Frank Ocean

An R&B vocalist affiliated with the outlandish hip-hop crew Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, Frank Ocean was born and raised in New Orleans. The aspiring songwriter and singer had just moved into his dorm at the University of New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit. With his future under water, Ocean immediately left the academic life behind and moved to L.A. to give music a shot. He cut some demos at a friend’s home studio, shopped them around town, and eventually landed a songwriting deal that would find him working for Justin Bieber, John Legend, and Brandy. Some of this work was alongside Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, a fellow songwriter and producer who would convince Ocean to sign a solo artist deal with Def Jam in late 2009. It was also around this time he met the Odd Future and began writing music for the crew while making guest appearances on their mixtapes. In 2011, as Odd Future was making waves, Ocean broke out on his own with the Nostalgia, Ultra mixtape. Later in the year, he appeared on Beyoncé's 4 and Jay-Z and Kanye West's Watch the Throne.