Frank Ocean's Blonde, which recently re-entered the Billboard 200 chart perhaps due solely to my annual summer cry marathons, is still at the center of an increasingly contentious lawsuit.
According to a supposedly "exclusive" report from the Blast, Ocean says music producer Om'Mas Keith is full of shit when it comes to claims he co-wrote a bulk of songs on his widely regarded as classic 2016 album. Court documents now show that Ocean has demanded the suit Om'Mas filed against him be tossed out. Additionally, the report notes, Ocean disputes claims of previously having entered into any kind of deal to give Om'Mas co-writing credits.
Ocean, who reportedly originally paid the producer a one-time flat rate for his Blonde work, allegedly sent an agreement of that nature to Om'Mas. According to the Blast, he declined signing and is still seeking profits, citing "enormous and irreparable harm." Previously, Ocean sued Om'Mas after the claimed co-writing credits for 11 Blonde tracks, including "Pink + White."
Late last month, we learned that Blonde—Ocean's third studio album—had been certified platinum by the RIAA.
In the years since that album's refreshingly theatrical release, Ocean has consistently dropped a series of one-offs and song-stealing features. Most recently, he popped in on Travis Scott's ASTROWORLD for the still-on-repeat "Carousel," produced by Hit-Boy.
This fall, UC Berkeley students will have the chance to take a student-taught course on Ocean's artistry. The course, titled Brain Like Berkeley, will explore everything from Ocean's upbringing to his personal musical influences.
