R&B crooner/songwriter Frank Ocean released his debut album Channel Orange this week (last week in a digital format) to stellar reviews, reaching number one on iTunes immediately after its release on Monday night and ending up taking the second spot on the Billboard charts after it’s release online last week. The artist not only released his album a week early, but also told the world a story about his first love being a guy on his Tumblr page. The story was not only beautifully written, but its affect has also showed how much the hip-hop community is changing.

Many people were in support of Ocean, seeing him for the artist that he is and not his sexual preference, and some saw it as a marketing ploy. Either way, he had a slew of celebs and fans behind him, and sold a great deal of albums in the process. While Ocean may be the first R&B singer to openly talk about his preference (he never defined if he was gay or bisexual), in the past, some artists have waited to reveal their sexual preferences, had speculation surround them for their entire careers or had their sexuality used as a way to get attention. Some artists have walked away from the industry, stayed and battled accusations, and others have seen more success from the speculation or their big reveals. Take a look at a few…