*In a recent interview with The New York Times, Frank Ocean explains why he did not submit his music for consideration for next year’s Grammy Awards, which he describes as his “Colin Kaepernick moment.”
“That institution certainly has nostalgic importance. It just doesn’t seem to be representing very well for people who come from where I come from, and hold down what I hold down,” he said. “I think the infrastructure of the awarding system and the nomination system and screening system is dated. I’d rather this be my Colin Kaepernick moment for the Grammys than sit there in the audience.”
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Ocean also goes in-depth about his split with Def Jam and choosing to be in the shadows of the mainstream spotlight. With his latest projects “Endless” and “Blonde,” it was about being free and not dealing with any pressure to release his music.
“I wanted to feel like I won before the record came out, and I did, and so it took a lot [of] pressure off of me about how the record would perform after the fact. It’s not essential for me to have a big debut week, it’s not essential for me to have big radio records.”
Following the release of “Endless,” which fulfilled his contract with Def Jam, the singer parted ways and dropped “Blonde” this past August.
“Because I’m not in a record deal, I don’t have to operate in an album format. I can operate in a half-a-song format,” he said. “I believe that I’m one of the best in the world at what I do, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted to be. It’s more interesting for me to figure out how to be superior in areas where I’m naive, where I’m a novice.”
You can read Frank Ocean’s full interview HERE.
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