Although Lil Nas X’s new Satan shoes may have ruffled a lot of feathers, he has received a stamp of approval from the Church of Satan.
According to TMZ, David Harris, magister for the Church of Satan, told the outlet that they support the shoes “because they embrace the essence of Satanism.” He also said that the church approves of the way the “Old Town Road” emcee is turning against religion to market the limited edition sneakers, which feature a pentagram pendant, a reference to Luke 10:18 — a Bible verse about the devil’s fall from heaven — and a drop of human blood in the soles.
The sneakers, which were customized Nike Air Max 97s, were created by a company called MSCHF, which previously released “Jesus Shoes” that contained water from the Jordan River. The water was reportedly blessed by a priest.
A lot of people took to social media to criticize Lil Nas X and Nike for creating the Satanic shoes, including former NBA player Nick Young who insinuated that he was going to stop wearing Nike altogether. Despite the backlash, on Monday (March 29), the Satan shoes were released online and reportedly sold out in less than a minute. Only 666 pairs were made and they were retailed at $1,018 each.
Prior to the launch of the shoes, Nike released a statement distancing itself from the controversial kicks. They also filed a federal lawsuit against MSCHF for producing the sneakers without permission.
According to the lawsuit, the retail company states the shoes were “done without Nike’s approval or authorization, and Nike is in no way connected with this project.” They are asking a federal judge to award them any profits earned by MSCHF from the sales of the shoes and order the destruction of the sneakers. Nike is also seeking punitive damages.