Frank Ocean

Frank Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Cooksey on October 28, 1987; later Christopher Edwin Breaux) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and photographer. Ocean began his musical career as a ghostwriter, prior to joining hip hop collective Odd Future in 2010, and the following year released Nostalgia, Ultra, his debut mixtape. The mixtape was a critical success and generated the single "Novacane", which peaked at number 82 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was later certified platinum. Ocean subsequently secured a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings in 2012. Ocean released his debut studio album, Channel Orange, in July 2012; it debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and was soon certified platinum. The album received universal acclaim from critics and won Ocean his first Grammy Award, for Best Urban Contemporary Album. The album contained the singles "Thinkin Bout You", "Pyramids" and "Sweet Life", with the former peaking inside the top 40 in the US and gaining him a nomination for Record of the Year at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. His second album, Blonde, was released in 2016 and was subject to controversy after Ocean endured protracted contract disputes with Def Jam, which led to the album suffering repeated delays. In order to fulfill his contract with Def Jam, Ocean released the visual project Endless exclusively on Apple Music the day before releasing Blonde. Released independently, Blonde debuted at number one in several countries and was also highly acclaimed by critics. The album contained the single "Nikes" and was eventually certified platinum. In 2017, Ocean was featured on the Calvin Harris single "Slide", opposite Migos; it became Ocean's highest charting song in the US, peaking at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.Ocean is known for his idiosyncratic musical style, introspective and elliptical songwriting, unconventional production techniques, and wide vocal range. Music critics have credited him with revitalizing R&B, with his distinctive sound and style influencing numerous artists of various music genres.