Nike Wants to Clarify It Doesn’t Endorse Lil Nas X’s Satan Shoes, the Shoes That Contain Human Blood
By
Halle Kiefer@hallekiefer
Photo: YouTube/LilNasX
Since the beginning of popular music, rock stars have often invoked Satan as a surefire way to scandalize parents and freak out the squares. In his latest endeavor,
Lil Nas X is freaking out the squares in two different mediums: first, with the riotously gay music video for his latest single
“Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” which features the rapper giving a lap dance to, then snapping the neck of, Beelzebub himself; and, now, with a
limited-edition drop of “Satan Shoes,” 666 pairs of pentagram-accessorized Nike Air Max ’97s that allegedly contain one drop of human blood. In case there was any doubt in your mind that they might be, Nike clarified Sunday that the “Satan Shoes,” currently setting the internet aflame and set to drop March 29, have not been officially “endorsed” by the brand. Presumably because of the, you know, human blood part.
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“We do not have a relationship with Little Nas X or MSCHF,” Nike
told the New York Times Sunday. “Nike did not design or release these shoes, and we do not endorse them,” nor was the company involved “in any capacity” in the production of the sneakers. The
Times also checked in with MSCHF, the Brooklyn brand selling the shoes, who claim “about six” employees drew their own blood to donate to Lil Nas X’s fashion endeavor. Said MSCHF co-founder Daniel Greenberg, “Uhhhhhh yeah hahah not medical professionals we did it ourselves lol.” A drop of blood was allegedly “mixed in with ink that fills an air bubble in the sneaker.”
Even as the nation’s youth-group leaders,
not to mention South Dakota governor Kristi Noem, panic at the prospect of making both gay lap dances and occult footwear seem uncool, Lil Nas X
posted an “apology” video Sunday to address people’s concerns, an apology video that cuts almost immediately to the rapper’s above-mentioned scandalous music video.
As for the origin for his demonic aesthetic, Lil Nas X explained his inspiration on Twitter following his single’s release. In a nutshell, if some people insist Lil Nas X is going to hell for being queer, he might as well shoot a music video there and set himself free.
“It’s about a guy I met last summer. I know we promised to never be ‘that’ type of gay person, I know we promised to die with the secret, but this will open doors for many other queer people to simply exist,” he
wrote in a letter to his 14-year-old self. “You see this is very scary for me, people will be angry, they will say I’m pushing an agenda. But the truth is, I am. The agenda to make people stay the fuck out of other people’s lives and stop dictating who they should be.”
And to anyone worried about their children purchasing “Satan Shoes” behind their backs: Don’t worry, they’re $1,018, a number inspired by Luke 10:18, which is also written on the shoes themselves: “And he said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.’”