Venting about his decision to drop the record his own way, he took to Twitter on March 1, 2011:
"i. did. this. not ISLAND DEF JAM. that's why you see no label logo on the artwork that I DID. guess its my fault for trusting my dumbass lawyer and signing my career over to a failing company. fuck Def Jam & any company that goes the length of signing a kid with dreams & talent w/ no intention of following through. fuck em. now back to my day. i want some oatmeal and toast. brunch swag."
As a member of the Odd Future (OFWGKTA) collective, his sound is distinctively soulful/r&b influenced, yet done in a way that could pass for something totally different. As Tyler, the Creator states, “It’s Smooth Ass Music About Bitches, Relationships And Being A Rich Young Nigga…But In A Swagged Out Way.”
Ocean was evacuated from the University of New Orleans to Los Angeles, California just as Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2005, and stayed in Los Angeles to pursue a music career. Ocean joined Los Angeles based collective OFWGKTA, who he met through mutual friends, at the end of 2009. In the end of 2009, he met Tricky Stewart, who helped Ocean sign a contract with Def Jam Recordings as an artist, however, he was initially unable to build a relationship with the company. In 2010, he changed his name from Christopher "Lonny" Breaux to Christopher Francis Ocean via a legal website. In an April 2011 interview, Ocean intimated that his relationship with Def Jam has strengthened since the release of his mixtape. On April 28, 2011, Ocean was arrested on unspecified charges by the LAPD, and was released on the morning after on April 29, 2011. Ocean joined his OFWGKTA bandmates for the first time on tour from May 12 to May 19, 2011. On May 31, 2011, Def Jam released the single Novacane on iTunes soon followed by Swim Good Taken from his mixtape Nostalgia, ULTRA. His first 'proper' album, Channel Orange was released on July 17, 2012.
In 2016, He released the visual album Endless alongside his second studio album Blonde, following several years of delays. Blonde debuted at number one in the United States and United Kingdom.
In 2017, Ocean released several singles, including Chanel and Lens, through his Blonded Radio show, and made several appearances on other songs by artists like Calvin Harris, A$AP Mob, and Tyler, the Creator.
The City
Frank Ocean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I built this city
I got plenty concrete, plenty steel
Please give me my trees, give em back
Give me tours, give me traffic
Give me noise, just give it back
Could you bring back all my police, give me order
I think I'm beggin', cause now that everythings gone
I'm needin' mine, I'm needin' mine
With the streets all dark
It looks like my buildings are gone
I made you the mayor of my town honey
And I'm why you are the city representative
I gave you the key to my city
Gave you power over, power over me
Give it to me
Give it back to me
The city belongs to me
The city is ours no more
Tell the government please give me fun
Being can't you see that I'm doing bad
Give me flood gates, give me levees
Too much water, can you push it back?
How you just gonna leave me out of order?
I ain't got no lights or no fuel to start up
I know I'm beggin cause now that everythings dried up
I'm needin' mine, I'm needin' mine
And with the streets all dark
The buildings look lost
I made you the mayor of my town honey
I'm why you are the city representative
I gave you the key to my city
Oh power over, power over me
Now give it to me
Give it back to me
The city belongs to me
The city is ours no more
We used to be sky high
We used to be major
We used to be sky high
We used to be major baby, major
Give it to me, give it back to me
The city is mine baby
This whole city is mine
This city is mine honey
Give it to me, give it back to me
This city is mine oh baby
This city is mine, this city is mine
Now give it to me, give it back to me
This city belongs to me
This city is ours no more
In Frank Ocean's song "The City," he sings about feeling a sense of ownership over a city that he built. He repeatedly asks for his power to be returned to him, indicating that he believes it was taken away. Ocean references the physical aspects of the city, such as concrete and steel, but also mentions the importance of trees, police, and order in his creation. He even asks for natural barriers to be put in place to control too much water, suggesting that he has a deep understanding of urban planning and development.
As the song continues, Ocean paints a picture of a city in a state of disrepair. The streets are dark, and the buildings look lost, which implies that something catastrophic has occurred. He then reveals that he made someone the mayor of his town and believes that this person has taken his power and control over the city. The use of the phrase "power over me" suggests a toxic relationship, further emphasizing Ocean's feeling of being taken advantage of.
In the chorus, Ocean declares that the city belongs to him and has a desperate need to have his power restored. He suggests that he and his fellow citizens used to be "sky-high" and "major," indicating that they once had a prosperous and vibrant city. Yet, that prosperity has faded, and the city is no longer theirs.
Overall, "The City" speaks to the duality of urban development: how the creation of cities can be both inventive and destructive. The song suggests that those in power can take advantage of their citizens and damage the very thing that they are meant to protect.
Line by Line Meaning
Give me my power (x4)
The singer of the song demands that their power over the city is returned to them.
I built this city
The singer is the founder and creator of the city in question.
I got plenty concrete, plenty steel
The singer has created a modern city with many buildings and structures.
Please give me my trees, give em back
The artist wants the natural elements that made the city beautiful to be returned to them.
Give me tours, give me traffic
The artist wants visitors and economic activity to return to the city.
Give me noise, just give it back
The singer desires the vibrancy and sounds of urban life to return to the city.
Could you bring back all my police, give me order
The singer wants law enforcement and control to be restored in the city.
Turn back on my lights give me fuel and water
The artist needs basic resources such as electricity, fuel, and water to be restored to the city.
I think I'm beggin', cause now that everythings gone / I'm needin' mine, I'm needin' mine
The artist is aware that they sound desperate but insists that the power and control they hold over the city is rightfully theirs.
With the streets all dark / It looks like my buildings are gone
Without electricity or power, the buildings in the city appear as if they are no longer there.
I made you the mayor of my town honey / And I'm why you are the city representative / I gave you the key to my city / Gave you power over, power over me
The singer gave power to the current mayor of the city and now regrets that decision because they feel that they have lost control over their creation.
The city belongs to me / The city is ours no more
The artist asserts their ownership over the city and declares that they no longer share it with anyone else.
Tell the government please give me fun / Being can't you see that I'm doing bad / Give me flood gates, give me levees / Too much water, can you push it back?
The singer implores the government to help them restore the fun and attractiveness of the city that has been lost due to natural disasters like flooding.
How you just gonna leave me out of order? / I ain't got no lights or no fuel to start up / I know I'm beggin cause now that everythings dried up / I'm needin' mine, I'm needin' mine
The singer feels abandoned and powerless as their city is in disrepair and lacks the resources necessary to function properly. They continue to insist that they deserve to regain control over the city.
The buildings look lost
Without proper lighting, the singer perceives the buildings in the city as if they are lost or missing.
We used to be sky high / We used to be major / We used to be sky high / We used to be major baby, major / Give it to me, give it back to me
The artist reminisces on a time when the city was thriving and prosperous, and wants to reclaim that status.
The city is mine baby / This whole city is mine / This city is mine honey
The artist reasserts their ownership and control over the city.
Give it to me, give it back to me
The singer repeats their desire to reclaim power and control over the city.
This city is mine oh baby / This city is mine, this city is mine / Now give it to me, give it back to me / This city belongs to me / This city is ours no more
The singer continues to assert their ownership and control over the city and stresses that it no longer belongs to anyone else.
Contributed by Gabriel R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@valtontony826
When he said
"Round your city, round the clock
Everybody needs you
No, you can't make everybody equal
Although you got beaucoup family
You don't even got nobody being honest with you
Breathe 'til I evaporated
My whole body see through
Transportation, handmade (G)
And I know it better than most people
I don't trust 'em anyways
You can't break the law with them
Get some gushy, have a calm night
Shooters killing left and right
Working through your worst night
If I get my money right
You know I won't need you
And I tell you, (bitch)
I hope the sack is full up
I'm fuckin', no I'm fucked up
Spend it when I get that
I ain't tryna keep you
Can't keep up a conversation
Can't nobody reach you
Why your eyes well up?
Did you call me from a séance?
You are from my past life
Hope you're doing well bruh
I been out here head first
Always like the head first
Signal coming in and out
Hope you're doing well bruh
Everybody needs you, everybody needs you
Oooh nani nani
This feel like a quaalude
No sleep in my body
Ain't no bitch in my body
New beginnings, ahh
New beginnings, wake up akh
The sun's going down
Time to start your day bruh
Can't keep being laid off
Know you need the money if you gon' survive
The every night shit, every day shit
Dropping baby off at home before my night shift
You know I can't hear none of that spend the night shit
That kumbaya shit
Wanna see nirvana, but don't want to die yet
Wanna feel that na na though, could you come by?
Fuck with me after my shift
Know them boys wanna see me broke down and shit
Bummed out and shit, stressed out and shit
That's every day shit
Shut the fuck up I don’t want your conversation
Rolling marijuana that's a cheap vacation
My every day shit, every night shit, my every day shit
(Every night shit, night shit, night shit, night shit)
All my night, been ready for you all my night
Been waiting on you all my night
I'll buzz you in just let me know when you outside
All my night, you been missing all my night
Still got some good nights memorized
And the look back's getting me right
wet wet
Every night fucks every day up
Every day patches the night up
On God you should match it, it's that KO
No white lighters 'til I fuck my 28th up
1998 my family had that Acura
Oh, the Legend
Kept at least six discs in the changer
Back when Boswell and Percy had it active
Couple bishops in the city building mansions
All the reverends
Preaching self made millionaire status
When we could only eat at Shoney's on occasion
After 'trina hit I had to transfer campus
Your apartment out in Houston's where I waited
Stayin' with you when I didn't have a address
Fuckin' on you when I didn't own a mattress
Working on a way to make it outta Texas, every
Droppin' baby off at home before my night shift, yeah
You know I can't hear none of that spend the night shit
That kumbaya shit
Want to see nirvana, but don't want to die yet
Wanna feel that na na though, could you come by
Fuck with me after my shift
Know them boys wanna see me broke down
See me bummed out, stressed out
That's just everyday shit
Shut the fuck up, I don't want your conversation
Rolling marijuana, that's a cheap vacation
My every day shit, my every day shit
My every day shit, my every day shit
My every day shit, my every day shit
My every day shit, my every night shit"
I felt that
@taterthot03
i wish i could hear this song for the first time again
@keefwilliams7593
My first time listening to solo Frank ..been listening to the OF Frank but this is majestic
@eteafn
JaTaela Jones everyone does
@bigmommy_5728
i hated frank the first time i heard him but then kept hearing pink + white on GTA and now i cant stop listening.
@mitocondrias.9656
JaTaela Jones my first time today
@Glowsz714
this my first time and already relate to your comment
@Winterboii
I be driving home on gta and this banger come on then and I take the long way home
@VarTheVenerator
i always have blonded on 24/7, when nights comes on i always cruise around downtown LS jamming to the amazingness
@MyChristi123
Winterboii 1524 this happened to me yesterday during a police chase after running over a bunch of ppl in a stolen van <3
@verycutetaco
Until you get obliterated by a broomstick