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Friday, September 23, 2011

Frank Ocean Is the 'Dos Equis Man,' Opens Up About Jay-Z

Without hip hop's stereotypical sunglasses, fast car or jewelry in tow, a humble Frank Ocean sat down with Hot 97 host Angie Martinez to discuss his recent collabo on 'Watch the Throne' and life with Odd Future.

Even after the release of his debut mixtape 'Nostalgia, Ultra,' the man of mystery remained incognito, shying away from media -- unlike Odd Future's frontman Tyler, the Creator.

"I think that's just my personality. I'm not even going for it, that's just kinda how it is... I'm like the Dos Equis man," Ocean said.

The 'Novacane' singer's warm candor may be attributed to an unexpected career path that landed him in Los Angeles. Ocean was studying at the University of New Orleans when he was evacuated during Hurricane Katrina, a life change that prompted the start of a career in the music business.

He rarely collaborates with artists outside of Odd Future's collective but when the opportunity arose to work with Jay-Z and Kanye West, his choice was obvious.

"I worked with Jay on his solo album before I did the 'Watch the Throne' sessions. The second time I went [to work with him] it was Barry Weiss, Jay, Beyonce, Kanye, couple other people, it was a pretty heavy room," he explained.

"The first seven minutes or so of working with Jay was - I won't even say it was seven minutes... he wasn't saying anything, and I was nervous, " he added. " As soon as we started talking [it was fine]. He's super cool. I think he was just tryna make me nervous, make me sweat. It seemed a little intentional."

The hype is there for Ocean to release more than a mixtape but he disclosed that he has no date set for a full LP. "I just want to make sure the next thing is right and I don't want to go on the record and say that it's coming out on some phantom date that never appears."

In true Dos Equis style, it sounds like fans will have to wait -- "Stay thirsty, my friends."

To listen to the entire interview, check out Part One, Part Two and Part Three.

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