Nas has been on a winning streak lately, but you just knew there was bound to be a fumble. In a New York Times on piece Frank Ocean, one juicy tidbit revealed is that they crooner recorded a song with the Queensbridge MC called “No Such Thing As White Jesus.” However, said recording no longer exists.
There was also a collaboration with Nas, “No Such Thing as White Jesus,” that was unfortunately lost to a technological mishap. Mr. Ocean expressed regret that album deadlines prevented him from recreating the song from scratch, and he broke into song to capture what was lost:
Whatever you do, young king, don’t wind up dead
Young queen, cross your legs,
Put a crown on your head and remove the chains
‘Cause even diamond chains are for slaves,
Don’t set foot in no penitentiary
And don’t taste the poison
Don’t you bail on your families
It’s signature Frank Ocean: dignified, quasi-political, cerebral without being disdainful, fleetingly hopeful. If that bears little resemblance to the center of what’s happening on the radio — the same can certainly be said for the bulk of “Channel Orange” — so be it: Mr. Ocean appears to be creating his own gravity.