Nike sues maker of Lil Nas X 'Satan shoes' containing drop of human blood
The rapper shrugged off backlash around his new Satan-themed song and shoes.
Following social media backlash from Lil Nas X's collaboration with MSCHF to release "Satan Shoes", Nike is suing the art collective for trademark infringement.
The redesigned Nike Air Max 97s features the numbers 666, a pentagram and "contains 60cc ink and 1 drop of human blood," according to a website for the shoes. The shoes retail for $1,018 and sold out immediately.
The black and red footwear also includes a reference to the Bible verse "Luke 10:18," which translates to, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven."
Nike denies any involvement with the sneaker and confirmed with "GMA" that the company filed a trademark infringement and a dilution complaint Monday against the Brooklyn-based company behind the shoes.
"We do not have a relationship with Lil Nas X or MSCHF," Nike shared in a statement. "The Satan Shoes were produced without Nike's approval or authorization, and Nike is in no way connected with this project."
Lil Nas X posted a "Spongebob Square Pants" meme of the character Squidward sitting in a box holding out a cup on Twitter along with the caption "me after the nike lawsuit."
In addition to Nike, the "Satan shoes" also caught the attention of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who said on Sunday that the shoes are proof "we are in a fight for the soul of our nation."
In response, Lil Nas X remarked, "Ur a whole governor and u on here tweeting about some damn shoes. Do ur job!"
Lil Nas X said he was well aware of the potential uproar his new music video for "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" would cause and he has one message to his haters: "Stay mad."
The music video caused anger for its depiction of scenes from the Bible as well as Lil Nas X giving Satan a lap dance.
When one critic claimed Lil Nas X was pushing an agenda onto children, Lil Nas clapped back, "I am not gonna spend my entire career trying to cater to your children. That is your job."
"I spent my entire teenage years hating myself because of the [stuff] y'all preached would happen to me because I was gay," the Grammy winner said in another tweet on Saturday. "So I hope u are mad, stay mad, feel the same anger you teach us to have towards ourselves."
The "Old Town Road" singer further trolled haters by releasing a fake apology video about the shoes, which starts off with him pretending to cry before jump-cutting to the now-infamous end of the "Call Me By Your Name" music video.
Shortly after the release of the Satan shoes, Miley Cyrus posted a photo on Instagram wearing the shoes while sitting on top of a blue truck. She asked her followers in a caption "Can you see Satan?"
This isn't the first time MSCH has created controversial viral sneakers. In 2019, the collective also released Jesus Shoes that the brand claimed to have been injected with water from the Jordan River.
"GMA" has reached out to MSCHF for comment.
Editor's Note: This story originally posted on March 29, 2021.
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