Hip-hop groundbreaker
Is Beyoncé's poem about Frank Ocean really as sweet and cute as it seems? TheFierce questions
The hip hop community has been notably supportive of singer Frank Ocean following his coming out on Tumblr, with music royalty like Jay-Z, Kanye West and Russell Simmons all stepping forward to offer their words of support.
Now the Queen, Houston's own Beyoncé Knowles, has issued a goodwill statement on her website for the collaborator on her song "I Miss You," with a giant photo of Ocean and a "poem" she has written on his behalf. (We say "poem" in quotes because it reminds us of an assignment we once had in fourth grade . . .)
But reading it over, we couldn't help but notice how much her message is about Ms "Be" herself. Every line starts with "Be," and these are all the qualities she exemplifies as Sasha Fierce, her "fearless, honest, brave" performance persona.
Is it just an unfortunate side effect of her incomparable celebrity that we can't help but read into it, or did Beyoncé subconsciously make this show of support about herself?
Either way, big snaps for Ocean getting a poem written on his behalf by Beyoncé. It's a brave choice that he made to move forward in this industry that has a pretty terrible history for violent attitudes and expressions towards homosexuality.
And, yes, Beyonce's effort is still entirely sweet. Big ups to her for expressing an open-minded, encouraging take on the matter as an example for Blue Ivy. Any show of support from the royalty of the music business will surely make the industry (and the listening audience) a safer, kinder place.
