Frank Ocean, who has been credited as
the first mainstream hip-hop artist to come out bisexual, says
there's just “some magic in truth.”
In a profile in men's fashion glossy
GQ,
Ocean talks about the decision to include an open letter discussing
his sexuality in the liner notes of his debut studio album, Channel
Orange. Ocean, 25, also posted the letter online in July.
“The night I posted it, I cried like
a fucking baby,” he said. “It was like all the frequency just
clicked to a change in my head. All the receptors were now receiving
a different signal, and I was happy. I hadn't been happy in so long.
I've been sad again since, but it's a totally different take on sad.
There's just some magic in truth and honesty and openness.”
Ocean acknowledged that he feared
coming out would hurt his career.
“I had those fears. In black music,
we've got so many leaps and bounds to make with acceptance and
tolerance in regard to that issue. It reflects something just
ingrained, you know. When I was growing up, there was nobody in my
family – not even my mother – who I could look to and be like, 'I
know you've never said anything homophobic.' So, you know, you worry
about people in the business who you've heard talk that way.”
He added, “People should pay
attention to that in the letter: I didn't need to label it for it to
have impact. Because people realize everything that I say is so
relatable, because when you're talking about romantic love, both
sides in all scenarios feel the same shit.”