Frank Ocean's Return Continues With Striking, NSFW 'Nikes' Music Video
Everyone who has been waiting on Frank Ocean can't say that his return has lacked eventfulness: the singer/songwriter made the world stop on Thursday night, and he'll have the Internet on watch for the whole weekend.
Just more than 24 hours after releasing the "visual album" Endless on Thursday night, Frank debuted a new music video/short film called "Nikes" on Apple Music.
The expressive, nearly five-minute video has a lot going on. It pays homage to ASAP Yams, Pimp C and Trayvon Martin, with Frank and a cameoing ASAP Rocky holding up framed photos of them. "Rest in peace ASAP, Rest in peace Pimp C, rest in peace Trayvon, a nigga looked just like me," the song laments. A few frames later, a masked, hoodie-wearing Frank allows himself to be lit on fire, taking a few steps before two professionals douse the flames with fire extinguishers. The video also heavily features nude bodies of men and women throughout (hence the NSFW tag), several hazy party scenes, and a continuous shot of Frank performing on a stage. It also begins with a seemingly lean-sipping Frank sitting on the ground, behind a Ferrari, singing the "I got two versions" lyric he posted on Tumblr months ago. Musically, the song layers robotic vocals and screwed ones over a downtempo, pulsating production. The "Nikes" video is much busier than Endless, a sparse 45-minute piece that shows Frank laboriously constructing a spiraling staircase. Watch the "Nikes" video below.
Is this the other project Frank has coming this weekend, or is there more? Upon the drop of Endless, media outlets said Frank would be unveiling a full album - originally titled Boys Don't Cry, but now, possibly with a new name - over the weekend as well. And that still doesn't account for the release of his Boys Don't Cry magazine, which doesn't have a public release date yet. Only time will tell if that holds true, but either way, the next 48 hours will be all about Frank Ocean.
