Good Listener: "Chanel" - Frank Ocean

I am a woman obsessed. From the moment I first heard Novacane and the rest of Nostalgia, Ultra, just the utterance of the name Frank Ocean was enough to send me into hysterics and have me speaking in tounges. Yeah, it's that serious.

I am also a woman of words; something that Ocean has plenty of. Hands down one of the most talented lyricists to grace the music industry (at least in my opinion), his words paint vivid pictures for listeners: of life, of love, of sex. These words resonate with us and make us feel, and I mean really feel, things. You know a song is a Frank Ocean song not just by the voice, but by the pang in your heart as each rhyme strikes a chord within you. Each of his songs is a gem in their own right, but the brightest of these gems is "Chanel."

Now, because I live under a rock and don't have Apple Music, I wasn't one of the lucky few who heard this song when it first premiered on the Beats 1 Radio show during "blonded Radio" back in March. But the next day, as I was innocently scrolling through Facebook, I came across a link to the song through the Fader. My life hasn't been the same since. In fact, it's been ten times better.

As tempted as I am to do a line by line analysis of the song (I could talk about this song and its lyrics all damn day), for sake of brevity I won't and will just highlight some of the most poignant lyrics. Let's begin:

"My guy pretty like a girl, and he got fight stories to tell

I see both sides like Chanel, "c" on both sides like Chanel"

"Chanel" has been dubbed a bisexual anthem by some for the second line, and whether or not it was intended that way is still to be confirmed, but it's easy to see why. In addition to being a woman obsessed with Frank Ocean and music, I'm also obsessed with fashion. When the two worlds collide, it makes for a very happy Jasmyne. In short, the Chanel reference was greatly appreciated.

The song also goes on to comment on police perception of African American men:

"Police think I'm of the underworld

"12" treat a n***a like he 12

How you looking up to me and talking down?

Can't you see I am the big man?

God level, I am the "I am"

 His fame doesn't exempt him from being a suspect, "12" being slang for police. Not that he's asking to be exempt, but when he's put on such an intimidatingly high pedestal by not just fans but big names in the industry as well, who wouldn't get a big head about themselves and assume a God-like mentality?

"2016 burnt some discs, 2017 ideas playing off a Walkman"

Ocean released his highly anticipated sophomore album Blonde in August 2016, and even though there are no confirmed follow-up album rumors (especially with him releasing new songs and collaborations left and right), Chanel could very well be part of a greater collection of songs in the works.

My friends and anyone who has access to my Spotify account will tell you that this song is all that I have listened to since it came out, and they're not wrong. I mean it when I say that I love this song. I want an instrumental of it played at my funeral. I want the lyrics tattooed all over my body. I want to scream the lyrics at the top of my lungs.

But that's what happens when you find a good song. You want everyone to know about it and sing with you.

Disappointing Books and Summer Goals

Classes are over, summer is here, and I have an abundance of time on my hands. So guess what that means? More blog posts!!!

I'll be completely honest, not much has been going on in the Wonderful World of Jasmyne but as the summer goes on that will change. This previous school year has to have been my most challenging one yet, so I'm hoping that my senior year will be a bit easier (despite the fact that I'm taking a whopping 19 hours in the fall, yay). As of right now, my main thing is finding a summer job (which is damn near impossible, I might add) and dipping my toes into the world of freelance journalism. So far so good: I have an interview scheduled for next Monday and I've joined a really great group on Facebook for female freelance writers like myself where we share tips, tricks, and opportunities.

I've been home since I moved out of my dorm last Thursday, which was a little emotional for me. I'll be living off-campus in the fall in a house walking distance from my university and as excited as I am, I couldn't fight off the feelings of nostalgia as I packed (or rather heaved) everything into my small Mazda. I would highly recommend living on campus for anyone getting ready to attend college because it gives you the opportunity to get more plugged into everything your campus has to offer easier. 

I've been in a mental tug of war with myself over a book that I've been trying to read called "How To Build A Girl." I'm not sure if it's just me not understanding the humor or the fact that the book relies solely on humor to tell the story, but I just can't seem to stomach it. It's bad joke, after bad joke, after bad joke; which is really disappointing because the book has generally positive reviews. 

I was about halfway through with the book when I shamelessly gave up, so now I have about three more weeks to read two full novels. It's part of my summer challenge for myself to read at least two novels a month, since I don't have the time to read as much as I would like during the school year. It's one of just a few goals that I've set for myself for this summer along with beginning guitar, blogging regularly, spending more time with my sister, working on photography, etc.

To say that this break is much needed would be an understatement. I'm definitely looking forward to all the adventures, but first, I think a long nap is needed.