Hip-hopper Frank Ocean is discussing his reasons for revealing a former romance with another man.
Ocean, whose real name is Christopher Francis Ocean, made the disclosure in a July 3rd blog post on his website. He is being credited as the first mainstream hip-hop artist to come out.
The 24-year-old Ocean, a member of the collective Odd Future, said in the post that his "first love" was another man.
"By the time I realized I was in love, it was malignant. It was hopeless. There was no escaping, no negotiating to the women I had been with, the ones I cared for and thought I was in love with."
Ocean added that his feelings were not reciprocated.
In an interview with UK's the Guardian, Ocean said coming out was "about my own sanity and my ability to feel like I'm living a life where … I'm happy when I wake up in the morning, and not with this freakin' boulder on my chest."
"I wished at 13 there was somebody I looked up to who would have said something like that, who would have been transparent in that way."
To his critics, Ocean added: "People are just afraid of things too much. … Sure, evil exists, extremism exists. Somebody could commit a hate crime and hurt me. But they could do the same just because I'm black. They could do the same just because I'm American."
Ocean, whose real name is Christopher Francis Ocean, made the disclosure in a July 3rd blog post on his website. He is being credited as the first mainstream hip-hop artist to come out.
The 24-year-old Ocean, a member of the collective Odd Future, said in the post that his "first love" was another man.
"By the time I realized I was in love, it was malignant. It was hopeless. There was no escaping, no negotiating to the women I had been with, the ones I cared for and thought I was in love with."
Ocean added that his feelings were not reciprocated.
In an interview with UK's the Guardian, Ocean said coming out was "about my own sanity and my ability to feel like I'm living a life where … I'm happy when I wake up in the morning, and not with this freakin' boulder on my chest."
"I wished at 13 there was somebody I looked up to who would have said something like that, who would have been transparent in that way."
To his critics, Ocean added: "People are just afraid of things too much. … Sure, evil exists, extremism exists. Somebody could commit a hate crime and hurt me. But they could do the same just because I'm black. They could do the same just because I'm American."
Article provided in partnership with On Top Magazine
