Frank Ocean has crafted songs for stars much bigger than himself – but this year his own star finally shone brightest. His debut album, Channel Orange, dots numerous lists rounding up the best albums of 2012. He swapped the irreverence of hip-hop collective Odd Future for the polished yet tragic themes of unrequited love and loneliness on Channel Orange. But what gave Ocean’s lyrics particular resonance was the open letter he published on his Tumblr blog just a week prior to the album’s release, in which he revealed his first love was a man. “I don’t have any secrets I need kept anymore,” he wrote. “I feel like a free man.” In the hip-hop community, not exactly known for being gay-friendly, Ocean’s candor was a breath of fresh air. Many of his musician peers, including Beyonce, Russell Simmons and his former music partner Tyler, the Creator, expressed their support for Ocean.
People Who Mattered in 2012
Frank Ocean
Full List
People Who Mattered
- Bashar Assad
- Ben Bernanke
- Jeff Bezos
- John Boehner
- Chris Christie
- Hillary Clinton
- Bill Clinton
- Stephen Colbert
- Claire Danes
- Gabby Douglas
- Mario Draghi
- Lena Dunham
- Sandra Fluke
- Roger Goodell
- Klaus Jacob
- E.L. James
- Jay-Z
- Xi Jinping
- Paul Kagame
- Imran Khan
- Christine Lagarde
- Erik Martin and Violentacrez
- Trayvon Martin
- Marissa Mayer
- Angela Merkel
- Khaled Meshal
- Kate Middleton
- Enrique Peña Nieto
- Benjamin Netanyahu
- Frank Ocean
- Michelle Obama
- Larry Page
- Jonah Peretti
- David Petraeus
- Michael Phelps
- Psy
- Pussy Riot
- Susan Rice
- John Roberts
- Mitt Romney
- Paul Ryan
- Thein Sein
- Nate Silver
- Anne-Marie Slaughter
- Jon Stewart
- Aung San Suu Kyi
- Undocumented Immigrants
- Kim Jong Un
- Kate Upton
- Elizabeth Warren