Nikes

Nikes is the opening track for Frank Ocean's second studio album Blonde. It was also released as the album's sole single on the album's release date and has an accompanying music video directed by Tyrone Lebon.

The song serves as a "critique of the trappings of materialistic hedonism, with a frequent mention of Nike shoes, shiny gold and glitter, and fantasies of pleasure." The first half of the song has pitched up vocals that are sung slowly, whereas the second half has Frank's voice at normal pitch and has more of a rap flow.

The song has three different versions: the version available on streaming with no ad-libs or the KOHH verse; the version in the song's music video with ad-libs; and the version present in CDs for the album with an added KOHH verse.

Background
Chance the Rapper teased the song's chorus in a tweet dated July 31, 2015, over a full year before the album's release.

The first verse contains shoutouts/tributes to the late artists A$AP Yams and Pimp C, as well as Trayvon Martin, a young man who was killed in a controversial shooting in 2012.

The song was performed as the closing track during Frank's 2017 shows, with KOHH's verse played as he walked off the sets.

Music video
The song's music video is only officially available through Apple Music and on Vimeo as an upload by the video's director. It is presumed that it is not on YouTube due to some nudity. The video contains some pitched down ad-libs that are not present in other versions of the song, as well as a slightly-different sounding harmonization at the end of the track.

A$AP Rocky appears in the music video holding an image of his late colleague A$AP Yams during the line "RIP A$AP." Kanye West is believed to be the person whose lower face is shown briefly at 4:48.

The music video seems to have been recorded around April 13, 2015. An alternate cut of the version that is widely available is available on Andre Chemtoff's website (having slightly different visuals and ad-libs). An extended cut was reportedly shown at a London film club, but has not been released elsewhere.

Song
According to The Fader :


 * Production: Frank Ocean, Malay Ho, and Om'mas Keith
 * Arrangement: Frank Ocean, Malay Ho, and Om'mas Keith
 * Mellotron: Malay
 * Drum Programming: Malay Ho and Om'mas Keith
 * Additional Programming: Frank Ocean
 * Additional Vocals: Amber Coffman

Music video
According to Tyrone Lebon's video description :


 * Director: Tyrone Lebon
 * DOP: André Chemtoff
 * Editor: Adam Biskupski
 * Colourist: Aubrey Woodiwiss at Electric Theatre Collective
 * VFX: Electric Theatre Collective
 * Producer: Tom Birmingham
 * Executive Producer: Tash Tan
 * Post-Exec Producer: Hannah Turbull-Walter
 * 1st AD: George Nelson
 * 2nd AD: John Robinson
 * Production Manager: Lana Salfiti
 * Art Director: Ed Quarmby
 * Production Designer: David White
 * Stylist: Max Pearmain
 * Make Up Artist: Isamaya Ffrench
 * Hair: Cyndia Harvey
 * Casting: Charlotte Roberts and Melissa Thompson
 * Director's Assistant: Holly Gore
 * 2nd Unit Camera: Deepa Keshvala, Frank Lebon, Hanna Moon, Merlin Massara
 * 1st AC: Tim Allan
 * 2nd AC: Jenny John Chuan
 * Grip: Tom North
 * 2nd Grip: Jamie Monks
 * Gaffer: Danny Hayward