Frank Ocean has made one thing clear: He doesn’t trust journalists, and he is not in the business of doing so, nor does he feel one morsel of remorse for his selective disdain.
And in an age of habitual over exposure, can we blame him?
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Frank is known for his ability to release just enough of himself to the public to leave them wanting a little more. Never too personal, never too close, and never too deep.
He wants the focus on his art.
But Frank was willing to make one exception for New York Times Magazine, and the end product was a 10-page article titled “Frank Ocean Can Fly.”
In the article, Frank opens up about everything from his relationship with Def Jam to his affinity for cars.
Check out some excerpts from the interview below.
On Def Jam frustrations:
I don’t know where to begin. I think ultimately the problem with it was that nobody was ready to act on anything, any of the language [of the contract], except the language to keep me in it.
On writing for other artists:
I had a problem listening to anybody. I had a problem listening to A.-and-R.’s telling me how a song was supposed to sound, or what this artist’s vibe was.
On recording channel ORANGE:
Even though [the tracks] were all sketches, there was so much comfort, because I heard in my head how it was going to sound. Now all I’ve got to do is finish it.
On the importance of image:
I have no delusions about my likability, in every scenario. I know that in order to get things done the way you want them, oftentimes your position will be unpopular… That’s why image is so important. That’s why you’ve got to practice brevity when you do interviews like this. I could try to make myself likable to you so you could write a piece that keeps my image in good standing, because I’m still selling this, or I could just say, ‘My art speaks for itself.’
On the power of intangible concepts:
We’re talking about substances, but we forget how intoxicating things that aren’t tangible, things that aren’t chemical substances, are. You forget about it. I’m saying, you know, love. Power. Money, which is power. Freedom. Honesty. Because that explicit truth I was talking about probably had the same effect [on me] as heroin does on some people.
On finding inspiration:
I don’t worry about where [the inspiration] will come from. I think even with [my depression] cured, there’s still so much to pull from. I know people like to say that. You know, ‘It’s a gift and a curse.’ It’s not a gift. I don’t believe that. I believe it’s just pain. The gift would be the gift whether I went through it or not. We’d just be having a different conversation.
Read the whole 10 page article here.
SOURCE: Miss Info
