Released: February 24, 2017

Featuring: JAY-Z

Songwriter: Frank Ocean JAY-Z

Jay-Z: In this day and age-

Frank: Yeah.

Jay-Z: I just don't know...

Frank: Yeah, yeah.

Jay-Z:Take radio for instance. It's pretty much an advertisement model. You take these pop stations, they're reaching 18-34 young white females. So they're playing music based on those tastes. And then they're taking those numbers and they're going to advertising agencies and people are paying numbers based on the audience that they have. So these places are not even based on music. Their playlist isn't based on music. If you think a person like Bob Marley right now probably wouldn't play on a pop station. Which is crazy. It's not even about the DJ discovering what music is best. You know, music is music. The line's just been separated so much that we're lost at this point in time. They have to revolutionize that thing, you know, be more progressive. I think with all the technology and where we are today, it's definitely a more efficient way to get music out.

Because it's the whole idea behind having a festival that played all sorts of music. Because no one listens to music like that - you just listen to music more than ever. Back in the days there used to be hip-hop clubs. Like, specific hip-hop clubs. Now every club is a hip-hop club. Every club is a music club. You go in there, you're liable to hear EDM, hip-hop, you're gonna hear some soul, you’re definitely going to hear "Poison" around 2-3 in the morning.

It's unfortunate because with, you know, technology and everything moving forward, we should, it should be a better way that the music, the musicians, radio, and these things that are supposed to be instruments for the arts, should exist. And it shouldn’t be about advertisement. And it shouldn't be about—so the more times, you know, someone like yourself can bypass that, it’s better for the, for the arts. And it's better for the audience 'cause you have to have, like, a level of discipline and just a belief to put music out in this place where not everyone can.

Frank: Right.

Jay-Z: You know, people, like, they wanna shoot for that, and then they're making music that's not really conditioned who they are so they can reach a certain platform.

Frank Ocean

Christopher Edwin Breaux, professionally known as Frank Ocean, was born on the 28th of October, 1987 in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has earned cult-icon status with his enigmatic persona and idiosyncratic approach to pop. It is reported that the name “Frank Ocean” was partially inspired by the original Ocean’s 11 (1960) film, which starred Frank Sinatra.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed his recording studio in New Orleans which prompted his move out to LA, joining hip hop collective Odd Future later in 2009. Ocean started out ghostwriting tracks for pop stars such as Justin Bieber and Beyoncé, but decided on a career

There was a point where I was composing for other people, and it might have been comfy to continue to do that and enjoy that income stream and the anonymity,“ he says. "But that’s not why I moved away from school and away from family.