If there is one celebrity, artist, personality
or figure –pick whichever you prefer- who gets my attention far from the usual,
that is Frank Ocean. Ever since his first record was released, everyone noticed he
was different. Ocean’s music takes us into an Orange Nostaligia world. He dives
into his lyrics surrounded by midtempo innovative R&B. At the beginning, he
was associated to one of the anarchic group of rapers in LA, Odd Future. Would
he have been successful otherwise? Definitely: yes.
I want to know and present both
sides of the coin; analyze his impact both as a musician and a person in the
industry. Here we have this brave and inspiring man, the first in the hip hop
scene to publicly admit his love for a man. Someone who is not afraid. He is
determined and expects to be listened to. He has also been cited for possession
and driving under a suspended license and got into a fight with Chris Brown in a
parking lot.
Facing the improbability of getting
first hand material, I will go through every relevant interview from sources
like the Rolling Stones magazine, The New York Times and many others. Also his personal publications and Twitter account and the different analysis of his lyrics to get a deeper understanding
of his persona.
Are you going to place Frank Ocean in the context of the contemporary African-American music scene and its association with homophobia?
ResponderEliminarLooking at how much he has impacted sexuality in the hip-hop scene, and how has sexuality impacted his career?
This is interesting, and I'm curious to hear more during class later today!
I also think that Colin's first point would be a great topic to narrow in on for your Frank Ocean focus.
ResponderEliminarMaybe also look at the hip-hop scene and its relation to homosexuality to provide context?
Indeed, I plan on talking about how this aspect has impacted his career but also the change that it generates in the genre as a whole and whether both the artists and the fans are ready to accept that.
ResponderEliminarI was also thinking about how hip hop hasn't stopped evolving and this also forms part of that process. We saw that with the incorporation of white and female rappers throughout the years.
Thanks a lot for your comments guys.
I'll explain it in more detail in class and I'd love to hear any more comments or suggestions.
Great idea and excellent suggestions from Colin and Zac. A narrowed focus on his sexual orientation in the context of hip hop would be a good direction. So what is the actual argument you're making about the culture in light of Frank Ocean?
ResponderEliminar