Beginning in 2013 and ending in 2016, recording for the album took place at New York's Electric Lady Studios and, after a period of writer's block, in London at Abbey Road Studios and in Los Angeles' Henson Recording Studios. Initially known as Boys Don't Cry and teased for a July 2015 release, the album suffered several delays and was the subject of widespread media anticipation leading up to its release. In 2013, Ocean confirmed that his follow up to Channel Orange would be another concept album.
Production was handled by Ocean himself, alongside a variety of high-profile record producers, including Malay and Om'Mas Keith, who collaborated with Ocean on Channel Orange, as well as James Blake, Jon Brion, Buddy Ross, Pharrell Williams, and Rostam Batmanglij, among others. The album features guest vocals from André 3000, Beyoncé, and Kim Burrell, among others. It was released on August 20, 2016, as a timed exclusive on the iTunes Store and Apple Music, and followed the August 19 release of Ocean's video album Endless. When it comes to his live show - an unapologetically ambitious expression of his future-facing ambitions - Tyler, The Creator is in a league of his own.Blonde (alternatively titled blond) is the second studio album by American singer Frank Ocean. And he's arguably influencing the sound and direction of rap with as much impact as his predecessors. Like his idols Kanye and Pharrell before him, Tyler, The Creator takes stock in the power of wild creativity to shape culture. It was going to be hard to top Tyler's last visit Down Under - around a string of summer festivals in 2019 - but tonight was the new benchmark. "You know what that signifies? It was a great f**king show." Hard agree! "I stink, my legs hurt, I'm outta breath," he told the 30,000-strong hillside. They bellow back every hook and chorus, relish every call and response, ensuring the atmosphere is magnetic throughout. You don't have to be a devotee of his catalogue to enjoy the performance, but it's clear that most of the young crowd here are intimately across his three back-to-back ARIA Top 10 albums. The explosive, cathartic 'NEW MAGIC WAND' is a standout too with pyro bursting front of stage, seeming to set the digital backdrop of a forest ablaze. He leaves the pastel suit and blonde wig of that alter-ego at home, but 'EARFQUAKE' provides one of the day's biggest boogie-alongs that morphs into a heartfelt a capella sing-along. Later, he steamrolls through a sampling of "old shit", including sinister breakout hit 'Yonkers', before two big moments from one of 2019's most celebrated albums: the lovesick, cinematic synth-jams of IGOR. He then rolls into the Rex Orange County-assisted 'Boredom' and '911'. "I dropped this gay ass album that turned 5 two days ago," he says of 2017's lush, boundary-expanding Flower Boy, which receives roars of recognition from the Splendour crowd. He's retained the OG fans of his antagonistic early solo records (like Bastard and Goblin) but his popularity has swelled in recent years and albums. But Tyler's star has only gotten bigger as he's evolved artistically. That reputation meant he was once considered banned from entering the country (kinda nuts in retrospect). That's been self-evident ever since his controversy-courting days fronting Odd Future, the blogosphere-era rap collective whose first Australian tour back in 2011 was a wild affair. Tyler Okonma (as he's know to #1 fan, his mum) is light years more entertaining than your average trap rhymer.
Tyler chats with (and charms) the crowd ( Russell Privett / triple j) Baudelaire of last year's complex Call Me If You Get Lost. To a burst of fireworks and confetti, Tyler appeared atop the rolling green, dressed as a hiker in homage to his latest persona: the globe-trotting Mr. Modelled on the Swiss Alps, his elaborate stage had the most grass seen at the festival all weekend. The biggest thing that separates Tyler from those contemporaries his is strong visual language, flaunting some impeccably curated stage production that would make any film director proud. Living up to a lineage of impressive Splendour rap headliners - dating back to Kanye West and Outkast through to more recent showings from Kendrick Lamar and Childish Gambino - the 75min spectacle showcased the Grammy-winning artist's depth as a performer, songwriter, and consummate showman. Headlining the Amphitheatre on Sunday, Tyler The Creator's performance is all about the creativity and charismatic presence of the man himself. The rap auteur brings Splendour In The Grass 2022 to a close with a high energy, high concept one-man show.