Frank Ocean Reveals New Album, Magazine Coming in July

Frank Ocean has announced a July release date for his new album, the follow-up to his breakout 2012 LP Channel Orange. Ocean’s subtle revelation came via a photo the singer posted that hinted at the arrival of a new magazine called Boys Don’t Cry. “‘I got two versions. I got twoooo versions.’ #ISSUE1 #ALBUM3 #JULY2015 #BOYSDONTCRY,” Ocean wrote on his official site Monday night.

A rep for Ocean confirmed to Billboard that Ocean will release both a new album and his own publication this July. Ocean’s rep tells Rolling Stone that while the magazine will be called Boys Don’t Cry, the singer has yet to unveil a title for his new album. Details are scarce, but Ocean has been working on his Orange follow-up since at least January 2013, when he fought Chris Brown outside a Los Angeles recording studio.

Collaborator Nabil Elderkin previously stated that Ocean’s next album “blows the sophomore-album myth out of the water,” with the singer reportedly hitting the studio with mega-producers like Hit-Boy (“Niggas in Paris,” “XO,” “Flawless”), Rodney Jerkins, Pharrell Williams and Danger Mouse. In November 2014, Ocean shared the atmospheric, lo-fi “Memrise,” his second post-Channel Orange track; a song titled “Wise Man” was previously recorded for, but not released on, the Django Unchained soundtrack. In January, Ocean dropped his rendition of the Isley Brothers’ “At Your Best (You Are Love),” a tribute to Aaliyah on what would have been her 36th birthday.

Besides “Memrise” and the Aaliyah tribute, Ocean has made more headlines for lawsuits than new music in the past few years. While no charges were filed in the Chris Brown incident, Ocean engaged in a legal battle with Chipotle, came dangerously close to facing a copyright infringement suit courtesy of Eagles’ Don Henley and was sued over a sample in his Channel Orange cut “Super Rich Kids.”

The past few years wasn’t all just litigations, however: Ocean’s Channel Orange won Best Urban Contemporary Album and was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2013 Grammys, where the singer performed “Forrest Gump.” Ocean also logged high-profile guest appearances on Jay Z’s Magna Carta Holy Grail, John Mayer’s Paradise Valley and Beyoncé’s Beyoncé.