This is a pretty big story I think. I will post a link to Ocean's statement below the jump but for those who don't know Ocean, here's some background information.
Ocean is part of the rap collective, "Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All" (OFWGKTA or Odd Future for short) and their leader, Tyler the Creator come under plenty of fire for homophobic, sexist, etc. lyrics that appeared on his album Goblin. Another member of the group named Earl Sweatshirt on his debut album at age 15 had similar themes and the song epaR was essentially a twisted fantasy involving rape, murder and cop-killing.
Still, I consider myself a fan of most of their music which I know might be a bit horrible.
Odd Future though is an interesting group especially since one of the main producers in the group is "Syd tha Kid" an out lesbian who was best friends with Tyler and the rest of the collective.
Frank Ocean is the eldest member of the group, clocking in at 24 years old. Tyler has often cited him as a bigger brother type and Ocean gained some credibility when he expressed his support for abortion and gay marriage on his debut album, Nostalgia, Ultra. Ocean has also been the only one to really crack the mainstream and has written for Beyonce and Justin Bieber as well as being featured on Jay-Z & Kanye West's album "Watch the Throne".
Ocean's statement was posted on his Tumblr page which you can view here.
The most prominent sample of Ocean's statement is
"4 summers ago, I met somebody. I was 19 years old. He was too. We spent that summer, and the summer after, together. Every day almost, and on the day we were together, time would glide. Most of the day I'd see him, and his smile. By the time I realized I was in love, it was malignant. It was hopeless."
Later on he states, "I feel like a free man. If I listen closely... I can hear the sky falling too."
Immediately Tyler the Creator posted his support for Frank on his Twitter, with his typical NSFW humor,
which can be found here.
Still, the hip hop world hasn't had many prominent LGBT male members. This step by Frank Ocean, however, may have just blazed a new trail.