Number 90 - Channel Orange by Frank Ocean

 Number 90: Channel Orange by Frank Ocean

Hip-hop for sad boy hours

Release: July 10th, 2012
Genre: R&B
Favorite Tracks: Super Rich Kids, Crack Rock, Thinkin Bout You

 

Where I heard it: 

Before I eventually listened to his solo work, I was a bystander to the Frank Ocean hype that surrounded the release of his second album Blonde in 2016. I had some close friends who were avidly discussing the newest rumors and leaks on release dates or production details, but it was all just background chatter to me at the time. All the while, I unknowingly began to hear songs from Channel Orange those same friends would play during car rides. Once Blonde did release, I figured I'd give a listen to see what all the hubbub was all about. At the time I was...underwhelmed, to say the least. I think my expectations for what R&B and hip-hop should be at that point in my life just did not line up with the more avant-garde themes that Frank Ocean explored in Blonde. It would be a number of years before I revisited Blonde in late 2020 and found myself more compatible with its musical style than my previous listening. Curious as to what I had missed in the past, I finally gave Channel Orange a long overdue listen in 2021, and now I think I have a better understanding of Frank's mythical status over the years.

 Monks in the mosh pit
Stage diving Dalai Lama
Feet covered in flowers
They mosh for enlightenment
Clean chakra good karma
One with the water
~ Monks

 

What to expect:

Frank Ocean's popularity stems from the underground hip-hop collective Odd Future, a massive rap group with several characters and personalities that clash into a melting pot of rap styles. Frank was a bit of a sore thumb among Odd Future, who were known for their crass and explicit content. In contrast, Frank's material was noticeably more soulful and emotionally vulnerable across several features and limited solo work. Those traits became hallmarks of his debut album Channel Orange, which revolves around a dreamy, lovesick vibe that Frank became known for. More importantly, this album provided the opportunity for Frank to showcase his incredible singing voice, which highlighted his prevalent existential writing style. Channel Orange scales back the eccentric production typical of Odd Future in favor of a loosely-based concept that portrays each track as a 'channel' into Frank's consciousness, even going as far to include interludes on the album that reinforce the idea of channel surfing. This concept helps weave the diverse ideas and contrasting styles of Channel Orange's track list and in turn feels less jarring when the album shifts in tone. Even so, these changes are subtle enough that the album's overall experience feels uninterrupted from beginning to end. 

You're shuckin' and jivin', stealin' and robbin'
To get the fixing that you're itching for
Your family stopped inviting you to things
Won't let you hold their infant 
~ Crack Rock

Why it's my favorite: 

There's not too many rap artists that are willing to wear their hearts on their sleeves quite like Frank Ocean does. Channel Orange in many ways plays out like an audio journal, documenting the chaotic and imaginative mind of a twenty-something in the midst of realizing his success. The heavily incorporated synthesizer chords help evoke the full range of emotion for whatever's necessary to convey. Frank has the ability to incorporate heavier lyrical themes over beats that are otherwise laid-back, achieving a level of uncanny valley that creates a unique dissonance within the listening experience. Ultimately, Channel Orange doesn't need to rely on typical tropes of the rap game to produce songs that are clever, catchy, and overall enjoyable to listen to. Given Frank's background with the more obscene Odd Future, it's surprising to me that he could make music with this level of depth. Oddly enough, I actually see a lot of Frank's influence among the rest of the hip-hop collective, encouraging more emotional vulnerability in the lyrical content that resonates to this day with the descendants of Odd Future. In fact, you may see more of them on this list...