Lil Nas X Releases Unofficial 'Satan' Nike Shoes to Immediate Backlash

Lil Nas X has landed himself in controversy after launching a pair of "Satan Shoes" to celebrate the release of the highly-anticipated video for his single "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)." The two-time Grammy winner, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, dropped the video, announced over the weekend he would be releasing 666 pairs of the shoes, and social media immediately chimed in with plenty of backlash.

The shoes are a collaboration between the singer and New York-based art collective MSCHF. While the shoes were made using Nike Air Max 97s, Nike confirmed in a statement to NBC News they had no involvement with the shoes. The statement said, "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 controversial shoes feature a pentagram pendant and a reference to Luke 10:18, which reads, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." Perhaps most controversial, though, is the fact that each shoe's air bubble sole contains 60 cubic centimeters of red ink and "one drop" of human blood. According to MSCHF, the blood was drawn from members of the MSCHF team.

"Satan Shoes" were quick to go viral on social media, though the reaction was anything but flattering. The shoes have stirred backlash, with some taking issue with their numerous references to Satan and the use of actual human blood. The backlash has since been dubbed "Satanic Panic" on social media, the phrase trending on the platform as of Monday morning.