With the world still digesting the tragedy that was Omar Mateen‘s slaughtering of 50 LGBT revellers at Orlando‘s Pulse Night Club, singer Frank Ocean has weighed-in on the incident – and much more.
As widely reported, the ‘Pink Matter’ crooner shocked the world when he “came out” in 2012 ahead of the release of his debut album ‘Channel Orange.’ Though the singer didn’t specify labels, he did confirm that he had indeed fallen in love with a man.
The move, which remains virtually unheard of in the Black music sphere, earned Ocean the respect of many and generated fresh conversation about inclusion and acceptance.
In the time since, he’s remained a relative recluse and largely avoided the glare and flare of the spotlight as he works diligently on sophomore set ‘Big Boys Don’t Cry.’
Yet, clearly moved by mass murder and its wider context, the 28-year-old broke the silence with potent commentary that pulled from his own personal experiences.
His words after the jump…
Via Frank Ocean:
“I read in the paper that my brothers are being thrown from rooftops blindfolded with their hands tied behind their backs for violating sharia law. I heard the crowds stone these fallen men if they move after they hit the ground. I heard it’s in the name of God. I heard my pastor speak for God too, quoting scripture from his book. Words like abomination popped off my skin like hot grease as he went on to describe a lake of fire that God wanted me in. I heard on the news that the aftermath of a hate crime left piles of bodies on a dance floor this month. I heard the gunman feigned dead among all the people he killed. I heard the news say he was one of us.
I was six years old when I heard my dad call our transgender waitress a ****** as he dragged me out a neighborhood diner saying we wouldn’t be served because she was dirty. That was the last afternoon I saw my father and the first time I heard that word, I think, although it wouldn’t shock me if it wasn’t.
Many hate us and wish we didn’t exist. Many are annoyed by our wanting to be married like everyone else or use the correct restroom like everyone else. Many don’t see anything wrong with passing down the same old values that send thousands of kids into suicidal depression each year. So we say pride and we express love for who and what we are. Because who else will in earnest?
I daydream on the idea that maybe all this barbarism and all these transgressions against ourselves is an equal and opposite reaction to something better happening in this world, some great swelling wave of openness and wakefulness out here. Reality by comparison looks grey, as in neither black nor white but also bleak.
We are all God’s children, I heard. I left my siblings out of it and spoke with my maker directly and I think he sounds a lot like myself. If I being myself were more awesome at being detached from my own story in a way I being myself never could be. I wanna know what others hear, I’m scared to know but I wanna know what everyone hears when they talk to God.
Do the insane hear the voice distorted? Do the indoctrinated hear another voice entirely?
Powerful.
where has this OVER-RATED SISSY BEEN?
Sissy lol?
#predictable
GIRLLLLLLL, YOU KNOW THAT CD WAS OVERRATED AND THOSE VOCALS ARE AVERAGE.
This is nice and all, but any updates on the album? Sam Smith and Troye Sivan are slowly filling that gap, Frank you need to come thru before people stop caring.
This guy had potential especially after Bey worked with him in 2011…. but now I just don’t see it
No shade …….. Frank work with many more people than bey lol
Frank worked with Bey…. Bey didnt work with him. Get it straight.
If they made the pasta sauce from scratch and u just boiled the pasta… we dont say its ur pasta dish girrrrrrl
Molly birch this applies to your homophobic asz
Forgot about him.
And by “him” , you mean Ciara or Frank
.
Bey more specific Thot, cause we forgot about both
Predictable.
You running away from questions? yep totally predictable
No, your weak, typical shade is predictable. Btw, stop hiding behind a troll account. State your feelings under your real username f*****,
K sis now calling me a troll is way too predictable even for you
.
Do better ho3
.
not you calling me weak when your 2 replies were you indirectly running away from a possible scalping….. I MEAN
.
June 21, 2016 at 7:04 am
#JACKIE says:
Predictable.
.
June 21, 2016 at 7:35 am
#JACKIE says:
No, your weak, typical
shade is predictable.
Btw, stop hiding behind
a troll account. State
your feelings under
your real username
f*****,
Do better, Career Ender/RihGayvy whichever f** you are. Find a hobby that doesn’t involve stalking me boo boo.
If my baby turns out to be a heshe, then I will definitely throw it from a rooftop while it’s blindfolded
Maybe for the best if that happens. At least then maybe the baby will get reincarnated with a good parent.
#suchawaste
That’s your ticket straight to hell
Too bad your mother didn’t feel the same way when you were born. One less homophobic bigot.
You are disgusting. Too bad your mother didn’t swallow your stupid ass. I pray your children grow old and lock your pathetic ass away somewhere to rot and die alone.
The words are nice Frank, they go hand in hand with the ones about Prince, the Paris attacks and Donald Trump
but you are also a black man, and with all of your new found fame i haven’t (unless i missed) seen any letters written to those black men that have fallen by the hands of the police or others from inside or outside the black community.
I also wait on the words that explain the miss justice and sentencing of those black men and women compared to their counterparts, and the inspiring words.
The last i had heard Frank had not defined his sexuality but stated that he had had a relationship with a man.
Whichever path Frank decides to choose regarding his love life he will alway be black and should maybe think about highlighting some of those issues.
Who are you to prescribe to him what issue should be important to him? What is it that qualifies the #BlackLivesMatter movement as a superior tragedy than the one he has experiences as a BLACK male lgbtqi member? There’s no hierarchy of morality. What have YOU done for the Black community? What’s worse, being gay or black? I don’t know, but I’ve never heard anyone tell me that I should pray my Black away. My parents have never told me to stop watching that BET that’s what makes you think your black, its that soulTrain.
Well, I didn’t prescribe anything. If you read correctly you would’ve seen that i mention that he spoke a Prince and Donald Trump.
Also, there isn’t any reason why he couldn’t speaking on all subjects, thats my point.
You think blacklivesmatter is a superior movement! lol, okay.
LOLOLOLOLOL!! B*tch whut???? This is the problem with our generation, yall looking to celebrities to be your voice. Chile boo. Frank doesn’t have to say sh*t about anything. No where is it written that celebrities must also endorse every social justice cause that is some how connected to them. You want a voice, go find your own
No one is looking for celebrated to do anything but bring further awareness or as platform.
I have my own voice but i don’t have the platform for it to be heard on a wider scale.
I heard he’s being topped by Calvin Harris. I heard Frank put it on Calvin, Taylor found out, which is why she dumped him. So much drama lol.
Me think an album is dropping soon after this???
I’m damn sure hoping so
Great letter! Not a fan of his music but always a fan of his writing.
As always, the crackpots who comment on here have missed the point of the post. Double tragedy.
Meanwhile a “POP” star is still silent about it. Seeing that a decent amount of her fans are members of the LGBTQ community, she is basically saying eff yo life but buy my new struggle bars song. ??
KIII Too much shade.
A beautiful letter tbh
Kudos to Frank. I commend him for speaking out about issues HE wants to speak on. I truly wish our black community could let go of the gay thing and just LOVE!
I think it’s a beautiful letter. Very powerful indeed.
His new album is called BOYS dont cry noy no f****** BIG boys dont cry lol sam is such a queen.
Nice
Well Mr. Ocean,
You wanted to hear. I fear if you ever needed to know the utterings of a reprobate mind heres the place and time. Some want to kill their unborn child… some want to hear your next reprise altho they don’t seem to recognize that you are the art not the other way round. Some want to remake God forged in fear not love. Some don’t have lives they just extras. Some think s** evaluates worth. Most are like air but pollution to earth. Here’s my encouragement to you. One day the shoe will be on the other foot. But i think you already knew. They that judge condemn themselves. All the hatred comes from within. Maybe drilled into the heads of the sinners makes them feel like the harder they desire the greater their reward in heaven. Who knew hell was a greater reward? I chose love. Like Jesus said. Love your neighbor as yourself. And i guess they all just did.
Kwiz Jordan
N2win41@ymail.com