DELISA: Frank Ocean has cemented himself as one of
the most popular and elusive artists in the game, dropping a number of iconic projects.
But both 2012's 'Channel Orange' and 2016's 'Blonde' are highly reviewed, praised, and
sometimes even pitted against one another.
In May, the nomadic artist’s mother picked her favorite but the decision wasn’t easy.
MEDIA Ch- Blonde... no wait.
I'm telling.
I'm trying. They were both so good, like, this is crazy.
DELISA: So we decided to put the two critical darlings
to the test. Using data from our site, we’re breaking down both albums
and coming out with a winner.
First let’s take a look at the projects’ lead singles.
“Thinkin Bout You” from 2012’s ‘Channel Orange’ established a clear tone for the
project and had everyone in their feelings.
DELISA: The track put Frank Ocean on the map with
it's honest storytelling and high-pitched crooning over unrequited love.
And who could forget this iconic vine.
A potato flew around my room before you came
DELISA: Frank’s sophomore album starts with “Nikes,” which introduced a wide range of production
styles, hinting at the technical complexity of the album.
DELISA: The track presented an array of voice modulation
DELISA: “Nikes” brings in 1.8 million page views
but “Thinkin’ Bout You” takes the cake with almost double at 3.3 million, which makes
“Thinkin Bout You”Frank’s most viewed song on genius.com.
DELISA: Next up, let’s visit his beat switches,
one of Frank’s calling cards which we covered back in 2019.
Channel Orange’s “Pyramids” slowly transitions from glitchy keys into sprawling synths and
dizzying 808s for the latter half.
DELISA: “Nights” opens similarly but uses chaos
to introduce the tonal switch of the track, and seems to signal the second half of the
entire album.
DELISA: Both tracks showcase Frank’s musical range,
but “Nights” beats out “Pyramids” by over 700,000 page views.
DELISA: And that kind of musical prowess invited
opportunity for some top-tier collabs.
On ‘Channel Orange,’ Frank teamed up with hip-hop recluse André 3000 for “Pink Matter.”
DELISA: The coveted 3 stack feature elevated the sparingly
produced-track and started a collaboration between the two, with 3000 later hopping on
Blonde’s “Solo (Reprise.)”
DELISA: Elsewhere on ‘Blonde,’ Ocean enlisted
R&B royalty Beyonce for the glittering “Pink + White.”
DELISA: The pair had already teamed up on B’s self-titled
album back in 2013 for “Superpower.”
DELISA: André 3000 helped “Pink Matter” tally
a whopping 2.3 million pageviews, beating out “Pink + White” by almost one million views.
DELISA: Next, a moment for the deep cuts of each project that showcase Frank’s pen game.
‘Channel Orange’’s “Bad Religion” focuses on one-sided love and highlights his
honest approach to lyricism.
FRANK OCEAN: I guess I’m just inspired to tell stories. You gotta make sure the listener is listening
to you. So if you put it in the form of a song, often times if the song is striking
enough, you can really deliver the story most effectively while keeping the ear of the listener
the whole time. So I guess it all starts with the stories for me.
DELISA: ’Blonde’’s “White Ferrari” expands
on this feeling and the minimalistic production invites listeners to belt along.
DELISA: The race was tight but “Bad Religion”
scraped by with a few hundred votes to take the lead.
DELISA: To round out the battle, let’s take a look
at two fan favorites, “Super Rich Kids” and “Self-Control.”
“Super Rich Kids” is peak nostalgia with its infectious hook and a feature from fellow
Odd Future alum Earl Sweatshirt.
DELISA: Blonde’s “Self-Control” reminds fans
of their first love with Frank’s daringly honest lyrics accompanied by distorted pleading
from Austin Feinstein and Yung Lean.
DELISA: Although “Super Rich Kids” boasts one
of Earl’s most intricate flows, “Self-Control” barely edges out the nostalgic cut to take
the win.
DELISA: After looking at singles, musicianship, features, fan favorites and deep cuts, there can only
be one winner. The votes are in and it’s a close one, but ‘Channel Orange’ barely
scrapes by for the crown.
FRANK OCEAN: I’m not a big one for sports references but if the music industry was any sort of league,
I guess this would be a championship thing.
DELISA: Pitting two bodies of work from an artist with such a large impact on music isn’t
easy so we stuck to the data, but what album gets your pick? Let us know in the comments.
DELISA: I’m Delisa with Genius News, bringing you
the meaning and the knowledge behind the music.