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If you love Frank Ocean’s albums, you might have to let them hold you over for a bit longer. The singer/producer has his eyes set on something else that allows him to be more creative: a novel.

According to CNN, Ocean told The Guardian that storytelling is the most interesting part of making music “so much so that I might not make another album. I might just write a novel next. I don’t know.”
At this point, there’s no need to worry because Ocean is still not only making music for himself but he continues to work with others (there are rumors that he’ll once again be working with Beyonce on her next project).  However, his creative mind doesn’t allow him to stop at just music. The Grammy nominated artist continued by saying:

“…But I do think – it would be f*****g legendary if I just made ‘Channel Orange’ last year, then put out a best-selling novel next year, then, you know, designed an arena in Stockholm in 2014! I don’t know! You just do what you can and you have as much fun as possible, and love your life as much as you can … As long as your intentions are solid, and about growth and progression and being productive and not being idle, then you’re doing good in my book.”

There’s no end to what he might do next but his fans are already chomping at the bit for something new so hopefully, he’ll oblige by dropping a haiku, guest feature or another story on his blog as soon as possible.

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…

Source: fuzionmag.com

It was only a matter of time before a slight aimed at Frank Ocean got wrapped up in an anti-gay controversy and Target happens to be first in line on the receiving end of the backlash.

The mega-retailer has reportedly decided not to sell T=the artist’s newest CD, “Channel Orange,” because he released it on iTunes last night, one week ahead of its July 17 release. Frank’s manager, Christian Clancy, has other ideas about why the CD won’t be sold on the store’s shelves, and of course he aired those sentiments on Twitter.

Homosexual discrimination certainly isn’t outside the realm of possibility but it does seem unlikely in this instance. For those who still buy CDs, Target is their go-to place and I imagine from a business perspective to place an order for X amount of CDs that likely won’t get sold now because people can and already are buying it online is not a loss Target is willing to take.

It would be quite bold for Target in the land of GLAAD to discriminate against Frank on the basis of his sexual orientation, particularly when his whole “coming out” put him in the minds of a lot of potential fans who didn’t even know who he was before last week. Anything is possible but this seems like one of those instances where someone got too happy with the d-word as we often do when it comes to racism.

What’s your take? Is Target’s stance a business choice or a discriminatory one?

Brande Victorian is the news and operations editor for madamenoire.com. Follow her on twitter @Be_Vic.

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Source: rap-up.com

In a move that can only be envied by other celebrities wishing to control their own narratives, yesterday Frank Ocean eloquently answered the sexuality question. The singer/songwriter silenced speculation by posting on his Tumblr page that his first love was a man.

He wrote in part:

4 summers ago, I met somebody. I was 19. He was too. We spent that summer, and the summer after, together. Everyday almost. And on the days we were together, time would glide….By the time I realized I was in love, it was malignant. It was hopeless. There was no escaping, no negotiating with the feeling. No choice. It was my first love. It changed my life….I don’t have any secrets I need to keep anymore. . . . I feel like a free man.”

Frank explained via Tumblr page that he wrote the piece back in December and intended to put it in the liner notes of his new album Channel Orange, but “with all the rumors going round.. [he] figured it’d be good to clarify..”.

The response to Frank’s admission was swift and ranged the full spectrum of support to disgust. However, several celebrities came out in support of the singer’s sexuality and the fact that he revealed it.

Hip Hop Mogul and motivational tweeter Russel Simmons wrote ”The Courage Of Frank Ocean Just Changed The Game!” on GlobalGrind.com saying:

Your decision to go public about your sexual orientation gives hope and light to so many young people still living in fear. His gifts are undeniable.  His talent, enormous.  His bravery, incredible.  His actions this morning will uplift our consciousness and allow us to become better people.

Author dream hampton wrote on her own Tumblr page a thank you to Frank Ocean saying:

We are all made better by your decision to share publicly…We admire the great courage and beauty and fearlessness in your coming out, not only as a bisexual Black man, but as a broken hearted one….A million twirls on this spinning ocean blue globe in this vast endless blackness for you my love.

dream hampton also said that when she emailed her letter to Jay-Z, he immediately posted it on his website as a show of support for Frank.

Other celebrities took to Twitter to express their support.

The response to Frank Ocean is still in it’s infant stages, but right now the glitterati seems to be shouting down – or silencing altogether – any high-profile negative response. It will be interesting to see if Frank’s courage inspires any other artists to come out of their closets soon or if they’ll just stand muted on the sidelines observing Frank’s repercussions.

What do you think? Were you surprised by the support of some celebs and/or the deafening silence of others?

Follow Alissa Henry on Twitter @AlissaInPink

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Source: Soulbounce.com

Though Frank Ocean is probably not addressing any specific rumors in his “i don’t know anything. & neither do you” Twitter bio, that does seem to hit the nail on the head concerning the whispers (and headlines) surrounding his upcoming debut album .

For those of you who don’t know who Frank Ocean is, he is a 24-year-old R&B singer and songwriter and earlier this year, he released a mixtape.  He has already had some hits like Novacane and Swim Good and he even appeared on Watch the Throne. Frank is currently promoting his album “Channel Orange” in the UK ahead of the July 17th release date, and Max, a London music critic who listened to Channel Orange, believes his album isn’t the only thing “coming out” that day. She claims that the lyrics she heard reveal Frank Ocean is bisexual:

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’.

In the world we live in now we can’t see this being an issue or why it should be?? But we do commend him for not continuing a facade and conforming to what a Hip Hop so called rule book expects, we say live your life and be yourself. If you love women and men, that’s your business.

Max goes on to say Channel Orange is a ”beautiful album and worthy of sitting next to classics by Prince, Michael Jackson, George Benson and Sade.”

When you think of classic R&B love songs, most if not all of them are men singing about women and women singing about men, but eventually someone is going to deviate from that norm. Whether or not that’s Frank Ocean is yet to be determined. So far, Max is the only listener who interpreted his lyrics in this way. Other people listened to the album, including Complex magazine, and they didn’t come to that conclusion. Frank Ocean hasn’t commented either way, so I guess it will be up to the fans to determine for themselves when the album is released and they have their own listen.

What do you think? Would you listen to an R&B album of a man singing about another man?

Follow Alissa Henry on Twitter @AlissaInPink

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