After four years, New Orleans native Frank Ocean has finally released his sophomore album “Blonde,” which hit the market Aug. 20.
Ocean took Twitter by storm when he surprised fans after releasing his visual album “Endless” on Aug. 19. To capitalize on the element of surprise, he released “Blonde” the next day.
By fulfilling his contract agreement with label Def Jam, Ocean was able to release his new album as an independent artist.Many fans have been anxiously awaiting another album from Ocean.
“Thank you all,” he posted on Tumblr. “Especially those of you who never let me forget I had to finish.”
With more than 65 million streams and 232,000 sales, “Blonde” sits comfortably at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard chart . As the third largest debut of 2016, “Blonde” falls closely behind Drake’s “Views” and Beyoncé’s “Lemonade.”
The 17-track album includes background vocals from celebrities like Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, James Blake and Kim Burrell.
Beginning with the song “Nikes,” Ocean incorporates powerful lyrics, such as “RIP Trayvon, that n—- looks just like me.” Because of its slow, signature Frank Ocean beat, the song set the album off to a great start .
In the song “Be Yourself,” the lone voice of a woman who reveals herself as “Mom” at the end warns college students to “stop trying to be someone else,” urging listeners to avoid alcohol and marijuana.
Throughout the album, Ocean composes several metaphors, particularly in his song, “Solo,” when he sings, “There’s a bull and a matador dueling in the sky. Inhale in hell there’s heaven.” By referencing the Taurus and Orion constellations, Ocean reflects on several personal battles in his life.
In “Self-Control”, Ocean once again delves into his psyche with lyrics like, “I, I, I know you gotta leave, leave, leave, take down some summertime, give up just tonight, night, night.” Because of its romantic and heartfelt lyrics, this song remains one of my favorites to grace the album.
Ocean pays homage to his hometown of New Orleans in “Night,” explaining how he had to transfer schools after Hurricane Katrina hit the city in 2005.
Overall, Ocean stayed true to his signature sound and meaningful lyrics throughout the entire album. Though I had to listen to “Blonde” several times to fully comprehend it, I think Ocean outdid himself with his sophomore album.