Frank Ocean fans in their feels about his no-show

I bet it was not “God’s Plan” for Drake to get booed off stage. The notoriously viral headliner from this year’s Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival in Los Angeles, Calif. has made everyone’s hotline bling. 

Media has covered the Drake story as a completely humiliating experience. Is that what really happened, however, at the Tyler, the Creator-curated festival? UC Davis students who attended this year’s Camp Flog Gnaw uncovered the warped and over-hyped version of the story. 

“I feel like people are just hearing that Drake got booed off, and people are assuming he got booed off because he’s Drake and because people didn’t want Drake,” said Ali Janku, a second-year economics and history double major. 

Throughout the very secretive reveal of the mystery headliner building up to the festival, everyone was confident that the headliner would be Frank Ocean, a frequent collaborator of Tyler, the Creator. 

  “We were really looking forward to the mystery headlining act, which a lot of people thought was going to be Frank Ocean, because there were clues on social media and stuff […] especially since he dropped new music right before,” said Minaz Ali, a second-year Spanish and psychology double major. 

Ali, who attended Flog Gnaw in 2018, explained that last year, the crowd already knew who the mystery headliner was the day before. This year, however, the crowd found out who the guest performers would be only once they got on stage. 

At first, Tyler the Creator came out on stage and asked the crowd, “Can I bring a friend out?” then introduced rapper A$AP Rocky for a few songs. Then, Tyler came out again asking the crowd, “Can I bring another friend out?” and presented Lil Uzi Vert to perform a few songs. A$AP and Uzi performed a total of two songs each, when Tyler introduced his last “friend” to the stage: Drake. 

After a few songs, Drake continued performing even though A$AP and Uzi had stopped their sets after two songs. Something was off. 

“I’m here for you tonight,” Drake said. “If you wanna keep going, I will keep going tonight. What’s up?” The silence was then filled with booing. 

He wittily responded, “Well, look, it’s been love. I love y’all. I go by the name of Drake. Thank you for having me.”

The crowd booed — “not necessarily because it was him,” Janku explained. “But because they made it seem like there would be another artist after Drake.”

The actual booing was a reaction to Drake’s question to the crowd, rather than the rumored reason that he got booed off stage.

“I don’t think he would have gotten booed off stage if he didn’t ask, it was just a response,” Ali said. 

“I ended up buying a ticket because of the whole Frank Ocean hype,” said Chris Bruton, a second-year statistics and economics double major. “I’m not not a fan of Drake. I wasn’t super hyped about it, but in the moment, I wasn’t going to be mad about it. Everyone thinks that he was booed off the stage because people were expecting Frank Ocean, but they really made it seem like someone else was really going to come on after Drake.” 

“Yeah, I booed,” Janku said, chuckling.

Most of the booing came from the VIP section where Frank Ocean’s die-hard fans had set up camp, stood all day and even missed all the other performers specifically to see him. 

“It was really not the majority of people who were booing […] it wasn’t that dramatic in real life,” Ali said. 

Bruton confirmed that there was only “a little booing.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Bruton said. “It wasn’t insane like on the videos, like how it sounds Drake was booed off the stage.”

Most of the crowd was on Drake’s side. They began to chant “f*** VIP!” in response to the section’s discourteous booing and throwing of items on stage after Drake had left.

“What bothered me about it is that if Drake was the headliner and they announced that and had a full show of a Drake concert, I would be like ‘this is sick,’ I mean, it’s Drake, you know?” Janku said. “But because it felt very disorganized and thrown together, I mean Drake was wearing sweatpants with no band or DJ, people started getting fed up with it. It really felt like a Plan B. I’m paying all this money to see a headliner, so I want a headliner show. There was really high production value in other [acts], but less so with the final performance. It just felt like such a mess.”

Given the build-up around Frank Ocean’s suspected appearance, Bruton asked, “How could they not have expected [the booing] to happen?” 

“There was such a big hype around Frank,” Bruton said. “Nothing against Drake, but he doesn’t necessarily fit into the Odd Future genre. It all just kind of felt weird while Drake was on stage.” 

With 20 minutes remaining, fans waited in confused anticipation for another performer who never came.

 “I honestly don’t think Frank was ever going to come on, and in retrospect it makes sense because he rarely performs,” Ali said. “He’s not a performer; he never goes on live. It was kind of naïve to say he was going to be at Flog Gnaw.”

Right after the festival, Twitter hopped on the hype and blew up the internet with the story. Drake, no longer in his feels about his humiliating experience, posted a response to all his haters. 

“Plot twist…just signed a 10 year residency at Camp Flog Gnaw sorry kids see you EVERY SINGLE YEAR till you are 30,” Drake humorously posted, followed by a smiley face emoji, under a picture of himself with Taco, an ex-member of Odd Future on his Instagram.

 “If [the post] is real, it would bring in a different group of people to the concert,” Bruton said. “But I don’t think it is, I don’t know why they would do that.”

Ali was also “pretty sure” the post was a joke — I think he was just trying to make light of the situation,” Ali said. “[The booing was] probably a blow to his ego. Their fan bases don’t really overlap.”

Drake is no Frank Ocean to Odd Future enthusiasts, but there is nothing to be done now. Haters gonna hate.

“It was a very anticlimactic ending to a really good weekend,” Bruton said. 

It seems that Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home” was taken a bit too literally. Until next year, Flog Gnaw!

Written by: Sierra Jimenez — arts@theaggie.org

A saga of brotherly love, corporate shenanigans and sultry sports cars

Apple vs. Microsoft, capitalism vs. communism, Batman vs. Superman, Ford vs…. Ferrari? Released into theaters on Nov. 15, “Ford vs. Ferrari” accelerated into the box office, racking up over $64 million in its first week. The film is a high-octane biopic saga of man and machine, featuring one of auto racing’s most tense and legendary rivalries. Pumped full of brotherly love, corporate shenanigans and sultry sports cars, the two-hour-and-thirty-two-minute film provides non-stop entertainment.

The plot shifts into gear when an attempt by Ford Motors to acquire Ferrari from Enzo Ferrari spoils. During the negotiations, Enzo has a few choice words for Ford’s own main man, Henry Ford II. To the delight of autophiles, and now perhaps cinephiles, this heated exchange ignited one of the largest feuds in racing history.

The film centers around two Herculean figures in the racing world: Ken Miles, played by Christian Bale, and Carroll Shelby, played by Matt Damon. Miles is a fiery Englishman with a sweet tooth for speed and Shelby is a legendary automaker and charismatic businessman. The two work together after Shelby approaches Miles to join him on the newly assembled Ford racing team to take on Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans — the most prestigious racing event in the world. The dynamic between red hot Miles and cool and collected Shelby is pivotal in the development of the plot and one of the most compelling aspects of the film. The on-screen chemistry between the two Hollywood veterans is undeniable, even if it has some extra injected testosterone for entertainment value. 

Christian Bale, a.k.a. human Play-Doh, once again pulls a rabbit out of the hat by proving he can shape himself mentally and physically to become just about any character. Around this time last year, Bale played the critically acclaimed role of borderline-obese Dick Cheney in Vice. In order to play the wiry Miles, he shrugged off 70 pounds. I don’t know if this is impressive or disturbing, but I’m leaning toward the latter. 

Bale is a spitfire and a standout. He brings an “I don’t give a rat’s ass about you if you aren’t made out of metal alloy and have a bajillion horsepower” attitude to almost every interaction, but simultaneously shows emotional complexity when playing a dedicated dad and loving husband to wife Mollie, played by Caitriona Balfe. In the intimate moments with his son, we get a clear insight into the deeper motivations behind his need for speed.

In typical Hollywood fashion, Mangold tweaks a few key details to keep the storyline cohesive and ham up the drama. In one memorable scene, Henry Ford II takes a wild breakneck test ride with Shelby and the Ford GT, where the self-proclaimed “Deuce” proceeds to take a deuce in his pants and cry in sheer terror. Although I sincerely wish this had occurred in real life, there is no outside information to back it up. For the most part, however, Mangold is able to keep the story’s integrity, portraying the give and take between the Ford Racing Team and the corporate big-wigs. Josh Lucas plays Ford’s PR man, Leo Beebe, who works to undermine Carroll and Miles in the name of saving corporate profits and face. As the unequivocal bad guy, Lucas does an almost too good job at synthesizing all the negative stereotypes of corporate America into one grade-A prick. 

Mangold and the camera team capture the glorious chaos of Le Mans putting the audience in the driver’s seat, feeling the gears churn and the pistons fire. They piece together point-of-view driver shots where the audience is one with the driver. The camera tracks the race from the ground up, giving the movie a nitty-gritty, in-the-trenches perspective. You are front row to the manic speed and devastating collisions that unfold on the road. The heart-rattling racing paired with the drama even kept me, someone who is already familiar with the story, on the edge of my seat.

Despite all the film’s many upsides, I thought the machismo element was overblown. After butting heads, Shelby and Miles tussle on a neighborhood lawn, strewing groceries everywhere and looking like goddamn fools as Mollie looks on in amusement. I don’t contest that some unfettered masculinity was warranted (it’s about friggin race cars), but continuing to highlight this aspect muddled the character of the film.

The film had everything I wanted and expected from a story about 200 mph race cars and the massive egos that accompany them. The synergy of the cast paired with the blistering racing cinematography made for a time well spent at the theatre. When the rubber meets the road, “Ford vs. Ferrari” may not be flawless, but it’s definitely a winner. 

Written by: Andrew Williams — arts@theaggie.org

The Arts Desk’s weekly picks for movies, books, music and television shows

Movie: “Pierrot Le Fou”

If you thought I wouldn’t recommend a dense, deeply tender French New Wave film in my Culture Corner, you were mistaken. Directed by none other than Jean-Luc Godard, a cinematic legend and perhaps my biological father, “Pierrot Le Fou” tells the story of a couple that acts on the most typical romantic questions: What if we just ran away and left it all behind? With mesmerizing shots of naturalistic dialogue, the film is the story of an amorous road trip gone wrong, with gangsters, vintage cars and lovers’ quarrels, all set on the sunny French Riviera. This film sparked my love for Godard’s vision of the world: always romantic, finding beauty in the everyday and mixing it into the surreal. “Pierrot Le Fou” is a film I would recommend to anyone interested in cinema, who explores perhaps not the way things are, but how they feel. 

Book: “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” by Milan Kundera

What does it mean to truly love someone? Set against the backdrop of a 1960s Soviet-occupied Prague, “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” explores the fragile, yet heartachingly relatable, act of giving yourself over to another person. Beautifully written with a narrative that jumps between man and woman, the book is filled with passages that will make you stop reading, put the book down and think about the words you just read. Kundera’s signature philosophical rants are juxtaposed nicely with simple tales from his youth, a technique that keeps the more dense pieces of the novel fresh. This is a book for anyone who has been perplexed by the universal mystery of devotion and the baggage, both good and bad, that comes with it. 

Album: “Chet Baker Sings” by Chet Baker  

I remember my first time in New York City, NY — it was years ago, and I was impossibly overwhelmed, albeit in the best way possible. Bright flashing lights, colorful halal carts and the roar of the subway were my favorite things along with, of course, strolling the streets listening to Chet Baker. Many of my friends had just started college in the city, and visiting them opened up a brave new world where it felt like anything was possible. The soft piano and Chet’s silky vocals take me back to that feeling of endless possibility. It’s been a while since I’ve been back to the Big Apple, but everytime “Chet Baker Sings” comes on, I glance at ticket prices to JFK. This is an album for anybody who misses a dollar slice and the fatally loud yell of pedestrians screaming, “I’m walking here!”

TV Show: “The Mandolorian”

My knees are shaking. My eyes are watering. My heart is full. George Lucas’ vision of seeing Star Wars on the small screen has finally come to fruition. And what a vision it is. “The Mandolorian” is essentially a Western set in the universe of “Star Wars,” abound with classic tropes. Yet, there’s nothing corny about the show. “The Mandolorian” is a stylish, big budget Disney+ affair executed with grace. The choice to still utilize puppets for many alien species brought me straight back to my childhood, and an enormous grin formed on my face as the first episode began. Zooming in on one tiny speck of the massive universe of “Star Wars” is deeply engaging, and it’s refreshing to finally take a break from the Skywalker Saga. This is a show for anybody who wants to feel like a kid again and engage a series that is intriguing, alluring and intoxicating. 

Written by: Ilya Shrayber — arts@theaggie.org

Social media, Twitter main source for news

Whether in class or at home, students spend a lot of time on their phones. Because of this, social media and various news apps are a convenient place to get the news.

Kelly Lee, a fourth-year art studio and sociology double major, likes to get her news from apps such as Naver and Nate, popular search engines used in South Korea. 

“I use these apps because everyone I know uses them and I also like to read the comments,” Lee said, adding that she likes to get her news in her first language. “With these sites, I can also share my thoughts, too, if I wanted to.” 

Similarly, Liliana Valenzuela, a third-year sociology major, likes to read the comments shared at the bottom of news postings on Twitter.

“People retweet and give their opinions [on Twitter] and I like reading different perspectives,” Valenzuela said, adding that although she is subscribed to the Los Angeles Times and follows KTLA5 and ABC7 on Twitter, she doesn’t “read beyond the headlines.”  

April Melendez, a third-year communications and philosophy double major, also gets her news from Twitter and through word of mouth.

“Since we are a very liberal campus, you do hear a lot of different types of opinions,” Melendez said. “You can be just walking around campus and hear about a [current] news issue.”

Despite the ease of access to information, it can be hard for students to discern what is accurate reporting and what is not. 

“I don’t know myself how to differentiate between which news platforms are credible or biased or even right-wing,” Melendez said. Because she engages with more left-leaning users and accounts, most of what she sees on her timeline aligns with her views, making it difficult to know what information is not biased. 

Vanessa Pinal, a third-year sociology major, also gets her news from Twitter but looks further into subjects that pertain to her major. 

“Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of posts of teen trafficking, sex-trafficking and posts where little kids have been killed because of a parent,” Pinal said. “I read a lot of those because they kind of correspond to what I am learning in my sociology classes. Because I am a sociology major, maybe that’s why they interest me more.” 

The news that speaks most to students might be the news that relates to areas of interest and subjects they study or news that directly impacts them — such as events affecting their hometowns. Sabina Kabra, a fourth-year genetics and psychology double major, looks for news that could affect her personal life. 

“I look more into [headlines] when I know it’s something that’s going to affect me or something that I care about,” Kabra said. “On Facebook, I do see a lot of news about Davis or UC Davis, so I usually look into that to see if it’s something that will affect me like are classes gonna be cancelled or are roads blocked?”

Written by: Gabriela Hernandez — arts@theaggie.org