American rapper Lil Nas X used Nike without the companies permission to promote his limited edition “Satan Shoes” that contain real human blood.
21-year-old American rapper Montero Lamar Hill, better known as Lil Nas X, has turned his Satanic obsession into a questionable fashion item and the Nike legal team do not approve.
After a serious of dark videos and tweets all somewhat obsessive about Satan, Lil Nas X has announced that he is releasing limited edition “Satan Shoes” that, according to him, contain 1 drop of real human blood.
The release of the Satan Shoes coincides with Lil Nas X’s latest single, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” and its accompanying music video. In the video, Lil Nas X is seduced out of what appears to be the Garden of Eden, falls into hell and gives the devil a lap dance.
The “Satan Shoes” are based of the Nike Air Max ’97, and the trims are allegedly made from a mixture of 66cc of ink and one drop of human blood. These limited edition “Satan Shows” by Lil Nax X will cost USD$1018 and there will only be 666 pairs available, and each pair will be custom numbered.
Church of Satan approves.
The price is also a reference to the Biblical verse Luke 10:18 which reads: “So He told them, ”I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.'”
The Church of Satan has officially endorsed the new sneakers in a Tweet.
RT for Satan shoes / like for Jesus shoes pic.twitter.com/3G160fi8mm
— The Church Of Satan (@ChurchofSatan) March 28, 2021
Black conservative influencer, Candace Owens, as well as the the governor of South Dakota both lashed out at the young American rapper.
“We’ve turned George Floyd, a criminal drug addict, into an icon. 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?,” Owens tweeted.
Lil Nas X fired back bragging that if he made her upset that he’s doing something right.
Candace Owens responded: “Yes. You successfully got you used by corporations to help further destroy our youth. Congratulations on being a pawn in a game you likely don’t even understand. We can take cheap shots on Twitter or I can welcome you to have this discussion with me publicly because it matters.”
Nike sent cease and desist.
In a strange turn of events Nike have officially announced that they have no relationship in with Lil Nax X and have absolutely no interest in making a show that contains real human blood. Regardless, MSCHF, the controversial counterfeit company responsible for making the shoe, has previously released a pair of modified Nike Air Max 97s called the “Jesus Shoes,” which contained what it described as holy water in its sole drawn from the River Jordan.
“We do not have a relationship with Little Nas X or MSCHF,” Nike said in a statement. “Nike did not design or release these shoes and we do not endorse them,” a Nike spokesperson said.
According to a source close to the artist Nike have reportedly sent a cease and desist to Montero Lamar Hill and MSCHF for using their name on logo on the “Satan Shoe” without their legal consent. However, MSCHF do not seem concerned and the “Satan Shoes” are still set to release.
“If we can make people a fan of the brand and not the product, we can do whatever the f–k we want,” Greenberg, the head of commerce, told Business Insider. “We build what we want. We don’t care.”
MSCHF is a bootleg company.
MSCHF is a very questionable bootleg company that operates within the grey area of the law. They are based in a dinky little office in Brooklyn, New York.
MSCHF’s new drop is All The Streams, a mega-infringing site that lets you watch real-time streams of Netflix, HBO, Disney+, Hulu, Prime Video, and Showtime. Check it out before they get sued! https://t.co/2qOZguz41i
— Andy Baio (@waxpancake) March 9, 2020
Last year MSCHF launched their own pirate streaming service called allthestreams.mf. A service that would randomly stream movies and shows from Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu and Showtime. The piracy stunt was short-lived and now an FBI warning can be seen on the site.
Satan Shoes infringe Nike trademarks.
Now that Nike have officially condemned the MSCHF x Lil Nas X “Satan Shoes” what exactly does that mean for the production of the show?
Well, selling custom made Nike shoes is nothing new, and a lot of small online designers and retailers make a living doing that. However, the legality of customising and reselling Nike shoes falls inside a very, very grey area. Displaying the Nike logo and trademark means that MSCHF and Lil Nas X are liable and can be sued for trademark infringement.
According to our source the cease and desist sent by Nike stipulates that the logo and name must be removed from the shoes before they are shipped.
In June, 2020 Rolex won a trademark infringement case against a company that was selling customised Rolex watches.
The ruling stated that the customiser known as La Californienne would be allowed to keep using vintage Rolex watches, but it would no longer be able to use Rolex’s trademark name or logo in any way — not on the watches, not in its advertising. This is something MSCHF are guilty of.
It is very likely that MSCHF and Lil Nas X will continue to customise, produce and resell the Nike “Satan Shoes” even while infringing Nike trademarks. The shows will be available in limited supply for sale today, March 29th 2021.