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I want to start off by saying I am probably one of the biggest Frank Ocean fans there is. However, WTF Frank??!
I didn't know the roller coaster of anticipation, blank, and disappointment I signed up for back in 2012 when I first became a superfan.
It all started In April 2015, when Frank posted on his Tumblr, "I got two versions. I got twoooo versions," with hashtags #ISSUE1 #ALBUM3 #JULY2015 #BOYSDONTCRY. After Channel Orange success, July 2015 was all anyone was waiting for. I remember checking online, probably 10 times a day for the whole month of July, clinging to any hope he'd drop, but July came and went, with no album, no magazine, no explanation.
Fast forward a year, On Saturday morning, July 2, Frank Ocean updated his website with an image of a library card labelled Boys Don't Cry and marked "Due Date" and a bunch of previous date suggesting multiple missed deadlines with one final date July 2016. July 2016 came and went with no Album.
In 2017, Frank Ocean intrigued fans with the possibility of new music, posting on his Tumblr a cryptic message with a photo of Memo captioned "If you liked 2017, you'll love…2018." This came after he released singles like "Chanel" in 2017 sparking anticipation for a new album. No Album came.
In 2019, Frank Ocean released two singles, "DHL" and "In My Room," notably, the cover art for features 17 silhouettes, referring to the 17 tracks off his new album. This number, 17, holds special significance because all of his previous albums contained exactly 17 tracks. In order to keep his reputation of not dropping music, Frank Ocean orchestrated a global pandemic as an elaborate way to avoid dropping a new album.
In 2021, Frank Ocean launched his luxury brand, Homer, with a campaign that used ambiguous, artistic visuals.This ambiguity not only captured attention but also sparked discussions across social platforms, effectively magnifying the launch of Homer at the cost of fans in a frenzy about new music.
On November 8, 2023, Frank Ocean dropped a new snippet on his Instagram story, and its coming up on a year and no new music.
In 2024, Frank Ocean has been uploading quite a few photos of himself in a studio recently, yet he hasn't released any new music or made any promises of an upcoming release. Although he hasn't explicitly set expectations for new material, the continued teasers without any follow-through can feel a bit frustrating for fans eagerly waiting for something concrete.
Frank you don't owe us anything, and I'll love you forever, but honestly just leave us be.
