blonded Xmas 2021

In the first episode of his Apple Music 1 radio program in two years, Frank Ocean interviewed Wim “The Iceman” Hof and debuted a sprawling 9-minute freestyle.

Dormant since 2019’s Xmas special, blonded Radio has returned for the holidays once more. This time, instead of a playlist of hand-selected songs, Frank has shared an interview with Wim Hof, a Dutch motivational speaker notable for his ability to withstand freezing temperatures.

Frank gave some background on the episode on his Instagram :

Me and @iceman hof had a conversation some time ago when I was in the earlier stages of grief and I remember marveling afterwards at how his energy blasted through the phone. So much vim in this Wim. We spoke for a while about his work, the purpose of grief and how going into the cold water changed his life.

It reminded me of conversations in the studio with players I know. Freewheeling, psychedelic, emotionally charged, intelligent and generous. I enjoyed listening to him, so in this edit I just let him speak uninterrupted. Me, @coryhenry and @dylanpatricewiggins played some sounds underneath to heighten the feeling.

I added some writing at the end that I did a single take of w Cory in the summer of 2020. I came back and added a few words and parts over the top of that take more recently. Felt like it fit the wabi sabi of Wim's words.

Merry Xmas everyone

The freestyle, which clocks in just under 9 minutes, is titled “Come On World, You Can’t Go!.“ You can read the lyrics on Genius.

You can find the full tracklist for this and every episode of blonded in the Archive.

Listen to blonded Xmas (2021) on demand at Apple Music or check out the playlists on Apple Music or Spotify.