A week ago, Frank Ocean put his faithful following on high alert by posting an image of a library card that has been stamped with many dates, the last one being "July __ 2016," with the exact day smudged out. Boys Don't Cry -- the name of Ocean's website and also the presumptive title of his next album -- is written at the bottom of the card. In the time since Channel Orange, fans have learned to begrudgingly trust Ocean's creative process, though their patience is now being tested with each day that passes without a new album. Whenever it arrives, it'll have to live up to four years of immense anticipation. While speculating on just how he plans to finally drop his sophomore LP, one fan has discovered that Ocean might have something in addition to his new album that he's about ready to share with the public.
A few days after Ocean updated his "Boys Don't Cry" website, it was revealed that he will star in an upcoming campaign for Calvin Klein's fall collection. The other day, a reddit user who goes by pilotjoness searched deep within the Calvin Klein domain to unlock a secret press release that reveals that Ocean has been working on a novel and that he has also published a magazine. The passage of text -- found within the source code of a certain CK webpage -- basically sums up all that Ocean has been doing over the past four years and why there's still so much interest surrounding his artistry.
Ocean had announced his "Boys Don't Cry" magazine last summer and had initially set out to release the first issue in that same season. The hidden message doesn't hint at a possible release date for either the "Boys Don't Cry" magazine or album, nor does it give any indication as to how far Ocean is into the completion of his novel. The text concludes by confirming that the "wait will be worth it." Find the full passage written below, via Pigeons & Planes.
Frank Ocean is one of the most artistic and enigmatic musicians working today. Though it has been more than four years since he released his debut studio album, Channel Orange, interest in Ocean hasn’t waned. Instead, it’s increased.
He is known for being a perfectionist, and a pursuant of creativity in all forms. He resists pressure and follows his own vision. He has published a magazine and worked on a novel while continuing to perfect his highly anticipated second album.
Ocean shuns interviews and social media, and prefers instead to speak through his work. He has said that when it comes to understanding music, the most important thing is to just press play.
Ocean is a powerful storyteller, using his own openness and honesty to create an emotionally intimate world in each of his songs. With his craft, his aim is not money, power, or fame, but to grow, progress, evolve and eventually be the absolute best.
So while he continues to work on that, we’ll continue to wait, as long as it takes, because when Frank Ocean does something, he does it right. The wait will be worth it.
As Ocean has gotten his fans ready for his upcoming album by using a library card, it would make sense if he were to release Boys Don't Cry along with a novel. It would be nice to have some reading material to pair with the album, as it'll be on repeat for a long, long time.
