How the internet commodifies black culture

If you haven’t heard the song “Lottery (Renegade)” by K Camp or seen the viral dance that accompanies the song on TikTok, then you’ve definitely been living under a rock. The song and popular dance has permeated all social media, making it one of the most viral dance crazes in recent years.

But did you know the dance was originally created by a 14-year-old black girl from Fayetteville, Georgia? Chances are if you’ve seen teens and celebrities alike performing the viral dance online, you haven’t seen the original dance, choreographed by Jalaiah Harmon with her friend Kaliyah Davis in September 2019. Harmon choreographed the dance to “Lottery” and posted to her Instagram where it amassed 13,000 views.

Yet, who has gained immense popularity for bringing the Renegade dance to TikTok? A 15-year-old white girl from Connecticut, Charli D’Amelio. One of TikTok’s biggest stars, D’Amelio has 27.5 million followers on the platform, was sent merchandise from Dunkin’ and was even featured in the Sabra Hummus Super Bowl LIV commercial. She didn’t even post the original Renegade dance.

To quote Gabrielle Union in “Bring It On:” “I know you didn’t think a white girl made that s— up?”

This isn’t the first time black creations were stolen by non-black people on the internet. Again, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably familiar with the phrase “on fleek.” This phrase perfectly encapsulates the feeling of freshly done, perfect brows—a phrase we didn’t know we needed. Coined by Kayla Newman aka Peaches Monroee in a viral, now classic Vine became popular in 2014.

However, like Harmon, Newman was not given the credit she deserves, and her phrase was appropriated by non-black people and even large corporations all over the internet. Non-black people have sold T-shirts, wine glasses, laptop stickers and makeup donned with Newman’s iconic phrase.

Companies like IHOP tweeted, “Pancakes on fleek,” and Forever 21 sold T-shirts with the phrase; yet, Newman never received any money or opportunities to collaborate with big brands because of the iconic phrase. Recently, Newman reprised her now-famous Vine in an Instagram video about Fenty Beauty’s Brow MVP product, which was then posted to the Fenty Beauty official Instagram page. And yet, this recognition comes nearly five years after her Vine went viral.

In the current digital landscape, virality is everything. Virality is what can catapult a regular person to opportunities, money and internet fame. Virality can stand between a person having the financial stability to pursue their passions as opposed to just working at a “normal” job.

Now, that doesn’t mean all creators make content for the sole purpose of going viral or that virality is the only value in online creations. But it’s naive to say getting credit for your creations doesn’t matter, and even more dense to think Harmon or Newman not getting equal credit and opportunities as white teens doesn’t matter.

Thanks in part to the outrage of black Twitter over the weekend, there has been outpouring support for Harmon to get credit for her Renegade dance. TikTok stars like D’Amelio and Addison Easterling each posted a video doing Harmon’s original choreography and giving her credit for her dance. Harmon even performed at the NBA All-Star game on Feb. 16.

While I’m happy Harmon is receiving credit for her dance, this credit is long overdue and follows a pattern of the erasure of blackness on the internet—black people, black ideas and black culture.

Not only are black creations constantly stolen by white teens on TikTok, but they often use “sounds” on the social media site that are downright anti-black. How many times have you seen a TikTok of a white kid using the voice of Real Housewives of Atlanta star Nene Leakes as she laments “Oooh chile, the ghetto?” And how many times have you heard white teens use this phrase in real life?

It’s also no secret that white and nonblack people, non-celebrities and celebrities alike, love to adopt blackness— through dress, lingo and the art (music, dance, fashion) they produce—without giving credit to black people and often misappropriating the content they come into contact with.

Black people are constantly at the forefront of determining what’s popular and what’s cool. Black Twitter birthed the Popeyes vs. other chicken sandwiches debate, basically ensuring the Popeyes chicken sandwich would be sold out. On an even larger scale, Tarana Burke, the creator of the #MeToo movement, was continuously pushed to the sidelines of conversations around a movement she started in 2006. (Many people still think the face of the #MeToo movement was white actress, Alyssa Milano.)

In the digital age, co-opting blackness comes down to stealing viral content, and in turn stealing opportunities, recognition and a voice from black people.

It’s not fair for black creators to create amazing fashion, music, lingo and in this case dances just for white people to adopt it and erase it of blackness.

Black people are the blueprint, and it’s time they’re given the credit they deserve.