Channel Orange: What did "...Excuse Us, We're Young" think?

Earlier this week Frank Ocean’s debut album ‘Channel Orange’ was released, shooting straight to Number One on both the American and UK iTunes charts, but was it as good as we had all hoped? In short, we think yes. The album as a whole can be described as a masterpiece with the diverse tracks flowing effortlessly from beginning to end. Accompanied with the raspy, yet smooth voice of Frank; some features from other artists including Andre 3000 and fellow Odd Future-ite, Earl Sweatshirt; some heartfelt lyrics; this could possibly be the album of the year. There is no doubt that Frank has the balance perfect: a masterful songwriter with a beautiful voice.

Our individual thoughts.... 

"This album has an authentic and fluid feel about it-that’s what I like about Frank Ocean, he writes so beautifully and it translates into his music, like he’s writing a novel beginning to end. I'm not saying that his music is easy to understand and that I know the meaning of every song fully, but that’s what’s great about it because as you listen to it you discover new things and put more of the pieces together. My Favourite songs have to be Lost, Super- rich kids (simply because I love the fact that he sampled Mary J Blige's 'real love') , Pilot Jones and Forrest Gump. However, like his last mix tape I'll probably keep on changing my mind as to what my favourites are. The question we will probably all ask is whether this album is better than Nostalgia (BIG PAUSE)... I can honestly say that he hasn't quite topped it (but that may just be because it was his first creation and the first time we all fell in love with his music)- It's so hard when you set the bar so high! I'm excited to see what he has in store for his fans in the future"

Yetz xx 

"When I first heard 'Channel Orange', I was blown away. Everything from the beats to Frank's voice intrigued me and I constantly wanted more. Now, on it's [insert ridiculous number] play I still love it, but there are now certain songs such as 'Pyramids' (I severely overplayed this song when it was leaked) and 'Pilot Jones' which I automatically skip. I feel like with 'Nostalgia, Ultra' I still haven't reached that point with any of the songs.

My favourite tracks would have to be: 'Sweet Life' for the beat, Frank's voice, the message ('Why see the world when you got the beach' seems to me like Frank's saying the woman in the song has the attitude that she can turn her back to the real problems of life and she never has to leave 'the beach'); 'Forrest Gump', not only because it's one of my favourite films, but also again because of the beat and Frank's voice; and finally 'Bad Religion' simply because of the emotion you can hear when Frank sings and the simplicity of the message. It's even better live and if you haven't I'd urge you to view the video of him singing it live on the Jimmy Falcon show. Amazing.

'Channel Orange' as a whole does live up to my expectations, but is it better than 'Nostalgia, Ultra'? I don't think so."

Rachael.

"I think its so refreshing to have an artist like Frank Ocean on the rise, as so many 'R&B artists' of recent times really don't do much for me. His voice is amaze, and his songs have a message - a step up from auto-tune and songs about turning your swag on. Although I reeaally do not see myself getting bored of this album anytime, I also prefer Nostalgia, Ultra too.. maybe mixtapes are better; maybe I'm wrong.. Anyway, my top three songs on this album are:

1. Bad Religion; his voice is just too much for my life, and is like the song that needed to come out with his letter.

2. Pink Matter; probably because of Andre 3000 but I just think its a beautiful song. I love the metaphors used throughout the song every time I listen there's always something new I notice.

3.Sierra Leone/Super Rich Kids/Lost/Thinking About You/Sweet Life/Forrest Gump; because I can't choose and its my blog so I get to do what I want.

Genuinely hope that more talent like Mr. Ocean comes about because I cant deal with the crapola released these days, either that or take me back to the 90s."
Lula

"Where to even start. Frank Ocean himself is a masterpiece, Nostalgia, Ultra was a masterpiece and Channel Orange is also a masterpiece. I was always (and still am) going to buy this but I was so happy to see it on his tumblr. After playing it once it was decided that it would be my summer album and I've played it every morning since.


Yetunde introduced me to Frank Ocean in first year of uni and I played Nostalgia, Ultra through the whole of my revision period and then downloaded The Lonny Breaux Collection. I also love him as a songwriter and Quickly (John Legend & Brandy) and I Miss You (Beyonce) are flawless.

Choosing my top 3 is actually just dishonest; I like every song, could write about them all and my top 3 will most definitely change so I wrote the first 3 I really remembered from the first day I played the album (all morning):

1. Sweet Life probably held my attention first and foremost. Everything about it is so pretty. It fits so perfectly after Sierra Leone. Why see the world, when you got the beach?

2. Super Rich Kids. It's different, I like it.

3. Pink Matter. The day I heard Andre 3000 was featuring was a good day in my book. The guy is a genius, this song did not disappoint.

The remastered version of Thinking About You is, in my opinion, easily one of the best songs Ocean has ever done, the instruments get me every time I listen to it. Forrest Gump is genius, Crack Rock is a favourite, and Pilot Jones reminds me slightly of Justin Timberlake on Justified, never a bad thing. I also love the interludes.

I'm not sure whether to even compare it to Nostalgia, Ultra. I think mixtapes are always "better" in a way as they are more raw and fresh. It's one of the best mixtapes and debuts I've ever heard. Anyone who uses samples and makes the song THAT good deserves applause. I'm not sure which I prefer, BUT I think they're different, you can see the growth from Nostalgia, Ultra to Channel Orange.

Now, I NEED to see him live."

Aniesha.

Why do we still hold prejudices towards those who are not heterosexual? Hip Hop, Homophobia, and Frank Ocean.

With Frank Ocean recently ‘outing’ himself on his Tumblr last week and the reactions which came with it, especially from Hip Hop artists such as fellow Odd Future member Tyler, The Creator, it would seem necessary to question the juxtaposition that is homophobia in Hip Hop. In a world which women are rarely able to conquer and which homophobic attitudes are rife, hip hop music is overwhelmed with the stench of masculinity and the language of it; and for what? Power.

When Hip Hop was popularised in the Bronx of New York and in the Ghettos of Philadelphia by the African American community, it was a clash of cultures taking influences from Western Africa, Jamaica, and Blues Music. Indeed when it was heard by the first years, the music was “jazz, salsa, and music from their native lands”. Back then it would seem the lyrics were ‘innocent’, at least in terms of the language.

It has been stated that it seems difficult for it to surprise ‘anyone that a musical genre dominated by men, misogyny and hyper masculinity would also be homophobic’ which would lead us to believe that the language used in hip hop is both degrading and offensive towards not only females but also those who aren't male enough.

Most rappers these days do it, referring to a rival rapper as a ‘bitch ass’, or the new partner of the ex who broke their heart as a ‘fag’, because the only way they are able to get ahead in the industry is to become masculine, and the only way it seems they are able to do that is by using homophobic language which reinforces what they’re apparently not. Homophobic language is used as insults and in this industry it would appear ‘gayness’ is unacceptable. For example Jay Z has been known to rap lyrics such as ‘Youse the fag model for Karl Kani/Esco ads’, showing how homosexuals and the hip hop world do not mix.

This homophobic language could perhaps be linked to the fact that hip hop is taken from many genres, and therefore so is the language used. We could say that Dancehall (originating in the Caribbean) has had a large influence, especially artists such as Vybz Kartel in his song ‘Spice Ramping Shop’, in which he describes dancing with the same sex to be ‘wrong’.

In the Hip Hop world where maintaining a masculine image either through looks or through ‘street cred’ is of the upmost importance, the language used becomes distasteful and intentionally hurtful. Indeed, Odd Future’s Tyler, the Creator uses words such as ‘faggot’ because ‘it hits and hurts people’, despite him claiming to not be homophobic.

In addition to voicing homophobia, the emergence of the phrase ‘no homo’ used by rappers, and now on the streets shows an attempt to validate homophobia and males acting in a ‘feminine’ way. It is used as a way for rappers to defend themselves against sounding gay, for example Kanye West in ‘Run This Town’ states “It’s funny how you can go from being Joe Blow/ To everybody on your dick – no homo.” This fear of not appearing masculine enough to the world is one which consumes rappers and the phrase allows them to be masculine whilst also being feminine.

One rapper which contradicts this and makes it seemingly okay to be feminine is Drake. In many of his songs, Drake bares all emotions about his exes and his struggles in the past. He has, however received some heavy criticism for this, particularly as he comes from a world where ‘feminine language’ and true emotions remain hidden. Indeed, in ‘Marvin’s Room’, he is seen to be drowning his sorrows in alcohol and pining after his ex-girlfriend. For most, this would appear too much emotion, with many only having speaking about sleeping with multiple women as we can see from Young Money’s ‘Every Girl’, in which Lil Wayne says he want to ‘f**** every girl in the world’.

Despite this it would seem the language used by certain rappers is, as Tyler says, just used to provoke a reaction as Frank Ocean recently coming out as bisexual shows. With powerful couple Beyoncé and Jay Z endorsing his move, and Tyler the Creator applauding Frank in a recent tweet, is Homophobia in Hip Hop just a front? For some of the artists it might be. For the listeners however, I’m not convinced. From the reactions I was seeing around Facebook and Twitter I gained the impression that people either didn’t care that Frank was bisexual, or they did…and weren’t impressed; ready to delete his music from their iPod and give up listening a talented artist just because he admitted his first love was a man.That sounds like rational reasoning…

Although this post is mainly about homophobia in Hip Hop, it important for us to remember that it exists everywhere. Frank Ocean is not a Hip Hop artist, and the reactions he got were not just from the Hip Hop community. In a society in which not adhering to the social norms and being heterosexual is seen as somehow wrong, ‘coming out’ would perceivably be the hardest thing for a person to do. Surely we should respect their bravery rather than holding prejudices against who any one person is? We should stand together and support those who have the courage to be themselves instead of judging them. There’s too much hatred in this world already without us hating those who are confident enough to share who they are.

If you haven’t already read Frank Ocean’s letter to his fans, I would urge you to. It’s possibly the most beautiful, poetic letter I’ve ever read. In fact, if I wasn’t already an avid listener of Frank it would encourage me to put him ON my iPod. You can find his letter here: http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6me6uSdO81qdrz3yo1_1280.png

Make sure you listen to ‘Channel Orange’, Frank Ocean’s new album here: http://frankocean.tumblr.com/post/26885717440/channelorange ; there will be a review coming soon!!

Rachael.

References:

Barnett, R. N. (Tuesday 16^th March 2010), ‘Meet President Drake!’, as available: http://www.thenewblackmagazine.com/view.aspx?index=2264 (20^th April 2012)

Hess, A. (19^th October 2009), ‘Washington City Paper: How Censoring “No Homo” Will Help Hip-Hop’, as available: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/sexist/2009/10/19/how-censoring-no-homo-will-help-hip-hop/ (20^th April 2012)

Macpherson, A. (9^th May 2011), ‘The Guardian: Is Hip-Hop Homophobia at a Tipping Point?’, as available: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2011/may/09/hip-hop-homophobia?INTCMP=SRCH (21^st April 2012)

Touré (23^rd December 2011), ‘New York Times: Challenging Hip-Hop’s Masculine Ideal’, as available: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/arts/music/white-female-rappers-challenging-hip-hops-masculine-ideal.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all (20^th April 2012)

Coleman, V. A. (Monday 19^th October 2009), ‘No Homo: Hip Hop and Homophobia’, as found: http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/u/vanessaaishacoleman/2009/10/19/No-Homo-Homophobia--HipHop (21st April 2012)

March, C. (Thursday 12^th January 2012), ‘Redefining Masculinity in Hip-Hop (Know Your History Podcast)’, as available: http://chasemarch.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/redefining-masculinity-in-hip-hop-know.html (20th April 2012)

Chideya, F. (20^th June 2007), National Public Radio, ‘Roundtable: Homophobia in Hip Hop’, as available: http://www.npr.org/2007/06/20/11223359/roundtable-homophobia-in-hip-hop (22nd April 2012)

Hess, M. (2007), ‘Icons of Hip Hop’, Greenwood Press, United States of America 

Fitzpatrick, J (2007), ‘Analyzing Hip Hop Discourse as a Locus of ‘Men’s Language’’, Duke University, Texas, available: http://studentorgs.utexas.edu/salsa/proceedings/2007/Fitzpatrick.pdf (20th April 2012)