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Frank Ocean and the Very Long Song

By Rembert Browne at
Karl Walter/Getty Images

The singer, occasional rapper, and eldest member of hip-hop angst collective Odd Future (OFWGKTA), Frank Ocean, released a song this past Friday, titled "Pyramids," from his highly anticipated debut album Channel Orange.

A few things about this song:

  • It's very clever. So clever, in fact, that all of the following are referenced, alluded to, or explicitly stated in the lyrics: Cleopatra, Mark Antony, the Pyramids, Samson, Isis, the skin complexion and controversial ancestral history of Egyptians, mummification, the Battle of Actium, Adam and Eve, Ra, The Luxor Las Vegas, pimps, prostitutes, and motel rooms with only VHS players.
  • There will be an unusual spike in births in about nine months. Am I saying this song might cause pregnancy? No. I'm saying this song definitely causes pregnancy.
  • This song is very good. Regardless of the genre, it's one of the better sung songs I've heard in quite some time.

All of these aspects of "Pyramids" are important as far as its staying power, but none of them are what stood out the most. What did?

  • It's nine minutes and 54 seconds long.

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