Some people focus more on sonics. Some people focus more on story. I focus on both sonics and story, but music sometimes, just music itself, can turn into more of a maths problem. I guess everything in life is a math problem, but it can be more about an empirical route to getting the symmetry that you want, and this vibe, sonically.

He recorded demos at a friend's studio and shopped them around Los Angeles. His friendship with Odd Future member Tyler The Creator reinvigorated Ocean's songwriting.

The mixtape gained the interest of recording artists such as Kanye West Beyoncé Knowles and Jay-Z and he consequently appeared on West and Jay-Z's Watch the Throne album. The singles "Novacane" and "Swim Good" both achieved chart success. In 2010 he became a member of alternative hip hop collective OFWGKTA and his debut mixtape Nostalgia Ultra was released the following year to critical acclaim.