clearly liked because he is attracted to men.
What does being a straight have to do with the music you listen to. That is my opinion. your entitled to your opinion
but i hardly consider that these “straight men who are no longer wanting to listen or support Frank Ocean.’ are victims. Your entitled to your opinion. but recognize that it does make you an intolerant person which is essentially a bigotted.
Actually, no he’s not intolerant or bigoted. This is a lesson the “very tolerant” need to learn and learn well. Tolerance means tolerating even those who have different ideas than you – who do not agree with you. Doesn’t mean you approve or even like it, but you allow others to have opinions that don’t jive w/ your own without judging and labeling them.
Personally, when admire an artist and like their music, I do so because the lyrics speaks to me, because I feel that the artist’s view point and frame of reference resonates with where I either am or where I’m coming from. In short, I can relate to the artist. I don’t care how nice a singer a person is or how dope the beat, if the person holds a view or holds to a lifestyle that I find is diametrically opposed to a view I hold that in part defines me, I’m not going to be an admirer of that artist any longer!
How can LGBT people and their supporters get passed the true fact that their sexual preference is not the sexual preference of others AND on the subject of what makes us different, that it is a very real difference between them and their same gender counter parts.
No one can dictate to another person whether it should matter or how they should feel about it!
He said “My preference is listening to straight love songs sang by straight people. …As a straight man I don’t wanna listen to songs about men loving men.”
Who are you to say he should! And if he is bigoted and essentially intolerant for holding that opinion, then why aren’t you bigoted and essentially intolerant for holding the opinion that he should?
That wide paint brush of judgment strokes both ways! It is a bone of contention with me the double standard. I heard a gay person say on a television program once, in reference to a woman’s vagina, Ooooooo, yuck! Just the thought of it makes my skin crawl. Girrrrrrrrrl, I wouldn’t even know what to do with it!” Everyone laughed and no one said he was a bigot or intolerant, insensitive or hateful. The fact is, he’s not interested sexually interested in a woman’s vagina!
I personally could care less that Frank is whatever he is sexually. I wish people would stop making a label of their sexual preference and get back to the business of being authentic people with varying characteristics, all of which make us who we are. As a musician, write the music you like and sing your heart out and those who love it will follow your career and those who don’t, won’t.
I don’t need to know what a person likes in the bedroom. I think the people who ask are rude and nosy, and those who offer it up voluntarily are at worst pandering to a special interest group, or some kind of weird exhibitionist and at best . . . talk too much. :)
Good post Aja, I’ll add my two cents here
I’m actually surprised by how well we’ve come as a culture, particularly a hip hop culture where this isn’t such a big issue where in the past it may have been. 99% of the responses I’ve been around have been “He’s talented, who cares.” It could be the people I surround myself with, but there isn’t a lot of homophobia from people in the 18-30 age range these days, particularly when the person is so talented.
The fact that it had to be outed and stated? Well, that’s a story for another day. It shouldn’t matter, but for what it is worth, going back on his catalogue and listening to some tracks makes the “him” notion a lot more clearer. Him or Her, that statement he released was beautiful, moving, and gutsy. Would love to see more people not afraid to do that these days and not be penalized for it.
Good for him! Whomever freedom leaves out – that is how much less its worth. In America it left out Blacks historically and other people of color. Frank is being himself, but he is contributing to a larger struggle for all of us, as human beings.