So black creators on TikTok have agreed not to participate in Meg’s new dance challenge and the internet is going nuts over how the dance challenges have gone so far since they have been on strike. Erick Louis, who is a black TikTok creator made a video as if he was beginning to do a dance to Meg’s Thot Shit and proceeds to hold up two middle fingers stating, “This app wouldn’t be shit without black people.” The video has over 130,000 views and almost 2,000 comments. A lot of his followers commented and said “Happy Juneteenth” in recognition of the holiday when black people were finally recognized and freed from slavery.
Since the internet blossomed into what you see today. The majority of anything culture-related can be credited for as unifying people all over the world are dance routines and challenges. These dance routines and challenges have unified us in having so much to scroll through our phones and enjoy a like-minded video we all can relate to. Some you may be familiar with like a savage, out-west challenge, even some such as the silhouette challenge that’s not particularly a dance but very much a black culture trend. the list goes on and on. In the early 2000s leading up to today, you may not have noticed a dance or a song unless it was played by one of your favorite artists who has a hand in reaching millions. You may not know that the song or dance routine may have started in some neighborhood or city you’ve never heard of nor would think about going to.
#BlackTikTokStrike got me WEAAAAAAAAAAAAAK pic.twitter.com/bBoevs4WYK
— SoySauce (@DrizzleOnRice) June 23, 2021
In today’s time frame the way songs and dances go viral now are through social media, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc. Not much has changed in the style of how we go about viral trends and that’s why some Black influencers have gone on strike from TikTok due to not being credited for their work. Meg The Stallion a formidable rap MC known for her seductive lyrics and attraction for rap and sex appeal is an easy target for going viral with dances and her catchy songs that most if not all can relate to. Her latest single Thot Shit is heating up the charts and choreographed for her fans to follow along and create a dance to.
Though, usually black creators especially on TikTok come up with a dance on their own and proceed to go viral and seemingly spread by a teenage white girl who has amassed a vast following through their social media. The black creator who came up with the work often isn’t credited for their part. What are your thoughts on the matter? How would you go about Culture appropriation? “Black Creators have long expressed their frustrations about their work being misappropriated. In 2018 Epic Games was sued for stealing dance moves from rapper 2 Milly and on other black artists (Per Washington Post).
