Happy Birthday, Frank Ocean! Here Are 5 Facts You Might Not Know About the ‘Novacane’ Singer

Today, October 28, 2021, Frank Ocean turns 34 years old. In honor of the singer/rapper’s birthday, here are six things you might not know about the “Bad Religion” artist, including his birth name.

Frank Ocean was born in Long Beach, not New Orleans

While it’s often thought that Ocean is originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, he was actually born in Long Beach, California. When he was a child, his family moved to New Orleans, where the “Nights” singer grew up. In the Louisiana city, he spent much of his time immersed in the jazz scene and listening to his mother’s R&B CDs. Ocean began recording music in high school. Upon graduation, he enrolled at the University of New Orleans. But, in 2005 — his first year — Hurricane Katrina hit and completely uprooted life in the region.

Frank Ocean is not the ‘Godspeed’ singer’s birth name

The artist was actually born Christopher Edwin Breaux. But the musician legally changed his name to Christopher Francis Ocean in 2010. In 2015, he changed his name again, this time to Frank Ocean.

The ‘Self Control’ singer loves cars

Ocean loves him some cars. The singer’s Instagram page is pretty sparse now, but it used to detail his car obsession with such models as the 1990 Geo Prizm, to Teslas and BMWs.

Frank Ocean was one of the first members of hip-hop collective Odd Future

Odd Future was formed in Los Angeles, California around 2007. The original members were founder Tyler, the Creator, (Tyler Okonma), Left Brain (Vyron Turner), Hodgy Beats (Gerard Damien Long), Matt Martians (Matthew Martin), Jasper Dolphin (Davon Wilson), and Casey Veggies (Casey Jones). But in 2009, Frank Ocean joined the group along with Domo Genesis (Domonique Cole), Earl Sweatshirt (Thebe Kgositsile), and Mike G (Michael Griffin II). In 2010, Odd Future began to really rise in popularity with a two-stop tour in London, England and New York City. Odd Future shows are known to be electrifying usually complete with stage-diving, moshing, and group members heckling the crowd.

Everest the dog was an executive producer on ‘Channel Orange’

Ocean’s adorable dog, Everest, who has since died, was listed as an executive producer on Channel Orange — the album that won the artist Album of the Year at the 2012 Soul Train Music Awards and Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 2013 Grammy Awards. That Everest knew how to executive produce an album.

“everest is my dog,” tweeted Ocean in 2012, “and the executive producer of channel orange.”