Frank Ocean Producer Malay on 'Boys Don't Cry' Delay: "Art Cannot Be Rushed"

It's mid-August, and Frank Ocean's album Boys Don't Cry is nowhere to be found. Ocean's producer, Malay, shed some light on the project's hold-up during a Reddit AMA yesterday (Aug. 15).

Prior to the AMA, Malay stated that he would not answer any Boys Don't Cry-related questions. Predictably, some fans found a way to ask the question in non-direct fashion, in an attempt to respect the boundary put in place.

One Reddit user wrote, “I respect that you don’t want us to ask about BDC and when it’s going to come out. So in the interest of asking a question that acknowledges those boundaries while still addressing the elephant in the room, I’d like to know what you think about how fans have interacted with the rollout to this point. I think the major pain point for fans has been the fact that Frank has led us to believe there’s something coming, and then he hasn’t communicated with us at all.”

Malay responded, “First of all we all massively appreciate and love you guys, Frank has told me this himself many times. To be fair tho, art cannot be rushed. It’s about making sure the perfect aesthetic for the situation has been reached, to do that, takes constant tweaking, trial and error.. That goes for any creative situation.”

The producer's response makes sense; Ocean is a perfectionist, and he's allowed to take however long he needs. On the other hand, fans are allowed to feel hoodwinked by the multiple pushbacks.

Four days ago, Apple Music reps said they expected the album to drop within 24 to 72 hours. Of course, that prediction did not come to fruition. Clearly, fans are not happy: one Reddit user actually suggested holding Ocean's younger brother hostage until he drops the album. No chill whatsoever.

Keep it locked to XXL for more Frank Ocean news. Check back to the site to cop/stream Boys Don't Cry when it officially drops.

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