FYF Fest: Frank Ocean cancels, Kanye West added

Frank Ocean will no longer headline the first night of FYF Fest, organizers revealed late Thursday.

Days before the 2015 installment of the festival was due to kick off, reps for the festival announced the R&B crooner “decided on his own terms to cancel his appearance.”

Kanye West will replace Ocean, per FYF’s press release.

Set for Saturday and Sunday at the L.A. Memorial Sports Arena and Exposition Park, this year’s lineup also includes Morrissey, D’Angelo and the Vanguard, FKA Twigs, Solange, Purity Ring and Run the Jewels.

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With Ocean’s headlining performance being one of the more-anticipated sets for the festival, the cancellation will only fan the flames surrounding his anticipated comeback.

For the past month fans have wondered, loudly, when he would release new music after dropping hints that a date was imminent.

In the spring, the singer took to Tumblr to post a picture of himself looking down at a stack of magazines called Boys Don’t Cry.

“I got two versions. I got twoooo versions…,” he wrote alongside a handful of promising hashtags that included #ALBUM3 and #JULY2015.

The release of an album and a new publication from the singer was confirmed shortly after his online announcement with both set to arrive in July, according to his reps.

But that didn’t happen.

Fans, frustrated by the long wait for a follow-up to his Grammy-winning 2012 major label debut, “Channel Orange,” took to Twitter to huff at the nonrelease and create memes including plays on the album title and refusing to acknowledge August’s existence.

Since his breakout, Ocean has remained surprisingly low-key — minus that weird beef with Chipotle — issuing little music, save for a few one-offs, or any information about new works.

West (like Ocean, it should noted) also has a long gestating new album in the works. He’s at least offered a few tracks teasing its arrival in “Wolves” and “All Day.” Late last month at LACMA, West also revealed the track “I Feel Like That,” which was paired with “All Day” in a Steve McQueen-directed music video.

This weekend’s FYF Fest marks the 12th year of the festival and its second year at the L.A. Memorial Sports Arena and Exposition Park. Gates open at 2 p.m. for both days.

General admission two-day and VIP passes are available on the festival’s website.

For more music news follow me on Twitter: @gerrickkennedy

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