Frank Ocean: Coming Out Lifted 'Boulder'

Hip-hop star Frank Ocean says being closeted was a “boulder on my chest” and coming out was “about my own sanity” in an interview to be published Saturday by London’s Guardian.

In the interview, which will be in the paper’s Guide section tomorrow, Ocean addresses the need for gay role models: “I wished at 13 there was somebody I looked up to who would have said something like that, who would have been transparent in that way.”

He also says he doesn’t see coming out as particularly risky. “Sure, evil exists, extremism exists,” he says. “Somebody could commit a hate crime and hurt me. But they could do the same just because I’m black. They could do the same just because I’m American.”

Ocean, a member of the group Odd Future, came out in a Tumblr post early this month. His first major-label solo album, Channel Orange, has just been released and has been well received by critics and the public.