Frank Ocean Planned Early Release of Channel Orange All Along

It was no accident that Frank Ocean's new album Channel Orange was released early, following the footsteps of Jay Z and Kanye West Watch the Throne.

Ocean had a talk on BBC 1 Radio and revealed, "It was actually the plan all along."  He had seen the success of Jay and West's early release on iTunes 3 days prior to the street date and was inspired.

"I kinda wanted to mirror what ... Jay and Kanye did with Watch the Throne, preventing the leak by staggering digital and physical dates."  Going the route that is contrary to the typical promotional strategy also has its consequences including Target's decision to not carry Channel Orange.

On a positive note, the album has garnered top nods from critics with its undeniable musicality, poignant lyrics and soulful tunes.  Experts predict Channel Orange to hit the #2 spot on the charts next week.

"My thing was I wanted all the promotional elements to be, I don't know if the word is retroactive, but [to] kind of follow the album with the videos and the tour and do everything after and kinda just let the music speak for itself for a second," Ocean continued.

Ocean had opened up about his sexuality on July 4th, revealing the story of his first [failed] love experience with a man when he was 19.  Celebs like Beyonce spoke up to encourage Ocean for his bravery while others like Lil' Scrappy blamed closeted gays for the spread of AIDS.  Some speculate that all this hype surrounding Ocean's coming out may have boosted sales.