After years of anticipation*, Frank Ocean’s sophomore studio album “Boys Don’t Cry” is finally imminent*. The 28-year-old singer/songwriter’s album will reportedly hit Apple Music this coming Friday.

    The New York Times broke the news on Monday, reporting the album to be an Apple exclusive for two weeks, along with a physical magazine available in Apple Stores, before hitting other streaming and retail sales outlets afterwards. According to the Times, the album will be accompanied by a “major video” likely a long-form piece similar to Beyonce’s “Lemonade” or Schoolboy Q’s recent stream of connected short films. Apple retail stores will also be distributing a publication also titled “Boys Don’t Cry,” something Ocean has alluded* to in the past, leading many to assume* the publication would be a magazine of some sort.

    The “Boys” release will signal the end of a journey that has lasted nearly a half-decade since Ocean’s critically hailed debut album “Channel Orange.” Since then there has been the faintest of bread crumb trails left by Ocean, signifying* that he was working on something, and that it may be released to the public at some time.

    His work has been scant*, relegated to random* guest appearances and a leak or two, years apart. Beyond that, “Boys” has been this generation’s “Detox,” an album as hotly anticipated as any, but as mysterious and mystic as “Bigfoot” or the “Loch Ness Monster.” (SD-Agencies)