Odd Future's Frank Ocean Comes Out: "I Feel Like a Free Man"
It's a big moment for hip hop: Odd Future's resident R&B crooner Frank Ocean appears to have come out as gay or bisexual on his blog late Tuesday night, writing that his "first love" was a man. "I feel like a free man," he confessed.
The post read, “What i’m about to post is for anyone who cares to read. it was intended to fill the thank you’s section in my album credits [the upcoming Channel Orange], but with all the rumors going round.. i figured it’d be good to clarify."
Then, in a longer follow-up blog post, the singer wrote, “4 summers ago, I met somebody. I was 19 years old. He was too. We spent that summer, and the summer after, together. Every day almost, and on the day we were together, time would glide. Most of the day I’d see him, and his smile. By the time I realized I was in love, it was malignant. It was hopeless...”
He continued, "I don't know what happens now, and that's alrite. I don't have any secrets I need kept anymore… Thanks to my first love, I'm grateful for you. Grateful that even though it wasn't what I hoped for and even though it was never enough, it was… I feel like a free man. If I listen closely… I can hear the sky falling too."
Tyler, the Creator—the Odd Future leader who has been criticized for his homophobic lyrics—tweeted his support early this morning. He wrote, "F**king Finally Sus Boy @frank_ocean Hahahaha, You Still Aint Got No Bitches Hahaha My N***a Dawg" and "My Big Brother Finally F***ing Did That. Proud Of That N***a Cause I Know That S**t Is Difficult Or Whatever."
Russell Simmons also wrote a response on his website Global Grind: “Today is a big day for hip hop. It is a day that will define who we really are. How compassionate will we be? How loving can we be? How inclusive are we? I am profoundly moved by the courage and honesty of Frank Ocean….”
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