We’ll be damned.
Lil Nas X launched his controversial “Satan Shoes” on Monday, featuring demonic imagery and a drop of real human blood — and all 666 pairs were gone almost immediately.
“Y’all talked so much s—t about these shoes just for them to sell out in literally less than one minute,” the 21-year-old rapper shared in a since-deleted tweet. “lmao y’all going out SAD!”
Released on the heels of his unapologetically queer “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” music video, the limited-edition kicks were made in collaboration with MSCHF, the creative agency famous for its holy water-infused “Jesus Shoes” and “Birkinstocks” crafted from destroyed Hermès bags.
Priced at $1,018, the devilish take on Nike’s Air Max ’97 sneakers comes decorated with a pentagram pendant and inverted crosses, and has “Luke 10:18” stamped on the side; the Bible verse references Satan “[falling] like lightning from heaven.”
It’s an apropos addition considering that Lil Nas X’s new video, which inspired the shoes, sees the star descending into hell via a stripper pole and offering Satan a lap dance.
Like the clip itself, the “Satan Shoes” proved polarizing. Despite selling out in seconds, the sneakers seemed to sparked a wave of “Satanic panic,” with former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, former NBA star Nick “Swaggy P” Young, rapper Joyner Lucas and Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota among those voicing their disapproval with the diabolical design.
Lil Nas X, for his part, poked fun at the uproar with a tongue-in-cheek “apology” video on YouTube Sunday that incorporated some of his “Call Me By Your Name” video’s racier scenes.
He may have a tougher time laughing off Nike’s response: Just one day after the athletic giant denied its involvement with the sneakers, the company sued MISCHF for copyright infringement and dilution on Monday.