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You might be reading this right now saying, "who the fuck is Frank Ocean and what does he have to do with our lord and savior David Blaine?
Short answer, a Grammy winning singer. Long answer, a man who found one of the greatest quasi-legal loopholes of all time.
We promise, this gets good and this is about magic.
They both found a way to break their legally binding contracts with it slipping under the nose of the general public as well as industry execs.
Frank Ocean released his project "Endless" in 2016 It did not seem like him, had Frank lost his way? Fans across the world were shocked at the quality of the album.
Frank was devastated...or was he. Maybe, just maybe this was all part of his master plan. You see, good folk of the cull, Frank was under contract by the record label Def Jam to create one more album before he was released from his contract.
Now frank had been in the lab cooking up some hot beats following the release of his SMASH Channel Orange Album. He knew his next project was going to be hot. So, why release under a label who has rights to your licensing/ masters when he could wait to release the album? However the contract was not time-based, he NEEDED to release an album before he could release his project independently, essentially doubling his profits.
"Def Jam stipulated that he owed them one more album before he was up for renegotiations. He fulfilled that quota with 'Endless', leaving 'Blonde' to be self-released through a new label he just formed. "
He released endless, a generally forgettable project. But maybe it was meant to be that way. The album that followed Endless: Blonde, where he received 70% of the revenue, resulting in over $2 million as of January 2021.
A smart play.
So why did we gather you here today?
This story of Frank Ocean sound vaguely familiar. Similar to that of a David Blaine if you replace "Endless" with "The Magic Way" and "Blonde" with "Ascension"
Lets look at the facts:
Blaine stated that he has always wanted to do Ascension but it was too difficult. Involving NASA, scientist, influencers and experts from around the world if a lot of responsibility. Ascension was a new and daring project, a stunt that propelled Blaine into the stratosphere, not only literally, but in terms of brand awareness. Blaine KNEW ascension was going to be a hit, it was not a show, but an experience, a moment.
So why would he release it on Youtube, of all places?
If you noticed, the one thing Blaine had in common with all of his specials is that they were produced by ABC. If we learned anything from Dave Chapelle recently, it is that the industry (especially at the time of Blaine's street magic special/Chapelle Show) was locking young performers in long-term binding contracts. These contracts in Hollywood stipulate pay/project usually locking in anywhere from 2-6 original projects...an album if you will.
Did David Blaine finesse ABC by putting out The Magic Way a project he knew was average, so he could take Ascension to the highest bidder?
Maybe he did.
Something to consider:
Dave Chapelle is arguably the most famous comedian in the US. David Blaine is arguably the Dave Chapelle of magic. Both starting their TV careers before they were 30 and working decades while maturing to legend status. If David Blaine is anywhere near Dave Chapelle level (we thin he is), you may see David Blaine with a juice $10-$50 million check from Netflix soon.
*we believe that Blaine is comparable to Dave Chapelle however we recognize that Blaine may be slightly less ubiquitous.
So who could be next?
If David Blaine reaches Goat (greatest of all time) status, who will fill the void of that new kid on the block in magic.
We have a prediction:
Casshan Wallace
Could Casshan be the next big magician for a generation?
Casshan in an interesting character: reclusive, talented and extremely fashionable. He got his start on YouTube a decade ago releasing creative tricks that he would cleverly invent in his room with the objects around him. Over the years we have watched Cash grow from a fledgling magician, to one of the pillars of the community.
Cash is unique because he has the style of a performer with the mind of a creator. He is also just cool.
Simply put, there's a chill almost "lofi" feel to Casshan's magic that makes it feel down to earth, and him like one of your coolest friends.
Casshan has yet to try to Fool Penn & Teller, or try America's Got Talent. though he is most likely hiding enough material to crush both.
What's stopping him? Most likely time. Cash is calculated and he moves with purpose. There is no doubt that he is on the radar of some important producers.
We don't know exactly what it is, however we are excited to see what Cash is bringing to the table in 2021, we hear there is big things in the works.
It would not be surprising to see him receive an offer for his own TV show. The Millennial generation needs our magician.
If it happens, we called it here first.
Keep up with Casshan HERE
