Pink Matter-Frank Ocean feat. Outkast(?)

There can be no clearer sign that JamandaHalf has to spread its wings again than a new song featuring Outkast (or is it Andre 3000 + Big Boi?). Regardless, hearing the two on the same song again is undeniably a treat, especially when it's on one of best jams of 2012, Frank Ocean's "Pink Matter." Like seeing two old friends kick it after not seeing each other for a while, hearing Big Boi play off of Andre's verse is both comfortable and a little awkward, it sounds both familiar and distant. Both are representing themselves, not the mighty Outkast, but appearing on the same song makes them Outkast, right? With Big Boi having released a critically blasted but enjoyable album recently, and Dre sticking to Gillette commercials, the gulf separating the two seems to increasingly grow, a gulf which 3000 addressed on a cameo on TI's "Sorry." A theory that I've had all along is that Andre is no longer making music because of a lack of competition. He reminds us that he's the best rapper alive with a cameo here or there, but as far as new competition to himself or to Outkast as a group, there hasn't been any. However, with the emergence of Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, etc, we are finally seeing artists who have both the creativity and the skills to challenge both Dre and Big Boi, and Outkast, and this rise has also seen an uptick in the number of Dre features. Regardless, I can only pray to the music gods that this trend continues. The JamandaHalf bear finally got his spring sun to wake him up from his hibernation, this time he'll stick around for a while.

Frank Ocean-We All Try

Frank Ocean, the most random member of the biggest thing right now in hip hop, the group OFWGKTA (Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All), put out a mixtape a little while back, nostalgia/ultra, that was, well, surprisingly smooth. After I heard about OFWGKTA a few months back I tried to give them a fair shot. When the media/blogosphere anoint the next big thing, I'm usually a little skeptical, but I wanted to see for myself why the group of young skateboarders outta LA was getting so much hype. Two observations-one, like Lil'B, I would much rather watch an interview of OFWGKTA than listen to their music because, two, I think most things have a time and a place, but I don't think a lot of the stuff they rap about does. They seem likable enough, fun, young, looking like they're having a blast, but I don't see the need, and the exorbitant demand, for the music that they generally make, especially at they level they do.

Let's get back to the music. Frank Ocean is 23 years old, has worked with John Legend and Beyonce, among others, and has a sound that is miles away from the shock-rap sound and style of his group. His first album showcases his take on R&B. R&B, while dominating the 90s, has had little place at the music table for this century, other than taking a leap forward with Drake's classic So Far Gone. nostalgia/ultra seems like another step forward for the floundering genre. Today's jamandahalf is a silky stream of consciousness ramble about everything from time travel to gay marriage. And unlike a lot of the music of his crew, "We All Try" is immediately likable and relatable. With a goofy sophistication, "We All Try" is both unrelentingly modern and relevant, all wrapped up in a smoothness that's impossible to copy, you just gotta have it. Ocean's got it.

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