There’s perhaps no other artist who’s mastered the art of online hysteria quite like Lil Nas X. Ever since the TikTok algorithm propelled his 2019 single ‘Old Town Road’ to become Billboard’s longest-running number one, the singer has continued to go viral with a string of headline-making social media stunts.
Most recently, Lil Nas X responded to the backlash from his newest music video by releasing a limited-edition run of ‘Satan Shoes.’ A collaboration with MSCHF, the customised Nike sneakers were said to contain a drop of human blood, a controversial move which intentionally added fuel to the social media fire and set the Twitterverse alight with claims of Satanic worship.
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But for all the publicity and profit generated by its release (the 666 pairs were priced at $1095 and sold out in under a minute), the infamous Satan shoe collection has since landed Lil Nas X in a legal battle with Nike. Due to appear in court tomorrow, the footwear company alleges copyright infringement and the unauthorised use of Nike’s trademark ‘swoosh.’ If successful, Nike will demand a full recall and refund on all sales of the devilish kicks.
Not missing the chance to piggyback off the hype, Lil Nas X returned to his home turf on TikTok last night with a series of videos poking fun at the upcoming lawsuit. Having already accumulated 20 million views, it seems like the self-promotional social media tour is well underway in the lead-up to the rapper’s upcoming album. Guilty or not, Lil Nas X is laughing all the way to the bank.
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