Frank Ocean

Frank Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux, October 28, 1987) is an American singer-songwriter and rapper. His accolades include two Grammy Awards and a Brit Award. He has been credited by several music critics as a pioneer of the alternative R&B genre. Ocean began his musical career as a ghostwriter before joining the Los Angeles-based hip hop collective Odd Future in 2010. The year prior, he signed with RedZone Entertainment, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings, although his debut mixtape, Nostalgia, Ultra (2011), was released independently. His debut studio album, the eclectic Channel Orange (2012), incorporated elements of R&B and soul music. At the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Urban Contemporary Album; its lead single, "Thinkin Bout You", was nominated for Record of the Year. He was named by Time as one of the world's 100 most influential people in 2013. After a four-year hiatus, Ocean released the visual album Endless (2016) to fulfill contractual obligations with Def Jam. His second studio album, Blonde, was released independently the following day. Expanding on Ocean's experimental approach, Blonde was met with critical acclaim, debuted atop the US Billboard 200, and ranked first on Pitchfork's Best Albums of the 2010s Decade list. After 2017, Ocean has released sporadic singles, worked as a photographer for magazines, launched the fashion brand Homer, and started Homer Radio. 15 of Ocean's songs have entered the Billboard Hot 100, while four of his releases (singles or albums) have received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).