At the Grammy Awards on Feb. 10, Frank Ocean snatched two out of the six awards in which he was nominated for-Best Urban Contemporary Album and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for No Church in the Wild, featuring Jay-Z and Kanye West.

For the millions of fans watching at home last night, Ocean's performance of the song Forrest Gump was an introduction to why this young artist has garnered so much attention in 2012. However, while the cinemascope simulation tricks - in which Ocean appears to be running along a highway (much like the Tom Hanks character from the film of the same name) - seemed appealing, his vocals according to critics was pitchy and spotty. 

Though he also nominated for Best New Artist, Ocean is hardly new to the music scene.

The 25-year-old New Orleans native penned numerous hits as a ghostwriter for the likes of Brandy, John Legend and Justin Bieber. While his talent as a singer/songwriter is evident, thanks in part to the success of his sophomore effort Channel Orange, Ocean received a great deal of added attention after posting an open letter on his Tumblr blog in July 2012, which expressed his romantic feelings for another man.


Homosexuality is still very much an unspoken, taboo subject within the hip-hop community but nevertheless artists like Jay-Z and Beyoncé have all come out in favor of the young artist on the rise. Even hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons expressed his support for Ocean in an article on Global Grind.

"I am profoundly moved by the courage and honesty of Frank Ocean," said Simmons. "Your decision to go public about your sexual orientation gives hope and light to so many young people still living in fear. These types of secrets should not matter anymore, but we know they do, and because of that I decided to write this short statement of support for one of the greatest new artists we have."

Tags: frank ocean grammy awards 2013 Grammys