Today, as many Western observers probably already know, is Christmas. Rather than celebrate with wrapped gifts, fireplace stockings, and a decorated tree, Frank Ocean is doing things a little differently, returning to Beats 1 Radio for a special holiday episode of his blonded RADIO show. Co-hosted by Vegyn and Roof Access, the episode looks to curate the perfect soundtrack for your holiday afternoon, with an hour of “expertly selected Christmas-themed tunes,” according to its Apple Music description.
The playlist itself features a pretty perfect selection of holiday songs from artists like Prince, Wham!, Whitney Houston, Gucci Mane, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Big Star, Mark Kozelek, and more. After playing Stevie Wonder‘s “Ave Maria,” Ocean asked Siri what the title phrase meant, which apparently originates from the traditional Catholic reading of Luke 1:28.
The group wasn’t completely ready to co-sign a holiday so closely associated with ramped consumerism, and in typical Frank Ocean fashion, Stray Rats’ Julian Consuegra stressed the importance of “anti-Christmas presents.” Ocean later gave a shoutout to Kwanzaa, which starts tomorrow.
The episode follows the show’s midterm election broadcast, which included music from YG, 03 Greedo, Tierra Whack, JPEGMAFIA, Bill Evans, and more. Ocean recently made his Instagram account public, and gave away free merch to fans in Houston, Miami, Atlanta, and Dallas that voted in the midterm elections. Listen to an archived recording of his blonded RADIO holiday episode on Apple Music.
