Exploring the Beauty and Misunderstandings of Frank Ocean's Coachella Set vs. A Groundbreaking New Play Unraveling Black Masculinity in i-D

By Courtney Coleman

April 30, 2023

If we are talking about culture and “cultural reset” in music or fashion or society, we can't exclude Black influence. Oftentimes, black people are seen as the trend setters and the people to look to when things are cool. Everything from slang, clothing, food, cars, technology/gadgets, etc. We are seen as the performers and entertainers of the world. And when reading the Frank Ocean Coachella controversy and seeing it happen on social media in real time led me to think the tone was more so arrivation and aggression. 

The anticipation and build up was more than expected. If they (Coachella) was real with the audience and told them what was really happening behind the scenes, it wouldn’t have been such a bad backlash for them. It wouldn't have cost them thousands in late fees for the performer. I understand that it was supposed to be a surprise, like they do every year, but this year they could’ve passed on the whole surprise element. Be straight up and tell us, “okay, we have Frank Ocean and we want to do something special for the crowd with big theatics for the performance.” 

Frank is so “out of the box” and so “camp” form all the other mainstream artists that have performed, I feel like Coachella should’ve been more prepared for such a thing. So I understand the outrage. And I might say it's well deserved, these people spend their hard earned money to watch someone who they idolize perform and the performer gives them crap. And Frank is getting a lot of hate right now. Many people throw back in his face the fact that he is sexually liberated and a part of the LGBTQ+ community.

And this leads me to the discussion of Black masculinity, it can be many that continplate suicide. This is a triggering topic because it's discussing anti-Blackness and pressure to be something you're not. “For Black Boys”, the play that was shown in Birian expressed the stresses Black men have to deal with and it's relatable for all Black men from all walks of life. 

‘All of the men play somewhat archetypal characters who gradually reveal their true selves and anxieties, as it becomes clearer that they can be vulnerable around each other.’ 

Emmanuel Hand said, “For me, it was the first time that I've seen different shapes and sizes of Black men being free and unapologetic.”

WORK CITED

Campbell, Kambole. “The Landmark New Play Unpacking Black Masculinity.” i-D, 21 Apr. 2023, https://i-d.vice.com/en/article/88xnkb/for-black-boys-play 

Staff, i-D. “Frank Ocean's Coachella Set Was Beautiful and Misunderstood.” i-D, 19 Apr. 2023, https://i-d.vice.com/en/article/y3wdqj/frank-ocean-coachella-set