Lil Nas X irked many from a Republican governor to conservative commentators and Christian preachers to even global sportswear giant Nike, after the rapper announced that he is the face of a brand of shoes that will have literal blood in the soles.
On Sunday, the Old Town Road hitmaker was the target of his critics, among whom included Candace Owens, who tweeted: “We are promoting Satan shoes to wear on our feet. We’ve got Cardi B named as woman of the year. But we’re convinced it’s white supremacy that’s keeping black America behind. How stupid can we be?”
While Owens made an argument against what she believes is the destruction of the future for African-American youth, another Black pro-conservative voice, Pastor Mark Burns who supported Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 also chimed in. Burns said the shoe project is “why we Christians must be prayed up ready to battle in the spirit with the Voice of the Holy Spirit.”
The Republican governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem, was also involved in a spat with the rapper on Sunday afternoon.
The controversial shoes are a collaboration between the rapper MSCHF. The company has in the past made a brand of shoes they called Jesus Shoes which had in their soles, a drop of the water from the Jordan River where the Bible notes that Jesus was baptized.
The Satan Shoes will go on sale on Monday, March 29 as part of promotion for Lil Nas X’s new single, Montero (Call Me By Your Name). The shoes are said to be a redo of Nike’s Air Max 97s. This prompted questions about Nike’s involvement in the project.
But Nike issued a statement saying: “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 blood in the soles of the Satan Shoes is drawn from employees at MSCHF, NBC reported. They are also designed with a pentagram.
There will be only 666 shoes on sale on Monday and each pair will come at the price of $1,018 – taken from Luke 10: 18 which reads in the New International Version of the Bible: “He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven”.
