Frank Ocean Trivia Quiz

Answer: Odd Future

Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, shortened to OFWGKTA or usually just Odd Future, originally formed in 2007, while Frank Ocean joined in 2010. The group produced one album as a collective, "The OF Tape Vol. 2" in 2012, and numerous mixtapes as well as contributing to each other's solo material. Many of their content featured graphic content which has resulted in both the group and individual members being banned from performing in certain countries (such as New Zealand) and getting dropped from festival lineups. Along with producing music, the group are also notable for forming the clothing brand Golf Wang and having a short-run Adult Swim skit show. Many of its members, including Tyler, the Creator, Earl Sweatshirt, Syd tha Kid and Domo Genesis, have seen successful solo careers. While never formally announced, many consider the group to have practically split at some point in the late 2010s after most of its members disassociated from the group to varying degrees. Prior to joining Odd Future, Ocean was notable for ghostwriting for the likes of Justin Bieber and John Legend.

The other options are also notable hip hop collectives.

Answer: Coldplay

"nostalgia,ULTRA" was released on 16 February 2011 with an overall theme of nostalgia. "Strawberry Swing" followed a short instrumental introduction. It features Ocean singing over the original instrumental track from Coldplay's 2008 album "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends", with some differing lyrics.

The mixtape also featured a re-interpreted version of the MGMT track "Electric Feel", titled "Nature Feels". Ocean also samples Radiohead and the Eagles on the mixtape amongst others, the latter of whom reportedly threatened legal action if Ocean ever performed the song live.

Answer: No Church in the Wild

"Human beings in a mob
What's a mob to a king?
What's a king to a God?
What's a God to a non-believer
Who don't believe in anything?
Will he make it out alive?
Alright, alright
No church in the wild."

These were the opening lyrics sung by Frank Ocean on the track "No Church in the Wild", which soon became material for numerous memes. "No Church in the Wild", which also featured vocal contributions from The-Dream, peaked at number 72 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Kanye West reportedly invited Ocean to contribute to the collaboration album "Watch the Throne" after hearing the mixtape "nostalgia,ULTRA". Ocean also sang on "Made in America" on the album.

Answer: Orange

"channel ORANGE" was preceded by a famous open letter published on 4 July 2012 to Ocean's Tumblr account in which he announced his attraction to men. The letter was hailed as a turning point in popular culture, as openly LGBTQ+ individuals remained a rarity in hip hop circles at the time.

The album itself was released on 10 July 2012 and debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 charts. The title references Ocean's grapheme-colour synesthesia; Ocean apparently associates the colour orange with the summer he first fell in love.

The album featured credited contributions from Earl Sweatshirt on "Super Rich Kids", John Mayer on "White" and André 3000 on 'Pink Matter". It has a Metacritic aggregate score of 92/100 and was included in the book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".

It also received six Grammy nominations.

Answer: A tornado

"A tornado flew around my room before you came
Excuse the mess it made, it usually doesn't rain in
Southern California..."

"Thinkin Bout You" was the highest-charting single from "channel ORANGE", peaking at 32 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The lyrics explore Frank Ocean's bisexuality and the first time he fell in love with a man. It has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and received a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year. Rolling Stone named it the fourth best song of 2012 while Pitchfork placed it at number five on its 200 Best Songs of the 2010s list. The song was originally intended for Bridget Kelly's debut album, and she would later release her own version of the song titled "Thinking Bout Forever".

Answer: Superpower

Beyoncé's 2013 album "Beyoncé" was surprise-released on 13 December 2013 with a music video accompanying each track. On the video for "Superpower", Beyoncé leads a group of celebrities (including her Destiny's Child bandmates) in a political protest. The track "Superpower" explores themes of unity and love and features Ocean singing throughout the song. "Beyoncé" also included notable contributions from Jay-Z on "Drunk in Love" and a sample of feminist speaker Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on "Flawless", while "XO" is featureless.

Answer: Endless

"Endless" is widely speculated as Ocean's mechanism of escaping his contract with record label Def Jam Recordings. "Endless" features production credits from experimental artist Arca on "Mine" and a notable cover of "(At Your Best) You Are Love" by the Isley Brothers.

The album was exclusively distributed by Apple Music in video format. In the video, Ocean is seen building a wooden staircase. It is more ambient than its successor "Blonde" and was largely overshadowed by that album as it was released only a day earlier on 19 August 2019.

It was remixed and re-released physically on 10 April 2018, which led it to receive some critical evaluation as a standalone piece.

Answer: Nike

Frank Ocean announced in 2013 that he had began writing for his second official studio album "Blonde", then under the working name "Boys Don't Cry". Numerous release dates were announced in the lead-up, with the delay officially ending upon its release on 20 August 2016. The name "Boys Don't Cry" ended up being used for a magazine Ocean released in limited locations around the world that accompanied the release of "Blonde" and included an alternate version of the album. "Blonde" is more experimental and atmospheric in composition than "channel ORANGE" and features very little percussion. Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, André 3000, James Blake and Pharrell Williams are just some of the names on the star-studded contribution list, while "White Ferrari" and "Seigfried" feature interpolations of "Here, There and Everywhere" by The Beatles and "A Fond Farewell" by Elliott Smith respectively.

"Blonde" was widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of the decade; indeed, Pitchfork named it the best album of the 2010s in its 2019 list, while Paste, Billboard, the A.V. Club and Stereogum all also featured the album on their end of decade lists amongst others. The album peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200 Charts and in numerous other countries including Australia and the UK.

"Nikes" is the opening track of "Blonde" and thematically explores consumerism and modern relationships. Throughout most of the song, Ocean's vocals are pitch-shifted higher than his real voice. The music video features surrealist vignettes from a party.

Answer: Nights

The beat switch on "Nights" occurs at the exact midpoint of the album and signals a shift in mood from the nostalgic and happier first half exhibited on songs like "Pink + White" to the more melancholic second half that features songs like "White Ferrari" and "Futura Free".

It has also been the subject of numerous memes and fan reaction videos. The song itself begins with a lyrical exploration of a night out on the first half, while the second half explores Ocean considering some of the repercussions of such a lifestyle and looking back on key moments of his life.

Answer: Chanel

Frank Ocean began hosting the Beats 1 radio show Blonded Radio in 2017 and has used the show to highlight some of his musical influences and debut new songs. "Slide" (a Calvin Harris song featuring Ocean), "Lens", and "Biking" featuring Jay-Z and Tyler the Creator have all been debuted on the show.

In 10 March 2017, Ocean used the show to debut his new single "Chanel", which sees Frank rapping and singing about his bisexuality. He also premiered a remix of the song featuring A$AP Rocky on the same date. "Chanel" peaked at number 72 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and was featured at number 184 on Pitchfork's list of the 200 Best Songs of the 2010s.