Safaree Tells Lil Nas X to Leave Satan Worshipping to the KKK
Earlier this year, Lil Nas X raised a lot of eyebrows when he announced he was releasing a Satan-themed Nike Air Max 97 sneaker in collaboration with Brooklyn, N.Y.-based art collective MSCHF. The shoe, which also appeared in the rapper's controversial "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" video, also featured a drop of blood, which shocked a lot of critics. Pro skater Tony Hawk has since unveiled—and sold out—a skateboard with elements that liken Nas X's shoe and the rapper is speaking out about it.
On Wednesday (Aug. 25), the Grammy Award-winning rapper jumped on his Twitter account to wag his finger at critics who were offended by his Satan sneakers, which included a drop of blood in them.
“Now that tony hawk has released skateboards with his blood painted on them, and there was no public outrage, are y’all ready to admit y’all were never actually upset over the blood in the shoes? and maybe u were mad for some other reason?” he wrote in his tweet.
Nike caught wind of Lil Nas X's kicks and sued the designer MSCHF for trademark infringement. Eventually, the sneaker giant settled the lawsuit with the designer for an undisclosed amount.
Now comes word that skateboard legend Tony Hawk is releasing a skateboard deck painted using his actual blood. This news prompted Lil Nas X to comment about his controversial Satan sneaker.
While Lil Nas X may have a point, rapper-turned-reality star Safaree had a different take on why so many people were upset with his shoe.
Safaree slid in the comment section of a post shared by gossip Instagram page The Neighborhood Talk and explained to the “Old Town Road” rapper that it wasn’t the blood that had people riled up, it was the satanic themes that were being promoted with the kicks.
“It’s not the blood it was the whole 666 and trying to associate the devil with it,” he wrote. “We don’t need to act like we out here worshipping the devil. Let’s leave that to the KKK.”
Safaree may have a point as well. Nevertheless, Lil Nas X continues to spark polarizing debates as it relates to the rollouts of his music.