Frank Ocean never fit the conventional mold of R&B. His origins as a songwriter indicate otherwise, as he has worked with legends like Brandy, John Legend, Ciara, and Beyoncé over the years. However, when you first hear records like Nostalgia, Ultra, it’s immediately evident that he sounds different. Comparatively, R&B acts of the past wouldn’t immediately cite Thom Yorke and Mazzy Star as influences. You probably wouldn’t hear a Coldplay cover from an R&B act in the late 2000s and early 2010s. But that’s just the kind of artist Frank Ocean was.
Eventually, he would capture the imaginations of audiences everywhere. Artists like Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and Kanye West were utterly enchanted by his eclectic interests and how singular his vision was. R&B had drastically changed its complexion due to his influence. How people listened to the genre slowly became much different from the power it had in decades past.
Ironically, though, the Channel Orange crooner has always been pretty averse towards the media labeling him an R&B artist. In an interview with Jeff Weiss, he made it clear that he doesn’t view it as limiting. Rather, it’s merely an inaccurate representation of everything he brings to the table and what he wants to create.
Frank Ocean Opens Up About Feeling Hesitant Towards the R&B Label
“I don’t think I said it’s limiting, but I just think it’s inaccurate when you’re making music inspired by so many different things. I have a broad sonic palette, and I mix everything together. It’s just not the same thing,” Ocean says.
Additionally, he muses that the instinct is likely due to the fact that he’s a Black artist. Consequently, the media and the powers that be wish to market Frank Ocean as R&B, despite being markedly different from other acts in the genre. Ultimately, he wanted to make clear that his projects were never strictly rhythm-and-blues. Instead, it was an amalgamation of sounds, cobbling together to define his artistry.
“Unfortunately, it probably has something to do with my ethnicity. That’s just what it is,” Frank Ocean shrugs. “I’m definitely influenced by rhythm and blues, as much as I’m influenced by other s*** that I listen to. I think that it’s like a lot of music that’s progressive in new ways. It’s a fusion of at least a couple genres. I’m not saying that this is my manifesto or anything, but it’s definitely not a straight-up R&B record.”
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