Frank Ocean’s intentionally elusive character has been a key ingredient in his rise as one of the last decade’s most influential artists.

“If I start to tell a story and then I decide not to tell the story anymore, I can stop. It’s my story,” he told W Magazine last September. “The expectation for artists to be vulnerable and truthful is a lot, you know?”

The idea of staying true to yourself may not sound inherently groundbreaking, but for the last near-decade, Frank Ocean has spoken almost exclusively through his music, at times sprinkling loosies online merely for the sake of getting something off his chest. “There’s something that happens when you say what you’re doing before it’s done,” he said to W. “You’re accountable for that version that you talk about… It’s usually better for me to make what I make, put it out or don’t, and then talk about it freely.”

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