At 2:13, the music video for "Nikes" includes a reference to Heaven's Gate, the San Diego-based, new-age religious group who believed an alien spaceship traveling behind the Hale-Bopp comet would pick them up if they committed mass suicide. On March 26, 1997, thirty-nine members of the group were discovered dead inside their compound after their leader, Marshall Applewhite, persuaded them to take Phenobarbital (a powerful sedative used to treat seizures) mixed with apple sauce and vodka. Each member was found in their bunk bed, covered in a purple sheet, wearing an all-black tracksuit and a brand-new pair of Nike Decade sneakers, recreated in the music video.
Frank Ocean is a film aficionado and the music video invokes many of his favorite movies. The video contains the lines, "Don't take no photos in the party, that's rule number one! Rule number two, don't take no photos in the party!" a reference to the first two 'rules' of Fight Club (1999), recited by the character Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) and reiterated throughout the famous film, "The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is: you DO NOT talk about Fight Club!" The depiction of the late-night party in the park is evocative of the 'moontower' scene from Richard Linklater's cult classic Dazed and Confused (1993). The portrayal of twin girls is a homage to the famous scene in Stanley Kubrick's legendary film The Shining (1980). Ocean is a fan of Kubrick, even mentioning him by name in the songs Frank Ocean: Provider (2017) and Frank Ocean: Novacane (2011). The scenes of Ocean on stage, basking in the limelight, dressed in a sparkling jumpsuit, emulates the ballerina-inspired film Black Swan (2010).
The sports cars in the music video were valued at over $30 million. The cars were from the garage of Roald Goethe, originating from the Duncan Hamilton ROFGO collection, one of the world's largest & most exclusive racecar collections; the video features a 1996 McLaren F1 GTR Short Tail, a 1997 McLaren F1 GTR Long Tail, a 2000 Audi R8 LMP, and a 2006 Aston Martin DBR9. Frank Ocean is also seen driving a BMW M3 E30 with a custom Nike swoosh livery.
The only video produced for Frank Ocean's album 'Blonde,' which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.