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| Photo by Lloyd Bishop (NBC) |
Frank Ocean. You've probably heard the name quite a bit in the past week in one way or another. And while a lil 'ol blog like Mixtape Muse writing about a buzzed about artist might seem like an attempt to ride the coattails of that buzzwave in an attempt to increase our amount of hits, it's really not. We here at Mixtape Muse have been fans of Ocean (born Christopher Breaux) since last year's debut Nostalgia, Ultra mixtape. And so, I feel I must share Frank Ocean's performance from Monday night's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon."
But why?
Initially, in the face of critical-acclaim and a buzzed about debut album, talking about Frank Ocean probably just seems like another revolution of the pop music wheel -- the one where what's hot for a few months or so eventually fades from our collective memory. But, when you see Ocean perform (particularly here with this performance from Fallon), you see that he represents something more than himself. Yes, his music is incredibly personal and, in its own way, fearless, but what sets Ocean apart is how he carries himself with a confident, reserved cool that echoes great R&B/soul artists like Marvin Gaye, D'Angelo, and Maxwell. He's an artist with great awareness and a vision, not just for composition but for storytelling, as well, extending to a realm of timelessness. After I watched his performance of channel ORANGE's "Bad Religion," I was honestly moved and felt it was possibly a musical moment that would be looked back on down the road. That may seem a bit hyperbolic now, but the same sort of praise was bestowed upon many artists that originally could not be seen as potential classics at the time, but today are held in such high regard. This is no flash in the pan, this is the real thing.
WATCH: Frank Ocean - "Bad Religion" (Live on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, 7/9/12)
Also, do check out (and download) another channel ORANGE cut, the 10-minute epic "Pyramids" below.
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