Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Blood Orange Speaks on Scene in Ferguson and Police Brutality [VIDEO]


If there’s anyone who has recently experienced some issues with the police, it’s Blood Orange, also known as producer and singer Dev Hynes.


After news broke that he was allegedly attacked by security at Lollapalooza a few weeks ago, the British-bred, New York-based artist has since been pretty vocal about his feelings toward the “abuse of power.”


When he played at Summerstage in New York City over the weekend, Okayplayer caught up with him to talk about his thoughts on what’s currently going in Ferguson, Mo. “I got a friend in Ferguson doing all that craziness this week,” he tells Okayplayer. “And he’s like shook up from it. I mean the photos are like, it doesn’t even seem real.”


Blood Orange shares his views on police brutality while onstage. “From my alleged attack at Lollapalooza,” Hynes explains to the crowd as he shows off the brace around his leg. “I don’t mean to take it there but it’s starting to f—ing hurt. And I just want to dance.”


Despite what happened to him at Lollapalooza and the continuous standoff in Ferguson, one thing is clear to Hynes: it’s far from over.


“There is no quick fix, and there is no solution,” he says. “And that, for me, is the most upsetting thing. Because you can riot and you can speak onstage or tweet or sign petitions, but petition doesn’t change some random d–k cop’s opinion of the world.”


See the rest of Hynes’ interview with Okayplayer above.