The reason Tyler, The Creator knew Frank Ocean was gay: “I knew something was weird”
Tyler, The Creator has known Frank Ocean longer than most. The pair first crossed paths in early 2010 through a mutual friend who showed Frank the music video for Tyler’s ‘French’, which appeared on his Bastard album. Impressed by what he saw, Frank called Tyler to compliment him, which became the starting point of their friendship. Soon after, Frank became a member of Odd Future.
The pair have collaborated on many songs throughout their careers, including ‘She’ from 2011’s Goblin, ‘Slater’ from 2013’s Wolf and ‘Where This Flower Blooms’ from 2017’s Flower Boy. Tyler also repaid the favour on ‘Biking’ featuring Jay-Z.
During an interview with Rolling Stone, Tyler was asked whether he knew Frank was gay before he came out to the public. In classic Tyler fashion, he joked about the situation by claiming he knew about his sexuality from one of his breakfast preferences. “Yeah, I was one of the first people he told,” he said. “I kinda knew, because he likes Pop Tarts without frosting on them, so I knew something was weird [laughs]. But that’s my n*gga.”
Tyler used the words “f*g” and “f*ggot,” a slur commonly used to refer to gay men, nine times on his Goblin album. However, he was adamant that using the word had no bad intentions behind it. When asked if he thought Frank was bothered by the language, he stood by his stance.
“He knows me, and he knows I don’t care about anyone being gay,” he said. “It’s just another word to me. The same as ‘n*gga.’ Let’s say Frank started using the word ‘f*g,’ just jokingly. People would be so fucking confused! They wouldn’t know what to do. And it could take the power out of that word.”
Frank came out through an open letter posted to his Tumblr account in 2012, less than a week before releasing his debut album, Channel Orange. At the time, rumours were heavily circulating about his sexuality. In the message, the singer opened up about falling in love with a man for the first time in his late teens, which he described as a life-changing experience.
“Four summers ago, I met somebody,” he began. “I was 19 years old. He was too. We spent that summer, and the summer after, together. Everyday almost. And on the days we were together, time would glide. Most of the day I’d see him, and his smile. I’d hear his conversation and his silence… until it was time to sleep. Sleep I would often share with him.
“By the time I realised I was in love, it was malignant. It was hopeless. There was no escaping, no negotiating with the feeling. No choice. It was my first love, it changed my life. Back then, my mind would wander to the women I had been with, the ones I cared for and thought I was in love with.”
He added, “To my first love, I’m grateful for you. Grateful that even though it wasn’t what I hoped for and even though it was never enough, it was. Some things never are… and we were. I won’t forget you. I won’t forget the summer. I’ll remember who I was when I met you. I’ll remember who you were and how we’ve both changed and stayed the same.”
While Tyler’s sexuality is unknown, many of his lyrics and comments have suggested he’s gay or bisexual. In his 2017 song, ‘I Ain’t Got Time!’, he raps, “I’ve been kissing white boys since 2004.” Another song on Flower Boy, ‘Garden Shed’, also alludes to “the closet,” referring to gay men who haven’t come out.
Speaking about the revelations to Fantastic Man, he said, “It’s still such a grey area with people, which is cool with me. Even though I’m considered loud and out there, I’m private, which is a weird dichotomy. The juxtaposition of loud and quiet is weird.” On another occasion, in his 2023 song ‘Sorry Not Sorry’, Tyler raps, “Sorry to the guys I had to hide/ Sorry to the girls I had to lie to.”
On ‘Balloon’ from 2024’s Chromakopia album, Tyler says he’s not attracted to women. He spits, “Everything real here, no lace front, OK/ I doze during December, I slay/ I don’t even like girls, bitch, I’m way up too high.” Then, on ‘Darling, I’, he raps, “Love ’em all for different reasons at the same damn time/ See monogamy, that shit is not for me.”