In this song, the BMW X6, a hunchbacked and hunkered-down SUV, is fortified. “I ain’t a kid no more/We’ll never be those kids again/We’d drive to Syd’s, had the X6 back then.” “Safe in my rental like an armored truck back then/We didn’t give a fuck back then,” he offers. BMWs and wistful recall continue to play a key role on Blonde, in particular on the song “Ivy,” where Ocean sings about his past, a time that seems to conjure an insular, inaccessible, yet intoxicating nihilism for him. Ocean’s nostalgia is so thick, it was the title of his first real solo effort, Nostalgia, Ultra, a record that just happened to feature a 1980s BMW M3 on the cover. Spokespeople for Acura would not comment on this call out.) Ludacris loves his old Legend so much, he had it restored and featured on the cover of his most recent album, 2015’s Ludaversal. Meriting its own line is the car’s model name, The Legend, which seems to simultaneously reference Ocean’s childhood longing for celebrity, and his current hankering for mythology - a glorified fantasy of the past. No binary A/B sides here - at least six discs.įrank Ocean’s ‘Blonde’: 10 MVPs Who Contributed to the Album (“1998 my family had that Acura, oh/The Legend/Kept at least six discs in the changer.”) Yet this allusion to an obsolete medium, the compact disc, instead of accentuating its limitations, showcases its ability to provide a broad range of possible identities. In a deft callback to his adolescence, he recalls riding around in his family’s car during his youth in New Orleans. Ocean also uses cars to conjure the complex formation of identity over time. (When asked for an official response, a rep for Bugatti said, “We don’t comment on placement in movies, TV, songs, etc.”) He recalls a used Sedan he drove before his current friends even knew him (“Remember when I had that Lexus? No/Our friendship don’t go back that far”) before boasting about driving a seven-figure supercar (“Bugatti left some stretch marks on that freeway”). Ocean recognizes that moving forward is sometimes moving up, but he wonders what is left behind, and how quickly. In “Futura Free,” Ocean confronts success, looking back on his past earning minimum wage, and out to his million dollar-making present. The mixtape was followed by the release of Ocean's debut studio album Channel Orange to even greater critical acclaim in 2012.Blonde is full of songs about the amorphous fourth dimension, time, and all manner of cars are used to carry their lyrical weight. Following its release, both Ocean and the mixtape have developed a cult following. Subsequently, Ocean collaborated with artists Beyoncé Knowles and Jay-Z after they were introduced to the mixtape through West. Recording artist Kanye West was reportedly a fan of the mixtape, which led to Ocean appearing on the album Watch the Throne.

Because of the Eagles’ legal action, Nostalgia, Ultra is still unavailable on Spotify, even a decade since its release it is considered one of the most famous and acclaimed albums not to be accessible on the streaming service. Controversy arose in March 2012 over the song 'American Wedding', a remake of the song ' Hotel California' by American rock band Eagles. The mixtape appeared on several music critics' and publications' end-of-year albums lists. In addition, his 2012 performance at the Coachella Music Festival included several live renditions from the release including ' Strawberry Swing' and 'Lovecrimes'. Ocean embarked on a solo concert tour through North America and Europe to promote the record, playing a total of 7 shows. Both songs received music videos directed by Australian director Nabil Elderkin. Two singles were released from the aborted EP version: ' Novacane', and ' Swim Good'. However, the release of the EP was indefinitely delayed in July 2011 and has since been cancelled. In May 2011, Def Jam announced its plans to release the mixtape as an EP on July 26, 2011.

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