On July 3rd, Frank Ocean made headlines via his Tumblr, revealing that he had romantic feelings for a man in his past. Ocean is the first male African-American R&B artist to openly admit his bisexuality, ultimately changing the stereotypes of black masculinity, gay culture and the average hip-hopper.
In his letter he spoke vividly about his first love experience: “Most of the day I’d see him, and his smile. I’d hear his conversation and his silence … until it was time to sleep. Sleep I would often share with him. By the time I realized I was in love, it was malignant. It was hopeless.” In a world where Anderson Cooper can nonchalantly come out of the closet and gay marriage is cool with Jay-Z, Ocean will accomplish something that artists like Luther Vandross were never able to do: speak on love, regardless of gender, and to a degree, still be accepted by the hip-hop community.
Homophobia has long loomed over hip-hop; the way we define black sexuality couldn’t be more perverted. Statistically speaking, more popular rappers should be gay. The glaring absence of an openly gay MC allows for distorted and delusional depictions of masculinity. Our community isn’t as hetero as it claims to be, and one of music’s most popular genres is missing a huge chunk of American culture.
For years, artists like Prince, David Bowie, and Michael Jackson rode a fine line of exploring their sexuality via their music. People questioned their preferences, but there was never an open admission. On Ocean’s critically acclaimed mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra, released in 2011, Ocean declared, “I believe that marriage isn’t between a man and woman, but between love and love” on the song “We All Try.” And on “Oldie,” a collaboration with his Odd Future cronies, Ocean raps, “I’m high and I’m bi, wait, I mean I’m straight.” We’re just noticing his actual affinity now.
The world’s ignorance on sexuality couldn’t be more twisted. One person tweeted, “Frank’s been singing about men all this time. I can’t listen anymore.” The media aimed for sensation over substance, with headlines screaming, “Frank Ocean’s Gay” or “Frank Comes Out of the Closet.” Clearly we have a long way to go, but brave Frankie has brought this generation that much closer to clarity. If he’s showed us anything, it’s that love can be deeper than a person’s gender.
Before the listening party for his debut album Channel Orange, Ocean wasn’t exactly setting off the gaydars. But one reporter from BBC1 Xtra’s Max broke the news about love songs on the album that seemed to be about two men. Twitter erupted, and Ocean couldn’t hold the information back any longer. On Tumblr, he posted an ominous quote from Lil B’s NYU speech: “We’re all a bunch of golden million dollar babies. My hope is that the babies born these days will inherit less of the bullshit than we did.” Soon after came a screenshot of a word processor, in which was written a love story between Frank and a man who couldn’t reciprocate.
The heartfelt letter, which was meant for the thank-you section of his album’s liners, encouraged hip-hop figures like Solange, Russell Simmons, and his Odd Future brothers to tweet in celebration of his bravery. Solange tweeted to Frank , “I salute you, brave soul. Independence Day.” Tyler The Creator tweeted, “Proud Of That Nigga Cause I Know That Shit Is Difficult Or Whatever. Anyway. I’m A Toilet.” His mom recently also tweeted, “My son is brave and honest and I am very proud of him. I wish more people in the world could be brave enough to be who they really are.” Responses were divided on the hot topic, but a good majority of people are still fans of his music.
So what does Ocean’s revelation mean for a world already on the brink of accepting gay marriage? What does this mean for our children, and our children’s children? It means they could be raised in a world where sexuality won’t be closeted, and they’ll be free to be themselves. Hopefully, he won’t be seen as the sole bearer of a rainbow flag, but as a trailblazer for how we see young black men in our community and ultimately how we define love.
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