Frank Ocean – Artist You Should Know

Frank Ocean is the odd man out in the collective known as OFWGKTA, a collective of young emcees from Los Angeles who have created a movement in the skate/hip hop community.

Frank is the lone R&B vocalist in the group who was once signed to Def Jam, dropped, and now working with the likes of Beyonce, Justin Beiber, Nas and John Legend. He is featured on two tracks on the new Kanye & Jay-Z release entitled “Watch The Throne“.

His delivery is soulful but his content is heavy in the sense of complexity of relationships, people, and just getting by. What I dig most is that during an era where most young R&B vocalists make records for the clubs, Ocean makes music that is made for the headphones, taking the listener to a far away memory similar to the songs content. Check out and download his track “Thinking About You” here.

He also maintains his contact with his fans via his blog. His blog is where I find many of his releases that he simply gives away including his full length entitled “Nostalgia, Ultra” — which is no longer available because Def Jam will be formally releasing it soon. For a preview, check out the video for “Novacane“. (some NSFW language, fyi!)

— Anthony Valadez