The final track on Frank Ocean's 2016 album Blonde, titled "Futura Free," serves as a reflective conclusion to the artist's second studio album. The song is structured in two distinct parts: the first half is a contemplative piece about Ocean's personal journey and road to success, while the second half features a recorded interview snippet with his younger brother, Ryan. This interview segment is officially listed in the album's liner notes as "Interviews." The track's title references Futura, a popular sans-serif font that has been widely used in media and is a notable favourite of film director Stanley Kubrick, who is cited as one of Ocean's primary inspirations. The font used on the Blonde album cover is believed to be a custom typeface influenced by Futura.
The track's production credits include Frank Ocean, Om'mas Keith, and Malay Ho. Arrangement and keyboards were handled by Om'mas Keith and Malay Ho, with additional keyboards by Frank Ocean. Om'mas Keith also provided bass, while drum programming was a collaborative effort between Frank Ocean and Om'mas Keith. A notable creative element within "Futura Free" is the inclusion of a sample. The track contains a sample of "Running Around" by Buddy Ross, and it also features a sample of 'Anthrax' (composed by Allen, Burnham, Gill, and King), as performed by Gang of Four. This sample is used under license from Rhino Entertainment Company, a Warner Music Group Company (for the United States, Canada, and Mexico) and Parlophone Records Limited, a Warner Music Group Company (for the rest of the world).
The interview portion of the track was conducted by Mikey Alfred. The subjects featured in the broader interview session, which was recorded for the Boys Don't Cry magazine, include Ryan Moore, Ibrahim Hariri, Na-Kel Smith, Sage Elsessler, Evan Clark, Nabil Hariri, and Frank Ocean. While the full interview transcript is published in Boys Don't Cry magazine under the title "Hopes and Dreams," the version included in "Futura Free" focuses on responses from Frank Ocean's brother, Ryan, with a brief additional line from Frank himself. The responses from Brahim Iriri were not included in the final track.
The creative direction of Blonde, including its typographic choices, appears deeply connected to Ocean's artistic inspirations. The use of a Futura-influenced typeface on the album cover and the naming of the final track after the font underscore a thematic link to Stanley Kubrick's work, a director whose films Ocean has referenced throughout his career. This stylistic decision aligns with the album's overall aesthetic, which often blends personal reflection with avant-garde presentation.
The track "Futura Free" concludes the album on a note that is both introspective and raw, juxtaposing Ocean's personal reflections with the candid, unedited audio from an interview with his brother. This structure provides listeners with a direct, almost documentary-style glimpse into the personal relationships that have shaped Ocean's life and career, contrasting with the more polished musical compositions that precede it on the album. The inclusion of the interview, alongside the sampled music, demonstrates a layering of personal history and musical influences that is central to the track's composition.