Frank Ocean Made His Presence Known With "Novacane"

Frank Ocean released "Nostalgia, Ultra" 10 years ago today.

BYAron A.Feb 16, 20213.4K Views

Odd Future's introduction to the game shifted hip-hop and pop culture entirely moving forward. The debut projects from Tyler, The Creator, and Earl Sweatshirt brought some much-needed excitement to the rap game but it was Frank Ocean's Nostalgia, Ultra that left an everlasting impact in music forever. Today marks the 10 year anniversary of the mixtape's release so, what better time than to revisit the debut single from the project, "Novacane." It's a twist on the average love song, one that finds Frank offering some sly commentary on the state of the world and the feeling of numbness.

"Novacane" is truly what began the journey for Frank Ocean. Press play on the classic record below and sound off in the comments with your favorite song from Nostalgia, Ultra.

Quotable Lyrics

Bed full of women, flip on a tripod
Little red light on shootin'
I'm feelin' like Stanley Kubrick
This is some visionary shit
Been tryna film pleasure with my eyes wide shut
But it keeps on movin'

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Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.