Since the 2012 release of his critically-acclaimed and commercially successful debut album, Frank Ocean has been teasing fans with the ever elusive release date for his highly-anticipated sophomore album, Boys Don’t Cry. In July, the elusive artist posted a photo to his website of a library card that included several dates for, what we can only assume to be, his new album release date. As the month of July came and went, rumors began to circulate of an August 5th release date for his album to drop…and still, nothing.

Photo: boysdontcry.co
Photo: boysdontcry.co

While Frank continues to play mind games with his stans, I can’t help but notice some stark similarities between he and another eclectic and highly-acclaimed, Grammy-award winning artist, who is notorious for teasing fans with hints of new work to come.

music video outkast hey ya
Photo: christophertracys.tumblr.com

Could Frank Ocean be taking a page from the André 3000 play book? Let’s take a look at the receipts:

Both are boundary benders

Photo: genius.com
Photo: genius.com

Both artists dazzled us with their genre splicing unorthodox musical style. With his 2012 release of Channel Orange, Frank Ocean changed the game with his psychedelic instrumentation and narrative lyricism, much of the same way that André did with his 2003 release of The Love Below. When the two teamed up to collaborate on the song “Pink Matter,” it was pure magic.

Both are extraordinary lyricists 

Photo: Youtube
Photo: Youtube

Frank Ocean and André 3000 are both a part of a rare bread of artists. There’s a reason we are obsessed with their music and it goes far beyond great production and tight beats. These guys are masterful storytellers, I would even argue that they are poets. Their narratives are truthful and vulnerable in a way that resonates deeply and penetrates consciousness.

Both are major teases

Photo: Boys Don’t Cry/ Apple Music
Photo: Apple Music

Both artists take foreplay to a whole other level. Frank had us staring at this empty set for days just waiting for something to pop off. André has kept his fans in a similar holding pattern for years.

Both have brave individualism

Photo: genius.com
Photo: genius.com

In an industry that sometimes creates caricatures of artists, both men have been unapologetic in their determination to show up as their authentic selves.

Both have die-hard fanbases

Both artist have a ride-or-die fan base that do not play when it comes to this alleged new music.

Despite the foolery and Jedi mind tricks, I think we can all come to a consensus that the music of both Frank Ocean and André 3000 has made the world a better place, and to be honest, what more do they owe us than that? A masterpiece cannot be rushed and greatness has no deadline. At the end of the day, we have to let artist do what artist do whether it taks four years or fourteen, I’ll be here patiently waiting for lightening to strike twice.

Photo: Giphy

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