Welcome to the first installment of Pop Culture Recap. Allow me to catch you up to speed on some of the hot news from this week you may have missed.
Nike Sues Lil Nas X’s “Satan Shoes”
Rapper Lil Nas X has had a very eventful past few days, to say the least. The music video for his latest single MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name), which featured some religious imagery, was met with some backlash from mostly conservative folks online to which he would reply with memes and/or jokes.
On Monday, Lil Nas X and New York-based art collective, MSCHF, announced the sneakers called “Satan Shoes” which are modified Nike Air Max 97s that include a bronze pentagram, an inverted cross, and one drop of real human blood. All 666 pairs sold out immediately.
That same day, Nike sued the art collective for trademark infringement.
“MSCHF and its unauthorized Satan Shoes are likely to cause confusion and dilution and create an erroneous association between MSCHF’s products and Nike,” the company says in its complaint. “In the short time since the announcement of the Satan Shoes, Nike has suffered significant harm to its goodwill, including among consumers who believe that Nike is endorsing satanism.”
Lil Nas X is not named in the lawsuit but Nike wants to make it very clear it did not design, release, or endorse the sneakers.
Addison Rae Responds to Backlash over a Segment on The Tonight Show
TikTok star Addison Rae appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and made a segment alongside Fallon where she danced various viral TikTok dances, most of which were choreographed by Black creators.
Both Rae and The Tonight Show have faced criticism for having a white TikToker perform trends created by Black folks without giving due credit. TMZ spoke to Rae about the controversy to which she responded, “I think they were all credited in the original YouTube posting but it’s kinda hard to credit during the show.”
She continued, “But they all know how I love them so much and I support all of them so much. And hopefully one day we can all meet up and dance together.” Folks online were quick to mention producers over at The Tonight Show could’ve written the creators’ usernames on the cards Fallon was holding. They’ve also pointed out Addison Rae has been meeting up with people regularly so it seemed hypocritical to use the pandemic as an excuse to why she can’t collaborate with Black creators now.
These are the creators of the dances that appeared on The Tonight Show: “Do It Again”: @noahschnapp, “Savage Love”: @jazlynebaybee, “Corvette Corvette”: @yvunggprince, “Laffy Taffy”: @flyboyfu, “Savage”: @kekejanjah, “Blinding Lights”: @macdaddyz, “Up”: @theemyanicole, “Fergalicious”: @thegilberttwins.
The Trailer for Zola, Twitter Thread Turned Movie, is Finally Here
“Y’all wanna hear a story about how me and this bitch fell out? It’s kinda long but it’s full of suspense,” and so the trailer for A24’s Zola starts. It tells the viral Twitter thread tale from 2015 told by A’ziah “Zola” King who went on a spontaneous trip to Florida with a girl she had met the day before.
Written by Janicza Bravo and Jeremy O. Harris, and directed by Bravo, Zola premiered at Sundance in 2020 but the ongoing pandemic prevented it from opening in theaters. Bravo has described the film as “the place where Bodak Yellow [by Cardi B] and Blue Velvet meet.” The rambunctious and wacky stripper saga stars Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Colman Domingo, and Nicholas Braun.
You can catch up on the 148-tweet thread here before watching Zola this summer.
Mugler’s Virtual Show was Mesmerizingly Sexy
Mugler’s Spring/Summer 2021 show was less of a runway show and more of an experience. Hunter Schafer, Bella Hadid, Dominique Jackson, Irina Shayk, and Park Soo-Joo, among other models, don sheer dresses and shimmering bodysuits as creative director Casey Cadwallader rattles the traditional runway format.
With sultry backward walks and a collection that oozes sex appeal, Cadwallader enhances the bodies, mixing dynamic choreography (Hadid did somersaults down the runway and Schafer dived on the catwalk in heels) and sculptural dominatrix-esque looks.
This show is a testament to the myriad of creative possibilities the fashion industry has in a virtual world.
Olivia Rodrigo Drops New Single and Debut Album Release Date
In her latest single, deja vu, Olivia Rodrigo suspects her former partner is not over her because he’s recreating memories shared with Rodrigo but with another girl. It follows the same storytelling specificity as its record-breaking predecessor driver’s license, as she details eating strawberry ice cream in Malibu, trading jackets, and singing Billy Joel. The music video features a colorful and dreamy ride to Malibu as she later mimics the outfits and mannerisms of another girl (presumably the other actress she mentions in the song).
An hour after dropping deja vu, Rodrigo revealed her debut album will be arriving on May 21. The tracklist, album title, and artwork will be coming soon.
Taylor Swift, Lorde, and Glee’s love child continue to cement her alluring musical style as fans everywhere are eager to watch her grow into a superstar. It’s safe to say, we’re glad it wasn’t an April Fools joke.