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- Lil Nas X called out critics after skateboarder Tony Hawk unveiled new, blood-infused skateboards.
- Hawk announced the new line would feature skateboards painted with some of his own blood.
- Lil Nas X had earlier released blood-infused sneakers, drawing backlash and a lawsuit from Nike.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Lil Nas X tweeted on Wednesday to express his frustration at how people reacted toward his "Satan Shoes" collection versus skateboarding legend Tony Hawk's new line of products.
Hawk announced on Wednesday a new line of $500 custom skateboards as part of an ad campaign for canned-beverage company Liquid Death water.
The line of 100 custom skateboards will be painted with some of Hawk's actual blood.
That announcement was met with little criticism in stark contrast to Lil Nas X.
"Are y'all ready to admit y'all were never actually upset over the blood in the shoes?" Lil Nas X said in the tweet, calling out his critics who were largely silent on Tony Hawk's new boards.
-MONTERO 🦋 (@LilNasX) August 25, 2021
Earlier in March, Lil Nas X announced a collaboration with art collective MSCHF to create a line of novelty shoes inspired by the rapper's music video for his song, "Montero (Call me by Your Name)."
The "Satan Shoes" collection, which featured 666 shoes containing a drop of human blood, received substantial pushback from religious conservatives who said the shoes were endorsing satanic values and homosexuality.
"Maybe [you] were mad for some other reason?" Lil Nas X ended the tweet, speculating the real source of the disparate criticism from Hawk had little to do with religion.
Lil Nas X called out an apparent a double standard that Hawk, a straight white cis man, received less pushback on his product unveiling from the public compared to him, even though both products essentially include the same controversial marketing tactic.
Read more: Lil Nas X's 'nah he tweakin' comment about Tony Hawk sparked an internet-wide meme surge
The rapper has previously taken flack from fellow members of the rap community, like DaBaby who went on a homophobic rant at one of his concerts seemingly directed at the two-time Grammy winner.
Lil Nas X also tweeted an edited picture of Chik-fil-A shoes as a clear reference to his LGBTQ identity and the criticism he and his shoe line received because of it.
The fast food company has dealt with criticism in the past for its ties with an anti-LGBT Christian charity.
Lil Nas X drew the attention of several conservative figures, like South Dakota governor Kristi Noem, an opponent of transgender rights who said the shoes were an attack on the "soul of our nation,"
GOP Congressional candidate Robby Starbuck called the "Montero" music video "evil content."
The rebukes echo a Republican movement toward so-called "culture wars," portraying popular figures - like Lil Nas X, who identifies as a gay, Black man - as a threat to American values.
Nike later sued MSCHF, claiming it "suffered significant" harm because consumers thought the company was affiliated with the project. "Satan Shoes" closely resembled a pair of Nike Air Max 97.
The companies eventually settled the dispute and MSCHF cancelled further production while recalling all delivered shoes at full retail price.
Insider did not receive responses from teams representing Hawk or Lil Nas X by the time of publication.