Earlier this week, The Root covered the ongoing efforts of Black creators on the app who want to let all of the white creators who have gotten comfortable with pilfering and profiting from their creativity that they have had E N O U G H.
Suggested Reading
Hereโs a quick update by NBC News on the impact of Black TikTokers refusing to create dances to Megan Thee Stallionโs new single โThot Shitโ for non-Black users to put their own sauceless, boiled goose-ass spins on.
As they say, the numbers donโt lie:
In the past, Megan Thee Stallionโs music has been a powerhouse, driving viral choreography on the platform with hits like โSavage,โ โBody,โ and โWAP.โ
โSavageโ has been used in more than 22 million TikToks, โBodyโ in 1.5 million, and โWAPโ more than 4 million.
But โThot Sโ-โ has so far only garnered 165,000 videos.
If Black TikTokers had decided not to go on this content-creating strike, the numbers for โThot Shitโ-related videos would more than likely be astronomical at this point, as they have been for Meganโs previously released singles.
Therefore, itโs obvious that what Black creators are saying is true: the viral nature of many TikTok videos is both built upon and thrives off of their work.
NBC spoke to Erick Louis, the TikToker who posted the original video that helped the strike movement gain traction on the app. To him, the issue is not that white creators are replicating the choreography created by Black users, but itโs more of a matter of giving โcredit where itโs due.โ
โIt just speaks volumes. We have these experiences outside of TikTok. As Black folks, weโre used to galvanizing, marching, protesting, having to scream and yell to have our voices heard. Itโs weird that itโs also having to be translated onto a space where people are supposed to divulge their creative endeavors and engage creatively,โ Louis said. โItโs supposed to be a safe space but even in those spaces weโre forced to make a statement and protest.โ
TikTok released a statement to NBC, saying in part that the appโwhich is among the top of the most downloaded and used social media platforms in the worldโis a โspecial place because of the diverse and inspiring voices of our community, and our Black creators are a critical and vibrant part of this.โ
โWe care deeply about the experience of Black creators on our platform and we continue to work every day to create a supportive environment for our community while also instilling a culture where honoring and crediting creators for their creative contributions is the norm,โ the spokesperson said.
Thatโs all fine and dandy, but based on whatโs happening now with the dance strike and also with previous attempts by Black creators to draw attention to the appโs habit of suppressing their voices in the past, it seems like thereโs still some work that TikTok needs to do in order to truly make it a place where Black creators can thrive and get their coins just as Addison Rae and them folks have.
This also makes me miss my dearly departed Vine, because they would never.
ย ย
Straight From
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.