Nike sues over Lil Nas X's 'Satan Shoe' kicks laced with actual human blood

May the Lord have mercy on our soles. Looks like Lil Nas X is riling up the faithful yet again. The musician who rerouted country music’s traditional wires with 2019’s “Old Town Road” is back in a big way, with a new hit single, and blood-sealed tie-in “Satan Shoes” to boot. But not everyone is happy, including Nike, the company the modified shoe is built on.

The shoe release, which is kicking up quite a stir as you might imagine, coincides with Nas X’s new single and accompanying video/epic fantasy, "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)," which boldly rethinks Satan as an enjoyer of hella fun homoerotic lapdances.

Somehow, the video itself doesn’t seem to be creating the same fervor as the shoes.

Perhaps it’s the blood.  

Yes, every limited edition Satan Shoe sole contains a drop of real, true blood drawn from members of Nas X’s collaborators on the project, the streetwear company MSCHF, according to NBC News. Today, the endeavor launched 666 pairs of what appear to be modified Nike Air Max 97s replete with a pentagram and a shoutout to Luke 10:18, which, according to The New King James Version of the Bible, translates to: “And He said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.’”

All for the low, low price $1,018 and your eternal soul. Probably.

You can get a good look at the shoe in the catfishing video below, which starts off with Nas X offering what appears to be an apology to anyone offended by the shoes, of which there are seemingly a decent amount, at least judging by some of the online fervor. But the apology quickly cuts to what is arguably the most shocking part of the new video, the previously mentioned lapdance. As of this writing, the “apology” has been viewed over 2.8 million times on YouTube, while the actual video has now topped 33 million views.

The song/shoe release hasn’t just offended the mass-going masses for its content, but also, seemingly, for it’s timing: what with Palm Sunday upon us and Easter coming up soon. One response saw pastor and South Carolina congressional candidate Mark Burns tweet: “These #SatanShoes by #Nike & #LilNasX with 666 and a drop of human blood in the sole is a reason why we Christians must be prayed up ready to battle in the spirit with the Voice of the Holy Spirit. This is evil & heresy and I pray that Christians rise up against this.”

In response to the backlash, Nike issued the following statement (via NBC News) making clear the company isn't involved in the collaboration: "We do not have a relationship with Little Nas X or MSCHF. Nike did not design or release these shoes and we do not endorse them." The company has also filed a lawsuit against MSCHF alleging "trademark infringement and dilution, false designation of origin, and unfair competition," since the drop is built on modified Nike kicks.

Lil Nas X, real name Montero Lamar Hill, issued his own statement in response to some of the early responses, which took the form of a note to his younger self.

The music video itself opens with Lil Nas X in voiceover, conveying a similar sentiment: "In life, we hide the parts of ourselves we don't want the world to see. We lock them away. We tell them, 'No.' We banish them. But here, we don't. Welcome to Montero."

Judging by the judgement, the song and shoes aren't for everyone. But that doesn’t mean Lil Nas X and his taste in shoes aren’t for plenty of others. In case the 30-plus million views of the new vid don’t show clearly enough that some people aren’t all that offended by Nas’ art, according to XXL Magazine, the shoes sold out today in less than a minute.