He co-wrote and sang on two songs off that album, which was hugefully successful. In June 2011 Ocean announced he would cooperate on the upcoming Kanye West / Jay-Z album Watch The Throne. The result, nostalgia,ULTRA., is a great introduction to Frank Ocean and was lauded by critics.Īnd, miraculously, the relationship with Def Jam improved considerably, when they realized Frank Ocean could really be a valuable asset to the label. Ocean felt neglected and started work on a mixtape, which he paid for himself and independently released online on February 16th, 2011, for free. By the end of 2009 he signed a contract with Def Jam Recordings, but initially it was an unhappy marriage. Ocean joined the hip-hop collective Odd Future (which also held Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler, The Creator in its ranks). He decided to change his name to Frank Ocean, a combination of Frank Sinatra’s name and the movie he played in in 1960, Ocean’s 11. But, if those songs worked for others, why not use them for himself? His songs were quite popular, and were used by big artists like Justin Bieber, Beyoncé, John Legend and Brandy. He quickly established his name under the moniker Lonny Breaux, composing and writing songs. In 2006 Breaux moved to Los Angeles to fulfill his big dream.

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