Frank Ocean, Chanel | Beaming with Pride 🏳️‍🌈

In the 71st edition of Beaming with Pride 🏳️‍🌈 (2024), we highlight the song, “Chanel” performed by Grammy-winning R&B singer/songwriter, Frank Ocean. 

Prepare to beam with P-R-I-D-E 🏳️‍🌈! Beaming with Pride 🏳️‍🌈 celebrates, embraces, and spotlights songs by LGBTQ musicians or allies.  Here, we provide background and insight into musician(s) and analyze + go gaga over the decadent bops served up.  When the music dictates deeper, more transcendent discussion, we ensure the point is fully articulated.  All styles of music are welcome while the songs can be classics or brand-spanking new. So, without further ado, in the 71^st edition of Beaming with Pride 🏳️‍🌈 (2024), we highlight “Chanel” performed by Frank Ocean.

“My guy pretty like a girl / And he got fight stories to tell / I see both sides like Chanel / See on both sides like Chanel.”  Grammy-winning R&B singer/songwriter Frank Ocean is transparent about sexuality, specifically bisexuality, in his 2017 single, “Chanel”. The excerpted line mentions the beauty of his then-boyfriend.  It isn’t far-fetched in the gay community for a guy to be beautiful, even if heteronormatively, we’d refer to him as handsome.  But let’s be honest and stereotypical: gay men are hot 🥵😮‍💨.  Also, in some cases such as this one, gay men may have more feminine features.  While Ocean doesn’t focus on his bisexuality here – he’s not mentioning dating a woman after all – he appreciates his boyfriend’s femininity.

“Now film it with that drone cam, in the pink like Killa Cam

Put a zoom on that stick, Noé, up so close, I’m on that kill

Remote controller on your lower back…”

Holy sugar honey iced tea! So, why would Frank Ocean mention Gaspar Noé? The Argentine-born French filmmaker is controversial, particularly in his sex scenes, which Ocean alludes to in “Chanel.” Frank continues depicting the sex he’s having with his boyfriend, embracing the role of the ‘aggressor’:

“Dick could roll the eyes back in the skull

Rolling when you ride, poppin’

Rolling when you ride

Ride the Rodman

Got one that’s straight-acting

Turnt out like some dirty plastic.”

The pleasure is sizzling 🔥 🥵.  The ‘rod’ is satisfying.  While he doesn’t get specific about the dimensions, it’s easy to read between the lines or use the imagination 😈.  The wordplay with ‘rod’ and ‘man’ is genius.  Dennis Rodman did say he was bisexual in 1996. The other fascinating thing about those lyrics is the roles.  No, not sex roles like top versus bottom, but masculinity. In the gay community, some men identify as more feminine or masculine.  Regarding more masculine gay men, some may be tougher to identify stereotypically as gay because they are, indeed, ‘straight acting.’ In this case, the guy is masculine-presenting to most but far different when he’s with Frank, who serves up a mean 🍆 🤭.  There is a unique gender reference in the second verse: I need that bitch to grind on my belt / I know you need to try for my belt.”  In this case, it doesn’t seem that Ocean wants us to read into it too much. His focus is the success he’s achieved, and these other bitches, who could very well be men, can only hope to achieve his success.  Reexamining “Chanel” more than seven years after reviewing it, it’s amazing how much Frank Ocean incorporated into it.  His references to sexuality are what makes the song the most intriguing.

Frank Ocean // “Chanel” // Blonded // 2017

Frank Ocean, Chanel: Beaming with Pride 🏳️‍🌈 No. 71 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner/ The Musical Hype; Blonded;  Elias Souza, Los Muertos Crew from Pexels; CatsWithGlasses, David, Maicon Fonseca Zanco, Square Frog, Sudo from Pixabay]