Frank Ocean talks new album and passes on Kanye West collaboration
By Petar Kujundzic / News / November 15, 2011 / 4660 Views

During his recent trip to the UK, Frank Ocean stopped by BBC 1Xtra after his performance on Friday to talk about his upcoming album and why he's passing on a Kanye West collaboration.

“I’m a big fan. He’s a big influence on my music. I told him, ‘As much as I want to work with you, I kinda want to do this without you.’ I kinda want to do it on my own. I worked with one producer, who I found some really random synergy with, a producer named Malay out in L.A., and we worked for the first couple days and did some crazy feeling songs, like the Untitled #2 was the first or second song that we wrote together.”

Further delving into his upcoming new album, the reclusive crooner told:

"I wanted it to be an expansion, sonically I wanted to be the next, whatever the next tier for me is, be that. Just open up, challenging song structures, challenging a lot of the things I made on the last project. When I say the whole 'I'm not an R&B artist' thing, people often think I'm taking a shot at the genre of R&B," Ocean said, "which to me I'll say, 'Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, D'Angelo who is awesome, I mean what is Prince? What are all of them?'""

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  • Bob Sagat

    " I kinda want to do this without you." that's wsup. true artist.

  • Bob Sagat

    " I kinda want to do this without you." that's wsup. true artist.

  • RICKYROZEEZAY

    who the fucking fuck does he fucking think he fucking is? passing on yeezy? he damn well fucking regret it. 

  • RICKYROZEEZAY

    who the fucking fuck does he fucking think he fucking is? passing on yeezy? he damn well fucking regret it. 

  • Doctorkillpatients

    i don't get it. you sign to the fucking roc, you write a song for beyonce and other highly commercial artists, but kanye is where you draw the line? i really want to believe that he's keeping true to his artistic integrity by passing on a yeezy collab, but that's clearly not the case. whatever his reasons may be, i seriously doubt it has much to do with "wanting to do this himself" or whatever. 

  • Anonymous

    LOL...they've worked together before doe

  • Thetallkev91

    I think hes just saying that he wants his album to be his own and collaborating with ye would kinda under mind that.

  • john doe

    pass on a kan beat? that's your last thought

  • http://twitter.com/varadioisajoke I’m me

    Whats the problem with these commenters?  "Doing it himself" has you all checking for him NOW, so what has he done to question his moves?  Oh, so he passed on working with Kanye, big fucking deal.  Frank knows what hes doing

  • FrankSheaButterLotionPause!

    Hey HypeTrak. Provide audio to this interview. How do we know if Frank said that statement in that manner?

  • FrankSheaButterLotionPause!

    Hey HypeTrak. Provide audio to this interview. How do we know if Frank said that statement in that manner?

  • FrankSheaButterLotionPause!

    My bad HypeTrak found the audio. Excuse my douche-bagness

  • FrankSheaButterLotionPause!

    My bad HypeTrak found the audio. Excuse my douche-bagness

  • TakeCamp

    Didnt know an artist couldnt turn down another artist? nigga calm down withcya bitch ass. Crying over yeezys dick

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001118914281 Martyn Jackson

    His own man. Good for him.

  • Natelistrani

    I agree with the Thetellkev91 dude ^^. But I also think it would turn out kinda like how Big Seans new album did. Like I love old Big Sean shit, and some songs from the new album are legit. But some are way too overproduced and goddam mainstream. I miss his older shit, much better than this new shit. Aand Kanye is possibly the most talented rapper and producer alive today, but he is different. Sometimes too different for certain artists, like Big Sean in my opinion. I feel like the collabo would change Frank Oceans sound too much. And make him more of a shitty mainstream in stead of the regualr mainstream that is frank ocean and all of OF. just my opinion.

  • Natelistrani

    I agree with the Thetellkev91 dude ^^. But I also think it would turn out kinda like how Big Seans new album did. Like I love old Big Sean shit, and some songs from the new album are legit. But some are way too overproduced and goddam mainstream. I miss his older shit, much better than this new shit. Aand Kanye is possibly the most talented rapper and producer alive today, but he is different. Sometimes too different for certain artists, like Big Sean in my opinion. I feel like the collabo would change Frank Oceans sound too much. And make him more of a shitty mainstream in stead of the regualr mainstream that is frank ocean and all of OF. just my opinion.

  • Hodgy Beatz

    do it on your own ? dude got know off pretending he was a member of odd future ...... dick rider 

  • Anonymous

    Here's the link to the audio http://www.missinfo.tv/index.php/frank-ocean-speaks-on-upcoming-album-not-wanting-to-be-just-rb-kanye-and-jay-z-more/

  • Guest

    Very well put...props

  • MoetwithMedusa

    I don't think he as any issue collaborating with other artists/producer's on THEIR albums/songs. I think he just wants to control the sound of his own album and I, personally, can't be mad at that. It's no disrespect to Kanye, he just has a vision of what he wants it to sound like...I get it.

  • Bob Sagat

    ok retard.

  • http://twitter.com/JTrue616 Jackson Truex

    Frank is half the reason that OF got so popular... idiot 

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_JU66K3JQM42XUUCQ3ISSMET7T4 Erica

    Frank Ocean to work with Kanye West and Jay-Z...@readers:disqus  you want to make $85 hourly and $7000 per month like me just working on laptop for few hours! Would you like to be your own boss!Opportunities like this don't come by often. Don't let this one pass you by! CashHuge.com

  • RandallCunningman

    Nobody got mad @ J. Cole for passing on Jay-Z jumping all over his album and HE'S ON THE NIGGA'S Label. 1) Frank Ocean is a legit producer and songwriter. 2) Frank Ocean (or no individual artist) owe's allegiance to Kanye or anyone else. He's his own artist and I doubt Ye' is tripping because at one time he was HIS OWN artist too. 

  • memphis10

    SO IF HE DID WORK WITH KANYE, THEN THE SAME MF'S TALKIN' ABOUT HE'S CRAZY FOR TURNING IT DOWN WOULD BE TALKIN' "OH HE'S GON COMMERCIAL, HE'S A SELLOUT" BLAH BLAH BLAH..STFU. U FANS DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT..

  • memphis10

    SO IF HE DID WORK WITH KANYE, THEN THE SAME MF'S TALKIN' ABOUT HE'S CRAZY FOR TURNING IT DOWN WOULD BE TALKIN' "OH HE'S GON COMMERCIAL, HE'S A SELLOUT" BLAH BLAH BLAH..STFU. U FANS DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT..

  • memphis10

    SO IF HE DID WORK WITH KANYE, THEN THE SAME MF'S TALKIN' ABOUT HE'S CRAZY FOR TURNING IT DOWN WOULD BE TALKIN' "OH HE'S GON COMMERCIAL, HE'S A SELLOUT" BLAH BLAH BLAH..STFU. U FANS DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT..