# What's so great about Frank Ocean?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-frank-ocean/763907>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [August 25, 2016, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-frank-ocean/763907 "2016-08-25T14:16:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2016, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-frank-ocean/763907/1 "2016-08-25T14:16:24Z")

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Media outlets like \*Pitchfork \*describe him as an enigmatic and groundbreaking musical genius. But when I listen, it sounds basically like Boys 2 Men style singing with some trip hop beats in the background. 😕

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**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2016, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-frank-ocean/763907/2 "2016-08-25T16:22:06Z")

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I guess YMMV? But I definitely don’t equate it with Boys 2 Men aside from singing very soul-like. Nor do I equate it with trip-hop (maybe he incorporates some aspects into his music, but I think its more electro-funk or pop-soul). I find Ocean’s music to be quite fantastic. I absolutely loved “Channel Orange”. Its the way that Ocean plays with music, weaving out different sounds and styles (“Pyramid” in particular is fantastic that way), that really got me interested.

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**Author:** ![black\_rainbow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d26b3c/32.png) [@black\_rainbow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rainbow)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-frank-ocean/763907/3 "2016-08-26T01:35:43Z")

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I think he’s brilliant.

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**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-frank-ocean/763907/4 "2016-08-26T06:29:19Z")

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Obviously MMV, de gustibus, etc. But it’s the “genius” thing that puzzles me. I’m not fond of listening to anything by John Cage, or to Miles Davis’s more experimental albums. But I can see why people might consider them groundbreaking works of genius. I can’t see it with Ocean.