You may have already seen Apple Music's recent list of their top 100 best albums of all time, and there are plenty of hot takes and snubs to talk about. However, what might be the most surprising and generous placement on the list comes in the form of Frank Ocean's beloved 2016 album Blonde, which landed at number five. While some fans might think it's unwarranted or too soon to call when compared to albums like D'Angelo's Voodoo, it's definitely an earned and understandable accolade for one of the 21st century's most definitive projects. In fact, it even got the mom seal of approval, as his mother took to Instagram to celebrate this distinction.
"This child sure knows how to make his momma proud!" Frank Ocean's mother Katonya Breaux captioned her IG post about the placement. "I first said wow son, you are among the greats but quickly retracted and said 'no, you are a GREAT!' Here’s to my Frankie!![champagne glasses & red heart emojis] #blonde." Blonde was originally an Apple Music exclusive, curiously enough, and this list is pretty much his biggest public appearance since his muscular selfie from a couple of months ago.
Frank Ocean's Mom's Post Celebrating Blonde's Fifth-Best Album Of All Time Title From Apple Music
Even then, it's not a deliberate media pop-out, as Frank Ocean himself hasn't said anything about it nor done press for the Apple Music list. His Odd Future partner Tyler, The Creator recently spoke on his elusive nature during his Coachella set. "Y'all know this song?" he asked the crowd as the instrumental for their 2011 Goblin collab "She" played int the background. "Oh, sing the song, 'cause this n***a not coming out. We don't... We don't know where that n***a is, so... It's on y'all. You know it?"
Meanwhile, very rare social media posts are pretty much the only thing that people have heard from Frank Ocean in a very long time. We don't know whether there's a new album coming out, or if we already witnessed the close-out of one of contemporary music's most scant yet enduring careers. Either way, we hope he and his mom are doing well, wherever they are. Let's see whether this Apple Music list leads to something greater in 2024.