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Panorama 2017 Gallery: A Tribe Called Quest, Solange, Frank Ocean & More
Panorama 2017 Gallery: A Tribe Called Quest, Solange, Frank Ocean & More
Photo Credit: Vickey Ford of Sneakshot for Okayplayer

Fans are Flipping Frank Ocean's Free Midterm Election Merch for Hundreds of Dollars

Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY. Photo Credit: Vickey Ford of Sneakshot for Okayplayer

Hypebeasts are the worst of us.

It's a sad (hardly) secret fact that when Frank Ocean releases anything in the way of physical merchandise -- vinyl, tees, or posters -- there's a wild premium to pay. Even when the items are literally given away.

This past week, Ocean rallied voters to the polls with free tees and long-sleeves in Miami, Houston, Atlanta, and Dallas, for just flashing their voter stickers as confirmation of the completion of their democratic duty. But already, the graphic tees (see below) are being flipped for hundreds of dollars on the secondary market. A quick scan of eBay and Grailed reveals tees going for as much as $450.

Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY.

On top of the merch giveaway, Ocean took to the Beats 1 airwaves to deliver a surprise three-part broadcast of his blondedRADIO show, playing tracks and speaking candidly of the democratic process, interviewing his aunt about the current administration on-air. They were the first transmissions since the seventh episode of the show in early 2017.

All three segments are archived on Apple Music and can be heard via the link below. As for the merch, at $250-plus a pop, it may be better to hold out until the next election. If we get there, that is.

BLONDEDRADIO