Lil Nas X is mining that whole “Satan Shoe” controversy for comedy—which really is the only legitimate response to it. The teaser for his new single, “Industry Baby,” finds the rapper lampooning Nike’s recently settled trademark infringement lawsuit against MSCHF, the Brooklyn-based company that created a controversial customized version of the athleticwear brand’s Air Max 97s in collaboration with Lil Nas X as a promotional tie-in to his equally controversial hit “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).”
In the clip, the 22-year-old phenomenon is on trial for his involvement in the creation of the kicks, which infamously incorporated drops of human blood into their soles. Lil Nas shows off his impressive sketch comedy chops, playing just about every key role: himself, a lecherous judge, the lawyers for both the defense and prosecution and even a member of the jury. After admitting that his mama knows he’s gay, the rapper is sentenced to five years in “Montero State Prison.”
Cut to a sample of “Industry Baby,” which is due this Friday—presumably accompanied by a video continuing the story of Lil Nas X’s incarceration.
The “Old Town Road” rapper is quickly becoming known as a bit of an iconoclast for his playfully provocative videos. The clip for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” caused a fair amount of hand-wringing for its unapologetically queer imagery, which included Lil Nas X sliding down a stripper pole into Hell and giving the devil a lap dance. And his performances on SNL and at the BET Music Awards both made headlines.
The bar for “Industry Baby” is pretty high, but Lil Nas X has been hyping the video’s narrative nonstop with character posters and imagery on social media. And if his preemptive tweet is any indication, the end product is going to be wild. “Saying this in advance so y’all won’t blame me,” he wrote, “THE INDUSTRY BABY VIDEO IS NOT FOR YOUR KIDS!”
saying this in advance so y’all won’t blame me. THE INDUSTRY BABY VIDEO IS NOT FOR YOUR KIDS!
— nope 👶🏾 (@LilNasX) July 20, 2021
