An American rapper smeared the Nike brand by creating demonic "Satan shoes" using sneakers sourced from the popular company.
Lil Nas X, also known as Montero Lamar Hill, collaborated with the South Korean brand MSCHF to release 666 pairs of demonic shoes using Nike Air Max 97s. But Nike said that they did not endorse the shoes.
In a statement to CBN News, Nike clarified that they know nothing about the shoes' creation.
"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 shoe manufacturer said.
Luke 10:18, which tells about the demon's fall from heaven, adorns the side of each shoe. Upside-down crosses and pentagram are also attached to the shoelaces.
Speaking to The New York Times, Daniel Greenberg, founding member of MSCHF, revealed that the shoes contained a drop of blood mixed with ink in the soles. He said that six of them in the team donated blood for the project.
"'Sacrificed' is just a cool word - it was just the MSCHF team that gave the blood," he said.
In an email to Snopes, Greenberg stated that they bought the shoes from Nike but MSCHF modified the design.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem criticized the shoes on Twitter.
"Our kids are being told that this kind of product is, not only okay, it's 'exclusive.' But do you know what's more exclusive? Their God-given eternal soul. We are in a fight for the soul of our nation. We need to fight hard. And we need to fight smart. We have to win," she tweeted.
The rapper reportedly responded quickly, saying, "ur a whole governor and u on here tweeting about some d*** shoes. do ur job!"
But the governor replied with a passage from the Bible.
"What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?" Noem stated.
Pastor Greg Locke also slammed the creation of the shoes, saying that he would never listen to the song created by the musician again.
The rapper came out as gay in June 2019.
In 2019, MSCHF released the "Jesus Shoes", using holy water from the Jordan River and blessed by a priest in Brooklyn, which went on sale for $1,425. The pair of shoes was also bought from Nike but they put on a new design on it, adding a charm of golden Jesus on the crucifix in the shoelaces. The pair of shoes was sold in a minute and the buyer has listed the sneakers for resale on StockX for $4,000.
The company said that it was their most viral creation at that time and was designed as a response to what they said are ridiculous brand collaborations, like the Adidas and Arizona Iced Tea.
"We set out to take that to the next level. We asked ourselves, 'What would a shoe collab with Jesus look like?' Obviously, it should let you walk on water. 'Well, how can we do that?' You pump holy water into the pocket of a pair of Air Max 97's and with that, you get Jesus Shoes - the holiest collab ever," Greenberg said.
The creation of the demonic merchandise, however, is a shocking reversal of the earlier product.
