Frank Ocean

Frank Ocean, born Christopher Edwin Cooksey, is an R&B and hip-hop singer, songwriter, rapper and producer. In 2010, he joined the hip-hop collective Odd Future, and in 2011, he released his debut mixtape, Nostalgia, Ultra. That mixtape was a commercial success and spawned the single “Novacane,” which charted on the Billboard Hot 100, eventually being certified platinum. The following year, Ocean entered into a record deal with Def Jam.

Channel Orange, Ocean’s debut studio album, was released in July 2012 and debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart, receiving universal critical acclaim. The album earned Ocean his first Grammy Award, in the category of Best Urban Contemporary Album. He was also nominated that year for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year.

In 2016, Ocean released his sophomore studio album, Blonde, after repeated delays due to contract disputes with his record label, Def Jam. To fulfill his contract with Def Jam, Ocean released the visual project Endless, the day before Blonde was released independently. His second album, which included the single “Nikes,” also garnered critical acclaim and debuted at #1 in several countries.

In 2017, Ocean was featured alongside Migos on Calvin Harris’s song “Slide,” which peaked at #25 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Music critics have attributed the rebirth and revitalization of R&B to Ocean and his distinctive style of introspective songwriting, unusual production techniques and wide vocal range.