In Boys Don’t Cry, Frank Ocean shared a verse and photographic series titled “Jumbo” that features his friend Ysham Jackson modeling outfits styled by fashion director Rita Zebdi. Notably, the piece includes an image that appears on one of three magazine covers.
Read MoreThe lyrics in Frank Ocean’s zine list an unfinished, 12-track sequence of Blonde, including two songs omitted from the final album. The most notable artifact is the unreleased song “Easy,” which has lyrical similarities to “Self Control” and the Endless track “Hublots.” Also present are unique versions of “Nights” and “White Ferrari,” as well as “Mitsubishi Sony” from Endless.
Read MoreAn art piece in Boys Don’t Cry magazine offers a glimpse into the Internet-surfing habits of six notable figures, including Frank Ocean, rapper A$AP Rocky, singer James Blake, stylist Justin R. Saunders, and music producers Michael Uzowuru and Evian Christ. The article is titled “Bon Jovi Naked”—a tongue-in-cheek reference to a Google search for Jon Bon Jovi’s 1997 track “Naked.”
Read MoreFrank Ocean shared a catalog of 100 films and 50 tracks in his zine, including some interesting selections across various genres.
Read MoreIn Boys Don’t Cry magazine, French film director Romain Gavras published a comic strip featuring graphics by London-based artist Pablo Jones-Soler. It contains a series of text messages from a drug mule, who explains the process of trafficking product from Morocco into France and the rest of Europe.
Read MoreTyler uses transportation as a metaphor for success and ambition in his new text for Boys Don’t Cry magazine. The two-page spread also features pictures of him and his cream-colored BMW M3 E30.
Read MoreBoys Don’t Cry magazine includes a poem by Kanye titled “The McDonald’s Man,” which details french fries, cheeseburgers, and other items on the menu conspiring against each other. The piece features photos by Nabil Elderkin that capture West driving his Lamborghini up to a franchise location in Calabasas and speaking his verses onto the drive-thru’s order screen.
Read MoreIn his new magazine, Boys Don’t Cry, Frank Ocean published an interview featuring rapper Lil B (aka BasedGod) and Illegal Civ founder Mikey Alfred. The trio discusses music, money, internet culture, and more, over eight pages titled “Holy Combat.” The article includes a painting of Lil B with a snake around his neck by London-based artist Daniel David Freeman.
Read MoreBoys Don’t Cry features a series of interviews by Illegal Civ founder Mikey Alfred with five of Ocean’s other friends in LA around 2012 or 2013, titled “Hopes and Dreams.” Recordings from these sessions were sampled in Ocean’s song “Futura Free,” which closes out his companion album, Blonde. The interviewees include his brother, Ryan Breaux; Illegal Civ skaters Sage Elsesser and Na’kel Smith; and friends Brahim Hariri and Evan Clark.
Read MoreIn his new magazine, Boys Don’t Cry, Frank Ocean published a six-part screenplay titled Godspeed. The story follows Steely, a “charismatic and well-liked, but emotionally guarded” boy, alongside his friends. Ocean describes the play as a ‘reimagined part of his boyhood.’
Read MoreInside Frank Ocean’s Boys Don’t Cry magazine, journalist Danna Takako talks to the voice of the 2016 Blonde track “Be Yourself” and 2012 Channel Orange track “Not Just Money.” Takako asks Watson about her phone calls and her son’s friendship with Ocean—including how it led him to record his music for the first time—in an article titled “This Is Mom.”
Read MoreIn Boys Don’t Cry, artist Tom Sachs outlines the acceptable (and forbidden) paints used in his NYC studio. The article is a print adaptation of his 2011 film Color.
Read MoreBoys Don’t Cry magazine features a brief exchange with chef and YouTube personality Felicia “Auntie Fee” O’Dell. She recounts an anecdote about rescuing Frank Ocean late one night, after he ran out of gas on the Santa Monica Freeway.
Read MoreIn the opening pages of his zine, shared on Tumblr for all to read, Frank Ocean introduces Boys Don’t Cry and his album Blonde with a missive reflecting on his experiences making the content featured throughout the art book’s 370 pages and the CD in its center.
Read MoreOcean debuts his highly anticipated studio album, along with a 370-page, large-format art book, which he is giving away for free at pop-up shops in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and London.
Read MoreInternet sleuths have discovered a media release within the source code of Calvin Klein’s website, following Frank Ocean’s appearance in the brand’s #MyCalvins ad campaign. The unpublished text reveals that Ocean is working on a book, in addition to his forthcoming album and magazine, Boys Don’t Cry.
Read MoreOn June 12, 2016, a gunman killed 49 people and wounded 58 others at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. It is the worst mass shooting in U.S. history to date and is widely viewed as a hate crime targeting the LGBTQ+ community. In its wake, Frank Ocean pens an emotional essay on Tumblr, discussing religion, violence, pride, and his experiences with homophobia.
Read More“How come the ecstasy always depresses me so? Chemically, I don’t have any new places to go.” In a Tumblr post, Frank Ocean shared a 23-line, free-verse poem titled “My Random,” reflecting on love, depression, and the urge to escape.
Read MoreIn a Tumblr post, Ocean shared the lyrics for his own take on Migos’ new single “Versace.” The verse references Ocean’s Grammy win over Chris Brown and his recent appearance at the 2013 Met Gala, where he chopped it up with Donatella Versace.
Read MoreTime named Ocean in its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. John Legend wrote a blurb about him for a special issue of the magazine.
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