Dev Hynes, the creative voice behind Blood Orange, has never shied away from imbuing his work with queer ideas. Whether through sampling queer icons like Venus Xtravaganza on Marlon Riggs on his seminal album Freetown Sound, or through working with other queer artists like Kelsey Lu and Janet Mock, Hynes has always represented himself and his community in the way that he best sees fit.
On Monday (July 15), Hynes continued that work with his brand new video for “Benzo.” The video, directed by Hynes, opens with a gender-bent French court of black men and women, all dressed in elegant robe à la Française and powdered wigs, waiting on the performer to arrive.
“I’m bored, and when I’m bored I’m displaced, and when I’m displaced, you know what happens,” says the fabulous queen, played by Hynes’ frequent collaborator Ian Isiah.