It’s a jam-packed Wrap Up today focusing on a wild Love & Hip Hop rumor started by Joseline Hernandez, Lil Nas X going blow for blow with Nike over his “Satan” shoes, Yung Miami turning up with her mom back home and much more! This is your week in review!
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Grammy-winning rapper Lil Nas X isn’t letting the drama between his limited edition “Satan Shoes” and Nike’s restraining order bring him down. Instead, the rap heavyweight continues to celebrate the success of his “MONTERO” single. Lil Nas X Bounces Back X went to his Instagram page to keep the attention on his music. Instead of […]
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While there was plenty of backlash surrounding Lil Nas X and last week’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” video, the singer adding to the controversy with the release of his “Satan Shoes.” In collaboration with MSCHF, the singer released 666 pairs of the sneakers: a customized pair of Nike Air Max 97s that came with a pentagram as well as ink and a singular drop of human blood injected to the shoe’s sole. The release didn’t sit too well with Nike as they sued MSCHF earlier this week and obtained a temporary restraining order to ban the company from completing orders of the Satan Shoes.
Unfortunately for Nike, MSCHF said that all but one pair of the shoes were shipped, with the remaining one being the 666th pair. According to The Verge, the viral company said it will not ship the final pair of the Satan Shoes as a result of the court order. MSCHF says that the original plan for the 666th pair of the sneaker collaboration with Lil Nas X was to give it away in on April 2, a plan that is now on hold due to the lawsuit.
MSCHF’s attorney spoke about a judge’s ruling against the Satan Shoes in a statement that said the shoes are “not typical sneakers, but rather individually-numbered works of art that were sold to collectors for $1,018 each,” adding that consumers most likely knew the sneakers were not connected to Nike “given the sophistication of purchasers.”
sorry guys i’m legally not allowed to give the 666th pair away anymore because of the crying nerds on the internet https://t.co/URoj0kGnRq
— nope
(@LilNasX) April 1, 2021
Lil Nas also apologized for his inability to give away the final pair of shoes in a post to Twitter. “sorry guys i’m legally not allowed to give the 666th pair away anymore because of the crying nerds on the internet,” he said.
When your brand is literally called MSCHF, it shouldn’t be a shocker that there’s a good dose of actual mischief embedded in the ethos. That’s exactly what the label behind Lil Nas X’s wildly viral Satan shoes promises to deliver with each of its bi-monthly drops. Note we didn’t say “bi-monthly sneaker drops” — because while the most famous MSCHF products are shoes, they’ve also launched tongue-in-cheek bath bombs, internet browser add-ons, AI-generated feet photos, and rubber chicken bongs, along with various other weird shit and ephemera.
The Satan shoes aren’t the brand’s first brush with viral fame, either. Launched in 2016 and based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (obvi), MSCHF is the same brand that brought you this year’s Birkinstocks — Birkenstock sandals made using the leather from real Birkin bags and those dope as hell all-white Nike Aix Max 97s filled with 60CCs of Holy Water sourced from the River Jordan back in 2019. So while it might feel like they’ve come out of nowhere, stunt marketing like this is very much their #brand.
Everything out of MSCHF comes wrapped in layers of nihilistic irony that attempts to reflect the absurdity of a world where people get hyped over things like Supreme stamped bricks and shrug off stuff like an attempted coup from a game-show-host-turned-President as just another Wednesday in the waning days of the American Empire. But by adopting the uber-capitalistic “bi-weekly drop” cadence of a modern streetwear company, MSCHF is very much part of the world they’re skewering. (The line between viral marketing and literal trolling gets very tough to see when you look at things like MSCHF’s ClickSwipe app, which swipes right on Tinder for you every time you click something with your mouse).
“Our perspective is everything is funny in a nihilistic sort of way,” MSCHF CEO Gabriel Whaley told Business Insider in an interview. “We’re not here to make the world a better place. We’re making light of how much everything sucks.”
If you take those words at face value, MSCHF feels a lot of the old Supreme — which gained legitimate clout via viral product drops. When the Supreme brick happened it was product-as-commentary, a release that reflected the absurdity of the hype machine surrounding the counterculture skatewear brand itself. The fact that people actually paid for it is what made the brick such an iconically dark moment in streetwear history.
These days, Supreme plays its relatively safe, favoring official collaborations over everything, though they’ll still drop a random accessory here and there. The gap in the “is this a real commentary on commerce or just commerce in disguise as commentary?” space that Supreme left behind has since been filled by MSCHF. And the relationship is a weirdly reciprocal one — with MSCHF’s ironic products hitting harder because we saw how well that model actually served Supreme.
Now bring all that context to bear on the Satan shoes — which a judge has just ordered the brand to stop selling. Note, that this isn’t an official collab. MSCHF calls them “art pieces” and that’s correct, though Nike is arguing that the general public isn’t sophisticated enough to know that this devil-themed footwear wasn’t actually made by Swoosh & Co., which also seems to be true. While sneaker customization isn’t illegal, when you’re selling 666 customized sneakers with blood in the air bubble and freaking out square Christian parents across the country, the brand whose shoe you’re using has every right to ask you to chill.
MSCHF will surely cease and desist and their next drop will be all the more anticipated because of this episode. Nike lawyers could squash them, but why would they? Their brand got a little badass-rebel energy from this dance and their PR machine will fight to correct misperceptions among their core suburban fanbase. Round and round we go.
Eventually, the two brands will probably collaborate for real. Again, Supreme laid down the playbook for this. In 2000 Supreme received a cease-and-desist from Louis Vuitton for lifting the brand’s signature monogram print. 17 years later the two brands announced their first of several official collaborations. Let’s hope it doesn’t take that long for MSCHF and Nike to make nice.
What you think of MSCHF’s actual products depends on your life stage and whether its model feels fresh or tired to you. Do you think blood in a shoe is bold? What about a bath bomb shaped like a toaster? Or an Instagram account that proudly proclaims “DO NOT FOLLOW US“? If that sounds corny or if you’re past it because it feels like a retread of Supreme, feel free to look away.
For the rest of us, MSCHF is infusing the world of streetwear and accessory drops with some conversation-starting fun, re-capturing the counter-culture energy of an industry that has become commercialized to the point of banality. Whether it’s capitalism masquerading as rebellion or rebellion masquerading as capitalism is impossible to say. But maybe that, too, is part of the point.
me after the nike lawsuit pic.twitter.com/XVLjHlSrru
— nope
MSCHF’s “Lite Mode” (left) vs. “Dark Mode” (right) for their Toaster bath bomb drop is instantly iconic. pic.twitter.com/Gp93dd4XWs
— Roger (6’5”) (@iamtherog) December 10, 2019
If you want to sign up for early access to MSCHF products click here.
It was reported a couple days ago that Nike sued MSCHF Product Studio, which collaborated with Lil Nas X on the controversial “Satan shoes.” Now, it looks like that situation is swinging in Nike’s favor so far, as The Hollywood Reporter notes that a federal judge has ordered MSCHF to stop selling the custom Air Max 97 shoes. The shoes quickly sold out when initially put for sale, so it would seem Nike is trying to prevent those orders from being fulfilled.
Nike filed a trademark lawsuit against MSCHF earlier this week and followed up with a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction. Nike claims the shoes will dilute their brand and the company “submitted evidence that even sophisticated sneakerheads were confused.” A Nike attorney also noted, “We have submitted numerous evidence that some consumers are saying they will never buy Nike shoes ever again.”
In a letter to the judge, MSCHF’s attorneys argued that the limited edition shoes are “not typical sneakers, but rather individually-numbered works of art that were sold to collectors for $1,018 each,” and notes that confusion among the shoes’ customers isn’t likely “given the sophistication of purchasers.”
Naturally, Nas has handled the whole situation with his signature sense of humor.
me after the nike lawsuit pic.twitter.com/XVLjHlSrru
— nope
Pop superstar Miley Cyrus is officially rocking with Lil Nas X. The popular crooner has blessed social media with a look at herself donning a pair of controversial “Satan Shoes” by the “MONTERO” hitmaker. Miley Cyrus Wears Lil Nas X’s Kicks Miley went to her Instagram page to show off the fresh-looking kicks. It’s also […]
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Lil Nas X is good at the internet — and he should be. At just 21 years old, he was born into a world with social media, smartphones, and all the cultural byproducts inherent to both. He’s a representative member of the first generation to never know a world without PCs, MacBooks, iPhones, and DSPs.
Still, though, he’s better at playing the game than most, a fact best evidenced by the now-well-known circumstances of his rise to stardom. “Old Town Road” didn’t become a mega-hit by accident. Instead, Nas, disillusioned after the lukewarm reception of his debut mixtape Nasarati, shifted gears, putting all of his considerable knowledge and experience at social media trolling into making his country-fried joke song blow up.
Now, those computer troll instincts are again making him the center of attention. Someone less adept at manipulating the narrative and processing the invective he’s taken would crumble under the weight. But Nas, bred in the fires of Stan Twitter flame wars and well-versed in the weird humor of convoluted Reddit memes, has turned every slight against him into another chance to promote “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and its ancillary products.
His gift mirrors that of another colorful and gifted troll who recently lived out his rise and fall in the burning spotlight of internet scrutiny. Tekashi 69 also blew up by playing on social media users’ attraction to controversy. Feeding the algorithms that shove outrage fodder in our faces 24/7, the New Yorker goaded opponents, leaned all the way into his role as a hip-hop heel, and kept up a steady stream of new material to capitalize on the trainwreck quality of his online persona.
Of course, we all know what that got him. While he continues trolling establishment rap media and other artists, the effect is beginning to show diminishing returns. The nonstop negativity he generates may have a sideshow quality, but eventually, there’s only so much you can gawk at the bearded lady before you get bored and look around for something else. In contrast, Lil Nas X is doing the opposite: Using his troll powers for good — or maybe for redemption.
After all, those skills were honed at the cost of childish jokes at the expense of marginalized groups back when Nas just ran a Nicki Minaj stan account. Like many of the Barbz online, he could be seen lashing out at just about any target. Yet, in light of his coming out as gay and knowing the angst that comes along with hiding your identity, his past behavior is understandable, if not acceptable. Hurt people hurt people.
Behind just about every nasty troll comment is insecurity; Nas eventually came to terms with his and is now using his wicked sense of humor to thrash his detractors — people he can likely relate to on some level as a result of his prior experiences — with sarcastic wit and cleverly-planned rollouts that use their criticisms as free promotion.
So when his music video’s Luciferian lapdance prompted accusations of devil worship, Nas judo-flipped those complaints by pointing out the fire-and-brimstone recriminations that have been leveled at queer people for the past century — and that he’s not the first to use such imagery, highlighting the potential hidden agendas of those accusers. When his customized Nike Air Max collaboration with MSCHF was demeaned by Fox News, he smoothly noted the hypocrisy of freedom-of-speech advocates with a humorous knock on Chick-Fil-A’s proud support of anti-gay groups and legislation. The shoes sold out in 60 seconds, adding insult to injury for his haters.
By offering up this provocation, not only does Nas generate streams, views, and ultimately, dollar signs, he also provides an example that he didn’t have growing up: A gay, Black man standing up to the establishment — and winning. He’s laying a blueprint for the kid who feels that they can’t be themselves without facing persecution, who would otherwise turn into the bullies they feared through online trolling.
The anonymity the internet provides allows the opportunity for reinvention, but it also incentivizes our worst impulses. Clap backs get the most engagement, algorithms guide lost souls down dangerous roads of conspiracy theory and hatred, and outrage is more valuable than Bitcoin, DogeCoin, and Ethereum put together. What Lil Nas X has done with “Montero” and his so-called “Satan Shoes” has exposed these tendencies and silently invoke the query, “What are you going to do about it?”
By calling out the silliness of outrage culture, he’s also subtly calling out the absence of anything better — and challenging us to create that missing alternative. For every hell, there must be a heaven; if Lil Nas X’s fantastical video bothers you so much, maybe you need to find somewhere positive to put that energy. After all, you’re unlikely to see a pair of those Air Max 97s out in public and you won’t have to watch the “Montero” video unless you go to YouTube searching for it. That’s the thing about trolls; the more you feed them, the stronger they get. At least this one is trying to make the world a slightly better place.
Among the many controversies that surround Lil Nas X’s new song and video “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” one of involves accusations of plagiarism. Some people noticed large similarities between his video and FKA Twigs’ 2019 video for “Cellophane.” Lil Nas admitted to TIME that he took inspiration from FKA Twigs’ video for his own. “I wanted to see some things people have done in music videos with the pole—and I felt like twigs did a really amazing job at that,” he said. “I wanted to do my own take on it.”
Despite it all, Lil Nas and FKA Twigs are on good terms, as the latter revealed in an Instagram post that they cleared the air about their respective videos. “Thank you @lilnasx for our gentle honest conversations and for acknowledging the inspiration cellophane gave you and your creative team in creating your iconic video!” she said. “I think what you have done is amazing and i fully support your expression and bravery in pushing culture forward for the queer community. legend status.”
She also took a moment to address sex workers, Andrew Thomas Huang, who previously spoke about the similarities in the music videos, and Kelly Yvonne as they all played a role in creating her video.
“I want to thank @andrewthomashuang and @kelyvon for helping me create cellophane but also and most importantly i would like to thank sex workers and strippers for providing the physical language to make both videos possible,” FKA Twigs said. She then shared some news with her followers. “i have been working with @swarmhive to help support this community and i know all donations to the swarm hardship fund will be welcome during this difficult time.” SWARM (Sex Worker Advocacy and Resistance Movement) is a grassroots sex-worker-led collective “fighting criminalisation, supporting sex workers & engaging in solidarity across issues of justice,” as it reads in their Instagram bio.
Lil Nas X has pretty much had the entertainment world in the palm of his hands since he released his video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” last week. Think pieces from all over were written, but the singer is taking it all in stride, trolling his critics in response. Things worsened when he unveiled the footwear line “Satan Shoes” mere days after the song arrived, but even a lawsuit from Nike didn’t faze him.
There was one other piece of criticism: Some said the new video bore similarities to FKA Twigs’ 2019 video for “Cellophane,” namely the part where he descends to hell on a stripper pole. However, the director of FKA Twigs’ video, Andrew Thomas Huang, wasn’t so quick to accuse the “Old Town Road” singer of theft.
I’m a fan of @LilNasX. “Old Town Road” is iconic. Sharing collaborators is common. Seeing the “Cellophane” choreographer collab with Lil Nas X is awesome (love a Satan dance). Sharing aesthetics and paying homage is part of the creative process. Collective consciousness exists.
— Andrew Thomas Huang (@Andrew_T_Huang) March 28, 2021
“I’m a fan of @LilNasX. “Old Town Road” is iconic,” Huang wrote over Twitter. “Sharing collaborators is common. Seeing the ‘Cellophane’ choreographer collab with Lil Nas X is awesome (love a Satan dance). Sharing aesthetics and paying homage is part of the creative process. Collective consciousness exists.” He added, “Images are also expensive to make. Years of work went into the creation of ‘Cellophane,’ from physical training to the emotional labor of unpacking Twigs’ life to construct images told her story of trauma and recovery. ‘Cellophane’ was a confession in the most vulnerable sense.”
Images are also expensive to make. Years of work went into the creation of “Cellophane,” from physical training to the emotional labor of unpacking Twigs’ life to construct images told her story of trauma and recovery. “Cellophane” was a confession in the most vulnerable sense.
— Andrew Thomas Huang (@Andrew_T_Huang) March 28, 2021
Huang then discussed the work that was put into the “Cellophane” video. “Images are also expensive to make. Years of work went into the creation of ‘Cellophane,’ from physical training to the emotional labor of unpacking Twigs’ life to construct images told her story of trauma and recovery. ‘Cellophane’ was a confession in the most vulnerable sense,” he said. “When an artist is in a position of power (amplified with the help of major record labels, social media, PR, etc) and repurposes someone’s labor and ideas to serve their brand image, they cause harm by displacing the efforts of the artists who did the original leg work.”
Intentional or not, copying other artists’ work happens. Making music videos is a labor of love. The demand for content pushed by major labels renders our work disposable and pits artists against each other.
— Andrew Thomas Huang (@Andrew_T_Huang) March 28, 2021
Huang then shifted his attention to major records labels like Columbia, to which Lil Nas is signed, and asked that they do a better job of enforcing artistic integrity with their creatives. “I urge the music community, particularly major record labels like @ColumbiaRecords to respect directors, uphold artistic accountability and honor the ingenuity of artists dedicating their blood sweat and tears to imagine better futures amidst a broken industry,” he said, adding, “We can do better.”
Over the past few days, Lil Nas X has proven yet again that he knows how to get all sorts of reactions out of all sorts of people. With his “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” video and his controversial sneakers (both of which are Satan-themed), he has delighted some onlookers while making others irate. Now, he is hoping that his story will inspire an episode from a show that gets similar reactions out of its fans and haters: South Park.
This afternoon, Nas seemingly tried to will an episode of the show into existence by tweeting, “this gone be a good ass south park episode lmao.”
this gone be a good ass south park episode lmao
— nope
A South Park episode about Nas’ new controversy certainly isn’t outside of the realm of possibility. The show is made quickly, which allows Trey Parker and Matt Stone to tackle specific contemporary topics: Just this month, they released a special episode about the coronavirus vaccine. Meanwhile, Satan is actually a recurring character on South Park, so it’s not like an appearance from the devil would be out of the ordinary.
There’s certainly a lot of source material to work with: The maker of the “Satan shoes” is reportedly being sued by Nike and the Church Of Satan is on board with what Nas has been up to.
