Earlier this week, Lil Nas X took the internet by a storm when he announced his unofficial Satan Shoes. The sneakers, which are in collaboration with New York-based art collective MSCHF, are based on his fiery new video for “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name).”
On Monday, Lil Nas X officially dropped the Satan-inspired Nikes, and it didn’t take long for almost all of the $1018 limited edition footwear to sell out. In fact, all of the pairs made available were gone in less than a minute after the collab launched.
Read more: Here’s what Lil Nas X would sound like in an emo band
The hellish shoes feature an Air Max 97 silhouette with a bronze pentagram, an inverted cross and Luke 10:18. The latter is a Bible passage about Satan falling from heaven. The black shoes also include one interesting design element–a drop of real human blood. A spokesperson for MSCHF told CNN that each drop of blood was donated by a member of their team.
Keeping with the Satan theme, only 666 pairs of shoes were made for the collaboration. As well, the $1,018 price tag for the Satan Shoes is presumably in reference to the Bible verse featured in the design.
MSCHF x Lil Nas X “Satan Shoes” 🏹
👟Nike Air Max ’97
🩸Contains 60cc ink and 1 drop of human blood
🗡️666 Pairs, individually numbered
💰$1,018
🗓️March 29th, 2021 pic.twitter.com/XUMA9TKGSX— SAINT (@saint) March 26, 2021
According to CNN, MSCHF confirmed via email that every single pair of shoes sold out in under a minute after the collab launched on Monday. Although Lil Nas X will keep the first pair of shoes from the collection, he’s not the only familiar face who managed to snag the Satan sneakers.
Read more: Post Malone donated 10,000 pairs of his sold out Crocs to frontline workers
This week, Miley Cyrus shared a few photos of her rocking the exclusive footwear on social media. Cyrus and Lil Nas X have been friends for years thanks to his Grammy–winning collab with Billy Ray Cyrus on “Old Town Road – Remix.” Back in 2019, the duo even joined Cyrus onstage during her Glastonbury set for a performance of “Old Town Road – Remix.”
As well, Cyrus also brought her Black Mirror character Ashley O out of retirement for a “Panini” jam session with the rapper. More recently, Cyrus and Lil Nas X took part in a nostalgic exchange on TikTok that was all about Hannah Montana.
Can you see Satan? 👹 pic.twitter.com/FFb3OSiT0i
— Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) March 29, 2021
For fans who weren’t able to get their hands on the shoes, you’re in luck. MSCHF is holding a lottery on their website for one final pair of sneakers. The lucky winner will be announced April 1.
In an interview with Complex, Lil Nas X called the collaboration with MSCHF a “full-circle moment.”
“With my song and video, [the collab] was kind of like the perfect match-up. We came together, and this shoe is crazy,” Lil Nas X tells Complex. “This is a very fun collaboration, this shoe also looks amazing. I feel like a lot of people are going to love it, some are going to be mad or whatever…For me, people already demonize who I am and put me in a painting of, ‘OK, he’s evil. He’s doing this [or] he’s doing that.’ So, you know what? I’ll take that. I’ll be that and I’m going to make the most of that.”
Read more: Nike’s new collab with Ben & Jerry’s comes in a massive ice cream pint
Despite the fact that the Satan Shoes are modeled after a classic Nike design, the company has publicly stated it’s not affiliated with the footwear.
“We do not have a relationship with Lil Nas or MSCHF,” a representative for Nike tells Rolling Stone. “Nike did not design or release these shoes, and we do not endorse them.”
In fact, Nike has reportedly filed a lawsuit against MSCHF Product Studio for copyright infringement. According to the documents obtained by TMZ, Nike claims MSCHF tricked customers into thinking the shoes were approved by the sportswear company.
As well, Nike states that MSCHF purchased the Air Max 97 shoes before making modifications and reselling them at a higher price. Nike is not only suing for damages but also wants the judge to block all sales of the Satan Shoes.
“The material alterations include at least referring to the shoe as the Satan Shoe, adding red ink and human blood to the midsole, adding red embroidered satanic-themed detailing,” Nike’s lawsuit states via The Hollywood Reporter. “[As well as] adding a bronze pentagram to the laces and adding a new sock liner. There is already evidence of significant confusion and dilution occurring in the marketplace. [This includes] calls to boycott Nike in response to the launch of MSCHF’s Satan Shoes based on the mistaken belief that Nike has authorized or approved this product.”
Read more: Here are 10 shoes where Nike drew inspiration from metal and punk
Although Lil Nas X is not named in the suit, the rapper seemingly caught wind of it. On Monday, he shared his thoughts on Twitter using a SpongeBob SquarePants clip.
“Me after the Nike lawsuit,” Lil Nas X tweets.
me after the nike lawsuit pic.twitter.com/XVLjHlSrru
— nope 🏹 (@LilNasX) March 29, 2021
The Satan Nikes are inspired by Lil Nas X’s latest video for “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name).” The visual, which dropped Friday, has already earned a staggering 36 million views on YouTube at the time of writing.
The diabolical video shows Lil Nas X traveling through time in many different realms. Eventually, the rapper descends into the depths of hell and is welcomed by Satan. During his trip, Lil Nas X twerks on Lucifer before killing him and crowning himself the new ruler of hell. Of course, Lil Nas X’s Satan Shoes make their subtle debut in the “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” video. Satan can be seen wearing the controversial shoes as he sits on his fiery throne.
Last week, Lil Nas X revealed on Twitter why he decided to release a song with his real name in it and publicly come out as gay in 2019.
“Dear 14-year-old Montero, I wrote a song with our name in it,” he writes on Twitter. “It’s about a guy I met last summer. I know we promised to never come out publicly, 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. You see this is very scary for me, people will be angry, this 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. Sending you love from the future.”
— nope 🏹 (@LilNasX) March 26, 2021
What are your reactions to Lil Nas X’s Satan Shoes selling out in less than a minute? Let us know in the comments below.