Frank Ocean Pyramids Analysis

Pyramids by Frank Ocean is an essential piece of modern R&B music off of Ocean’s debut album, Channel Orange. The nearly ten minute epic can be cleanly split into two distinct parts, due to a drastic and total shift in tempo, timbre and texture at around the 4:27 mark in the piece, but Ocean’s storytelling allows the two pieces to coexist perfectly, forcing the listener to remain attentive throughout the entire piece despite its intimidating length. Ocean leaves his artistic presence all over this piece with his smooth, power vocals and his way to flawlessly tell the story of of a pimp falling in love with one of his call girls in a clever and gripping way. He does so expertly and it is his story telling, along with the drastic and intriguing shifts in tempo, texture and timbre that make this a modern classic in the R&B genre. The first portion of the piece which lasts until the 4:27 mark contains a backing beat that seems to take from 70’s funk music with a unique …show more content…
It is amazing how Ocean can have a nearly ten minute song be so packed with unique timbres and intensely detailed narratives and remain tantalizing to listen to throughout. Through his intricate and highly metaphoric storytelling, Ocean makes important connections between the historical fall of Cleopatra with the fall of black women in today’s society, as they are forced to go to professions such as stripping to make ends meet. Another artistic element that may be overshadowed by Ocean’s masterful story telling is his ability to change the timbre of his vocals to match the mood and perspective of who he was portraying, namely when he switched to the monoton, rap cadence when he played the part of the braggadocios pimp and then switch to vulnerable croons when that same pimp expresses his love for Cleopatra. Elements like this is what makes this piece truly unique and timeless and it will be recognized as so for a long time moving