New York Daily News: MANHATTAN, NY – Lil Nas X is not happy with how a U.S. District Court ruled to halt the sale of his controversial sneaker collaboration with creative agency MSCHF.
“I haven’t been upset until today, I feel like its f—ed up they have so much power they can get shoes canceled,” the Grammy Award winner tweeted on Thursday, referring to the sneaker giant. “Freedom of expression gone out the window. but that’s gonna change soon.”
In a later tweet, Lil Nas X — whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill — hit back at a Twitter user who attempted to explain why the ruling shouldn’t have been a shock.
“You ripped off their design and logo. Everyone knows that’s illegal,” they wrote. “Someone as supposedly creative as you should have known better and designed your own shoe.”
“People make customs all the time, it’s never been a problem,” he argued, adding a claim that the footwear company only did so “because a powerful group of people pushed them to do so.”
The Columbia Records hip-hop artist, who was not named in the lawsuit filed by Nike on Monday, is the inspiration behind the limited-edition remixed version of Nike Air Max 97s that dropped Monday.
All available inventory of the devil-themed kicks reportedly sold out within the first minute at $1,018 a pair, which included a pentagram charm, text reading “LUKE 10:18” and even what many believed to be a drop of real human blood.
The Brooklyn-based MSCHF designed 666 pair of the red-hot commodity in conjunction with he release of Lil Nas X’s controversial music video for the new song “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name).”
With its provocative riff on religious themes, the queer-themed video, which Lil Nas X-directed with Tanu Muino, is the stuff entertainment legends are made of. (Ever hear of Madonna?)
The buzz surrounding the exclusive drops elicited a firestorm of ire on social media among religion followers, political conservatives and outright bigots who take issue with Lil Nas X’s sexuality.
The 21-year-old Atlanta area native came out as gay in the summer of 2019, as his debut song “Old Town Road” broke Billboard chart records.
One week since it debuted, the clip has amassed more than 74 million views on YouTube.
