Frank Ocean foreshadows his next music project in letter on new posters
Back of the “ThinkPad” & “Chairman” posters (Reddit: u/jwald21).
A letter written across the back of two posters sold by Blonded details Frank Ocean’s post-2016 release strategy, his 2019 club nights, his plans before the 2020 pandemic, and most notably, foreshadows his next music project.
In December 2022, Blonded listed two 16” × 24” double-sided posters for sale on blonded.co, titled “ThinkPad” and “Chairman.” When orders began arriving in January 2023, fans discovered that the back of each artwork features one half of a message. When placed side by side, the two posters form a cryptic missive from Ocean.
The letter introduces Blonded’s 2019 photo series by Michael Marcelle, chronicling “the story of a fictitious Recording Artist as he navigates the radio system.” It gives context for the scene appearing on the back of both posters, portraying a meeting where the “Recording Artist” (played by Ocean) attempts to explain the advantages of the “singles model” over the long-form “album model” to a disinterested record executive known as the “Chairman” (played by Jeremy Strong). The narrative is apparently inspired by Ocean’s past struggles with Def Jam, while also communicating his intentions behind Blonded Radio and his post-2016 singles campaign.
Ocean goes on to detail his 2019 club series, PrEP+, revealing that he intended to expand the format into a worldwide rave tour before the COVID-19 outbreak. He then concludes with a comment on the future:
The Recording Artist has since changed his mind about the singles model and is again interested in more durational bodies of work.
A transcript of the “ThinkPad” and “Chairman” letter, poster graphics by Nejc Prah, and photos from Michael Marcelle’s 2019 series are all available below. An annotated version by blonded.blog’s Odysseus, with more context and in-depth analysis, is available on Genius.
Transcript:
In the summer of 2019, Blonded produced a photo series shot on Thursday, August 8, 2019, by photographer Michael Marcelle. The photo series follows the story of a fictitious Recording Artist as he navigates the radio system.
In one scene, the actor Jeremy Strong plays a Chairman of a major record label. On the walls: a clock, two framed records. The Chairman is flanked by another figure. Both are dressed in suits, wearing ties, and are positioned behind a long boardroom table. They are opposite a shadowy figure in the foreground—the Recording Artist—whose subjectivity the viewer is to inhabit.
The Recording Artist attempts to explain to the major music label the singles distribution model as opposed to the long-form album model. The Recording Artist believes the latter to be outdated, and that releasing singles is more suited to modern consumption habits where people curate their own playlists, which are then shared within private circles. The meeting does not appear to be productive.
The photo series coincided with the planning of three Blonded live radio events that year. They were held on three Thursday nights towards the end of 2019, in the basement of the Knockdown Center in Queens, New York. On October 19th [sic], 24th, and 31st, 2019, doors opened at 10 PM. A custom nightclub with vintage lighting fixtures was installed for the duration of each party.
On the first night, Bouffant Bouffant played at 10:15 PM, followed by Justice at midnight, Sango at 1:15 AM, and Sherelle at 2:30 AM. Leeon, Arca, Papi Juice, Shyboi, Joey LaBeija, Last Japan, and DJ Heather played sets on subsequent nights. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, these events were intended to grow from small club events to larger raves across the world.
The Recording Artist has since changed his mind about the singles model, and is again interested in more durational bodies of work.
Photos by Michael Marcelle:
GRaphics by Nejc Prah:
Cost of Master Recordings:
In December 2022, the “ThinkPad” and “Chairman” posters were sold alongside a vinyl reissue of Frank Ocean’s 2016 album Blonde. The LP included two inserts: a foldout poster with the same design as the standalone “Chairman” poster (with a different back) and a lyrics foldout. The latter item featured another mysterious note from Ocean, titled “Cost of Master Recordings.”
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