Obama Daughters Like Frank Ocean

The Obamas are pretty cool with the music elite. After all, Beyonce and Jay-Z have hosted fundraisers and attended inaugurations, Bruce Springsteen comes around to kick it every now and then--they're pretty cool with the elder statesmen of the game. But what about the kids? The First Lady revealed during an appearance on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" that her kids are fans of Frank Ocean--and other music that their parents may not like.

"They don't really listen to us," Michelle Obama said. "They try to hip us to stuff, you know, I learned about Elle Varner because of Malia and they like Frank Ocean, we are Beyoncé devotes. But there's some music that they'll tell us, 'I think the music is too rough for you.' I'm like, 'Really?' ... They don't allow us to just listen to anything. They're looking out for our well-being."

Frank Ocean Reveals Letter's Origins

Frank Ocean spoke at-length about his coming out letter and revealed that it had been written back in December of 2011 to be released alongside his album sleeve. He planned to announce his bisexuality via that method to address any potential speculation that the songs onchannel ORANGE were about men.

"I knew that I was writing in a way that people would ask questions," he said. "I knew that my star was rising, and I knew that if I waited I would always have somebody that I respected be able to encourage me to wait longer, to not say it till who-knows-when."

"People are just afraid of things too much ... Sure, evil exists, extremism exists," he added. "Somebody could commit a hate crime and hurt me. But they could do the same just because I'm black. They could do the same just because I'm American."

Tyler Knew Frank Ocean's Secret

Odd Future frontman Tyler, the Creator revealed on Formspring that he was well-aware that his OFWGKTA bandmate Frank Ocean was bisexual. Despite the rapper having been criticized by some for homophobic lyrics, he says that he knew Ocean's sexuality long ago and supported his friend.

“Hahaha yeah, ive know for a while, he told me a long time ago," he said. "It was just funny cause i was getting bashed as a homophobe or whatever and i kept saying dude how am i one?"

"I have gay friends like what the f**k leave me alone haha," he continued. "Yeah thats my n***a tho, sh*t is hard for him but he did that.”

Frank Ocean Confirms Target Ban

Frank Ocean's debut albumChannel Orange is not being sold in Target stores due to Def Jam's making the album available early via iTunes. The reasoning was confirmed despite the singer's manager initially insinuating that the company banned the album because of Ocean's coming out as a bisexual last week.

"Target has refused to carry Frank's album because of iTunes exclusive," the singer's manager, Christian Clancy, wrote in a tweet that has since been deleted. "Interesting since they also donate to non-equal rights organizations."

Nonetheless, Ocean confirmed that the album won't be sold at Target.

"Album won't be available at target," he tweeted. "Blame it on a generational gap. best buy on deck though."

Khia Says Frank Ocean "Fooled" Women

One-hit wonder Khia decided to fire some sarcastic shots at R&B star Frank Ocean. The singer came out of the closet last week and has sparked much debate in the musical community--particular amongst hip hop artists and fans. But Khia decided to take the occasion to plug her book and accuse the singer of 'fooling' women.

“Hats Off To Frank Ocean At Least He Finally Told The Truth Now All The Women He Fooled Can Finally Know The Truth!!” Khia tweeted. “I Wrote A Book About It!! Be Sure To Get It Khia’s New Book Ignoring The Signs!!! LAWD HAVE MERCEY ON THEIR SOULS!!”

Trina Supportive of Frank Ocean

Frank Ocean's coming out has sparked much conversation in the hip hop community, and the Odd Future-affiliated singer/songwriter has gotten a lot of support. Miami-based femcee Trina voiced her support for Ocean and his talent.

"He's extremely talented and that's what matters," Trina told TMZ. "I don't think [Frank's] music sales or the level of support his music obtains should be judged based on his sexual preference."

"If he's happy and comfortable with his sexuality then so be it," she continued. "I feel his decision to come forward was bold and honest. It's his life. Let him enjoy and live it. I wish him much success and happiness."

Frank Ocean Cancels EP

Odd Future's Frank Ocean has confirmed that he will not be releasing the planned "Nostalgia, Lite" EP. The singer/songwriter had previously announced the project--a seven track EP version of his breakout mixtape from 2011--would be released last year, but now, Ocean says that there will be no EP.

"‘Nostalgia, Lite.’ is never coming out," he wrote on his Tumblr page. "Hahaha. What I look like a year later re-releasing my last album? Not icey. B*tch I’m icey."

"Only saying that for my journalist/blogger friends. i know my icey-ness is obvious," he continued. "[It felt like Def Jam was] signing a kid with dreams and talent with no intention of following through," he said. "[But now] we're cool. There is a new album coming. I'm super proud of it."

G.O.O.D. Compilation Nearly Done

The highly-anticipated G.O.O.D. Music compilation is in the final stretches of completion and more details have emerged about the project, which is set to showcase the artistic talent on Kanye West's imprint. Pusha T, CyHi Da Prynce, Mr. Hudson, Kid Cudi and Big Sean are all slated to appear on the project alongside West. The artists have all been in London for several weeks recording the project.

Jay Electronica, Frank Ocean, producers Mannie Fresh and Hit Boy, and singer Marsha Ambrosius are also making appearances on the project. Ambrosius tweeted her enthusiasm for working with such a talented roster.

“In the studio with Frank Ocean, Big Sean, Pusha T, Manny Fresh :) Kanye West is on the way!!! I’m having fun today :) “ she shared. “And @JayElectronica just arrived :) fun times in the studio – Kanye sessions Day 2 :) “

Dr. Dre & Snoop Headlining Coachella

Former Death Row superstars, West Coast legends and longtime collaborators Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg have been announced as the headliners for the 2012 Coachella festival in India, California on April 13-15 and 20-21. Snoop and Dre are expected to perform either April 15th or the 21st.

The Black Keys, Radiohead, Bon Iver and Girl Talk are also among the headliners.

There will be a bevy of upstart and indie rap stars on the slate for the big show as well; including Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, Azealia Banks, araabMUZIK, ASAP Rocky, Flying Lotus, Childish Gambino, Santigold, Company Flow and several others.

Frank Ocean Album Coming In Spring

Frank Ocean revealed that his highly-anticipated Def Jam release is on schedule for spring of 2012. Ocean had been experiencing some frustrations with the label.

“We’re cool,” Ocean told the BBC when asked about his label troubles. “There is a new album coming. I’m super proud of it.”

Ocean was also asked if the marketing will be handled differently, to which he cryptically responded, “No. I make pop culture.”

Frank Ocean Prepping Album

Odd Future singer Frank Ocean is in the studio preparing his official Def Jam debut album. The singer revealed in an interview that the songs are mostly already written; he's focusing on the production and arranging side of the project.

“The record’s written, we’re just trying to tie up all the production. Get everything sonically pleasing to me, the director of this film,” he said. “It’s been cool working on it. I take my time, for better or for worse. I’m excited to share and perform them. When I started writing this record, that’s one of the things I said. I was like, this record, I want to be able to perform well, to transition to stage well.”

Ocean also said he wasn't pressed to work with a certain superproducer.

“I’ll be candid about that. I told [Kanye], as much as I want to work with you - I’m not going to say he wants to work with me so bad - but I’m a big fan," he says. "He’s a big influence on my music. I told him, ‘As much as I want to work with you, I kind of want to do this without you. I kind of want to do it on my own.’

“I worked with one producer, who I don’t know, I just found some random synergy with, a producer named Malay,” he continued. “We worked for the first couple of days and did some crazy feeling songs.”

Frank Ocean On Odd Future Beefs

Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All member Frank Ocean recently spoke on group leader Tyler, the Creator and his tendency to get involved with gripes with other celebrities. Despite the fact that Frank and Tyler both had words with R&B singer Chris Brown back during the summer, Frank says he's not trying to share every beef that Tyler gets himself into.

But that doesn't mean there's dissension within the crew.

"That's family. It's a crew, but it's not like a boy band where we're like this cohesive thing that moves and does everything together," Ocean said when asked about Odd Future. "We're like a crew of a bunch of different artists who create their own thing and their own wave -- I definitely won't go on the record and say that I latch on to every beef or confrontation or scuffle that Tyler gets into, maybe in the streets, but not in the matrix or the Internet. I can't keep up with that."

Nas Praises Frank Ocean

Nas has a lot to say about artists past and present. One newbie that the Queensbridge lyricist is apparently a fan of is Odd Future's Frank Ocean. Nas has praised the Odd Future collective in the past, but reserved specific encouragement for Ocean.

"Frank Ocean is just a new gust of wind to move things out the way and give us something new," Nas said in the past about Ocean. In a recent interview, he reiterated his enthusiasm for the singer. "Just the garbage, the garbage pail kids out there that's everywhere," Nas said in reference to much of the current music on the air. "Everybody just don't have it, so somebody that comes out like Frank Ocean and does it his way and sings his way, it's fresh, it's good for the game."

88 Keys Talks "Watch the Throne"

Rapper/producer 88 Keys recently shared his experiences working with Jay-Z and Kanye West on the Watch the Throne album. Keys produced the opening track, "No Church In the Wild."

"Everybody in the room just started going crazy," he said of playing some of his instrumentals.

Keys says the day after playing his music for the rappers, he met singer Frank Ocean. "He actually had a talking intro part that he put on there. I thought it was pretty dope, it was pretty comical. But I guess it didn't make the final cut."

Watch The Throne Deluxe Track Listing

PREORDER

1. No Church in the Wild (Feat. Frank Ocean)
2. Lift Off (Feat. Beyoncé)
3. Niggas in Paris
4. Otis (Feat. Otis Redding)
5. Gotta Have It
6. New Day
7. Prime Time
8. Who Gon Stop Me
9. Murder to Excellence
10. Welcome to The Jungle
11. Sweet Baby Jesus (Feat. Frank Ocean)
12. Why I Love You? (Feat. Mr Hudson)

Bonus

13. Illest Motherfucker Alive
14. H*A*M
15. That’s My Bitch
16. The Joy (Feat. Curtis Mayfield)

PREORDER

Beyoncé Covers Complex's August/September 2011 Issue!

It's hard to believe that it was only eight years ago that Beyoncé released her debut solo album (and appeared on her first Complex cover). Today, she moves like a seasoned vet, blowing her pop peers out of the water with her professionalism and power on stage. With her latest album 4, it seems like B is pushing every aspect of her career in bold new creative directions, which makes her the perfect person to cover our annual Style & Design issue, where we showcase all the cutting edge developments in Complex's world.

For the cover story, we recruited photographer Thierry Le Gouès and artist Ebon Heath, who created the unique typography sculptures that surround B. The August/September issue doesn't officially hit stands until August 9, but we're giving you a chance to check out the full cover story, extended gallery, and behind-the-scenes video now.

Conventional wisdom holds that people should be afraid of turning 30. It’s the dreaded age when the biological clock starts tickin’ with the menace of a time bomb. Thirty is the point at which someone can call a woman “old”—and she will actually believe it. Conventional wisdom says that turning 16, 18, and 21 kicks ass. Turning 30 kicks rocks. 

Of course conventional wisdom isn’t all that wise. Thirty ain’t all that bad. (In truth, women tend to be the most well-rounded and sexiest during their 30s. #justsayin) Still, it has a way of focusing people. Beyoncé Giselle Knowles turns 30 in September. She’s acutely aware of time slipping into the future. Her ticking clock, however, has nothing to do with insecure thoughts of feeling old or washed up. Not by a long shot.

No, Beyoncé is in a race against time because of a simple, bluntly put question: Where the f*&k does she go from here? What does thirtysomething feel like if you’ve accomplished everything most people could ever dream of—wealth, fame, artistic accolades, love—in your teens and twenties? 

It turns out that, for Beyoncé, the answer to that question is equally simple (and bluntly put). Where does she go? Wherever the f*&k she wants to. Bey has spent the last 15 years paying dues. Now a worldwide icon, she has set her heart and mind to establishing a legacy that she’s determined will be dictated by artistic freedom. She’s not afraid of turning 30. If anything, the world should be afraid of her turning 30.

 

Kanye was singing his heart out for five minutes. He is so vulnerable. I love when an artist can be honest.

 

In March 2010, Beyoncé came off the world tour for her album,I Am…Sasha Fierce, and did something she hadn’t really done as an adult: She lived a normal life. After years maintaining a grueling work schedule that included exhaustive touring, she took a much-needed vacay. For the next year, she did all sorts of—for her—novel things. She slept in her own bed for days at a time. She went to concerts and movies and museums with friends. She spent time picking through the iTunes of her younger sister, Solange (who has a side gig as a DJ and whom Bey credits as her unofficial A&R), playing with her nephew, and watching documentary footage of Jean-Michel Basquiat painting from scratch.

Of course the whole “vacay” concept is a little different for Beyoncé. (For one, she traveled, too. And suffice it to say that you and I aren’t invited to a lot of the places she visited.) What did you do on your vacation? Well, the hardest working woman in entertainment started a production company and learned how to edit movies. And, in studios across the world, she recorded more than 60 songs, 12 of which appear on her latest album, 4, which was officially released in June. You see, whereas a yearlong hiatus for one of us might involve an inordinate number of hours spent in our pajamas, for Beyoncé, even downtime is work time. “I traveled; I read; I watched films,” she says. “Inspiration is all around us every second of the day.”

The inspiration for 4 came from a variety of sources, with the end result being something that doesn’t sound exactly like any of them. Dissatisfied with the state of contemporary radio, she set about brewing a concoction entirely of her own design, based on influences you’d expect her to cite, as well as ones that might surprise. “Figuring out a way to get R&B back on the radio is challenging,” she explains. “Everything sounds the same on the radio. With 4 I tried to mix R&B from the ’70s and the ’90s with rock ‘n’ roll and a lot of horns to create something new and exciting. I wanted musical changes, bridges, vibrata, live instrumentation, and classic songwriting.”

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"Watch The Throne" Tracklist Revealed

The rumored release date for Jay-Z and Kanye West's new collabo is August 2nd, but we don't have to wait until then to see the tracklist. Here's the official list, courtesy of Hov's blog, "Life + Times".
1. "No Church in the Wild" - ft. Frank Ocean
2. "Lift Off" - ft. Beyoncé
3. "Ni*gas in Paris"
4. "Otis" - ft. Otis Redding
5. "Gotta Have It"
6. "New Day"
7. "Prime Time"
8. "Who Gon Stop Me"
9. "Murder to Excellence"
10. "Welcome to the Jungle"
11. "Sweet Baby Jesus" - ft. Frank Ocean
12. "Love You So" - ft. Mr Hudson
Bonus
13. "Illest Motherf**ker Alive"
14. "H.A.M"
15. "That's My Bi*ch"
16. "The Joy" - ft. Curtis Mayfield

Nas Recording With Odd Future

Nas is working with West Coast rap collective Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (aka Odd Future.) The Queensbridge rapper is specifically set to collaborate with Hodgy Beats, Tyler, the Creator and Frank Ocean. Ocean is apparently overseeing the track and Nas just has to put his verse on it.

"The song is almost finished; we're just waiting on a verse... I'm just stoked to be on a song with [Nas],” Hodgy said.

Though it is unclear whether or not this song is slated to appear on Life is Good--the upcoming album by Nas--or on one of the Odd Future affiliates' future projects, but Nas has been vocal in his praise of Odd Future over the past few months.