On Saturday Night Live’s season premiere, Frank Ocean performed a couple of tracks one of which was “Pyramids“. Fresh off his SNL debut, the R&B singer just debuted his brand new music video for said track. Directed by frequent collaborator Nabil, the clip is stunningly beautiful. It reminds me a bit of Drake’s equally visually captivating “Take Care” clip featuring Rihanna.

The almost 8-minute long visual takes Ocean on a motorcycle ride through the desert and eventually ending up a stripper joint. Since the song portrays the 24-year-old openly-gay singer as a pimp who falls in love for a stripper named Cleopatra, the setting is very appropriate. The women, whom some are topless, look mesmerizing and frightening at the same time. It’s amazing what mood lighting and slo-motion will do.

The clip is filled with cool effects and beautiful vignettes emulating a drug-induced headtrip. I’m sure there is some deep meaning behind all the imagery, but I certainly can’t dissect it. Especially why John Mayer all of sudden shows up giving a guitar solo in front of a neon pyramid in the desert. Watch the clip below and see if you can decipher it all.

watch the music video after the jump

As if I couldn’t love Frank Ocean any more, then he goes and does this. If he keeps this up, I might have to seriously contemplate making a shrine for this man. This past weekend, R&B crooner performed at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago. Along with performing songs from his debut album, “channel Orange“, Ocean treated concert goers with a wicked cover. Not just any cover, but no joke… one of my favorite songs of all-time.

The 24-year-old singer tackled Sade’s 2000 hit, “By Your Side“. Words can not even explain how much I love this song. Yes, it’s a beautifully written and well-composed track, but it also has very special meaning to me. I’m not going to divulge why. A boy has to have his secrets ;)

Reportedly, Frank has been performing his Sade cover on his tour. Based on the crowd reaction at Lollapalooza, it looks like he’ll continue performing it. Fingers crossed, he releases an official recording. That’s how much I love it. Check it out below.

listen to the cover after the jump

It’s that time of year again. The nominees for the MTV’s 2012 Video Music Awards have just been released, with all of your favorite artists battling it out for a “moon man” to add to their trophy cases.

There aren’t too many surprises, but I’d definitely say there are some tough categories. “Best New Artist” is always a tough one, and this year we have Carly Rae Jepsen, One Direction, The Wanted, Frank Ocean and Fun. feat. Janelle Monae, all competiting for this “welcome to the club” award. It’s hard to say who will win it because there are so many factors as well as pros and cons for each.

Drake and Rihanna lead the nominations with five each and both are up for video of the year. Coincidently, Drake’s video also features Rihanna as well (“Take Care”). LOL – she wins either way! The awards take place on September 6, 2012 and will feature performances by One Direction and Alicia Keys. Check out the nominees list below.

Check out the full list of nominees after the jump…

Ever since Beyonce named Frank Ocean’s “Novacane” as one of her ten favorite tracks of 2011, I’ve been a fan of his. Then, when he came out of the closet, I admired him even more. While declaring your homosexuality in Hollywood is the norm these days, doing it in the R&B/Hip-Hop world is unheard of. So major props for his courage.

With the media attention mostly focusing on Ocean’s sexuality, it’s great to see people haven’t forgotten about his music. The 24-year-old singer notched an impressive first week sales with his debut album, “channel ORANGE“. His CD was released a week early on iTunes to take advantage of the press, and it looks like the gamble paid off. “channel Orange” bowed with 131,000 copies moved. The number falls in line with recent urban debuts by established artists. Usher’s “Looking 4 Myself” and Chris Brown’s “Fortune” entered the Billboard 200 with 128,000 and 135,000 units sold respectively.

As solid as Frank Ocean’s numbers are, he was only able to land at No. 2 on Billboard. Georgia’s Zac Brown Band topped the Billboard 200 with 234,000 in sales with their third studio album, “Uncaged“. That number represents the biggest bow for the group. I’m sure their special $3.99 price tag on Amazon helped buoy the sales.

find out Adele’s latest accomplishment after the jump

Frank Ocean is making a lot of waves in the music industry right now! (Pun partially intended.) Not only has his music caught on with fans and peers alike, he recently wrote a touching letter depicting his first love with a man. Perfectly timed with all of this publicity, famed photographer Terry Richardson has released his iconic black & white photo set featuring the R&B singer. Unlike many other popstars before him, Frank didn’t strip down or pose inappropriately. Instead, Terry captures the pure essence of what Frank Ocean is all about.

In other Frank Ocean news, rapper 50 Cent has joined a slew of others celebrities who have come to the support of Ocean’s recent coming out. Shocking, I know considering the multitude of homophobic tweets and rants that 50 has gone on over the last few years. Instead of judging Ocean for his recent admittance, 50 gushed nothing but support to MTV in a recent interview. Check out a highlight below:

“Anyone that has an issue with Frank Ocean is an idiot. I think Frank Ocean is a talented artist, I think he’s created material that made me know his name, that impressed me, with things he said on a song like ‘Novacane.’ I could care less about what his personal preference is in the bedroom. I’m sure the gay community will go out and support Frank Ocean. They have to. The more successful that project is now, it’s going to leave people in the position where they can actually say, ‘Look, I’m gay.’”

Check out two more photos and 50′s interview with MTV after the jump.

In case you don’t know who Frank Ocean is, he was highlighted by MTV as one of the artists to watch for in 2012 and he was also included in Beyonce’s list of her favorite songs of 2011. The talented R&B singer has just come out of the closet after speculation that he was gay. He wrote a very personal and powerful post on his tumblr page which I have included below.

In the posting, he talks about how he fell in love with a four summers ago and how it change him forever. It was a difficult time (as you might expect) when he came to grips with his sexuality and understanding who he was. It’s a very beautifully written post and I encourage you to read it.

This comes the same week that Anderson Cooper officially came out of the closet. Times are definitely changing and it’s great to see more and more people comfortable and confident in their own skin. Thank you and congratulations, Frank! Read his posting below.

Read his posting after the jump…

It seems like everyone and their dog has a year end list these days. Why should celebrities be immune to succumbing to this trend and not share their favorites via a Top 10 list? Since Beyonce is major preggers right now and probably bored out of her mind, she decided to occupy herself by compiling her favorite 10 songs of 2011. According to a post on her official website, the “Irreplaceable” singer just couldn’t get enough of these tracks.

I have to admit the list sorta surprised me. The list is far more hip-hop than I would’ve expected. Sure, it includes her hubby Jay-Z but a few other rappers as well. Apparently, Bey has a major hard-on for Lil Wayne- he made the list three times. Someone sure likes to get their swagger on. That said, the list also included a few R&B tracks and a couple of surprises. Even Beyonce couldn’t leave Adele off her list. Because if she did, that would be some serious haterade. See what dominated the former Destiny’s Child singer’s iPod this past year. Speaking of DC, one of her bandmates also made the list. Find out who below.

check out Beyonce’s Top 10 after the jump

Yesterday, MTV released their list of eleven artists to keep your eye out for in 2012. The group spans a large spectrum of genres from pop, hip-hop, rock, folk and EDM (electronic dance music). In 2012, the eleven selected artists will be featured across MTV’s multi-channel platform as part of a year-long campaign.

“This yearlong initiative underscores our commitment to connecting emerging artists with MTV’s audience of passionate music fans,” said Amy Doyle, executive vice president of music and talent programming strategy. “We know today’s music fans are presented with limitless choices and they’re looking for guides to help them find new music. We’re excited to shine the MTV spotlight on these artists and to introduce them to fans that might not have discovered them yet.”

The campaign will immediately begin on January 1 with the artists’ music videos being featured on PUSH (Play Until Someone Hears) and each artist will have a PUSH Week dedicated to them exclusively. MTV has been an active supporter of each selected artist. Whether it’s been adding their videos to heavy rotation or having them perform at awards shows and the like. Check out MTV’s 11 Artists To Watch below.

Check out MTV’s artists to watch in 2012 after the jump.