In 2019, a dance by Jalaiah Harmon travelled further than her name did. The 14-year-old had created the choreography that became known as the Renegade, first sharing it on Funimate and Instagram. By the time TikTok users were repeating it around the world, many did not know who had made it.
Harmon’s experience became a clear example of a wider problem: Black creators can supply the ideas that make a trend valuable, while recognition and commercial opportunities go elsewhere. Since then, creators have used public criticism—and sometimes withheld new work—to press brands and platforms for credit and pay. Some companies have hired them for campaigns.
Jalaiah Harmon’s Name Arrived After the Dance
The Renegade spread through short videos that were easy to copy and difficult to trace. As the dance moved from one account and platform to another, the creators with the biggest audiences often drew more attention than the person who originated the moves.
In February 2020, The New York Times identified Harmon as the dance’s creator. She described the experience simply:
But I wanted credit for it. —Jalaiah Harmon
The recognition brought new opportunities. Harmon appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, performed during the 2020 NBA All-Star weekend and later worked with brands including Samsung and American Eagle, according to The Atlantic.
Those opportunities mattered, but they came after the dance had already become a viral hit. A credit can help a creator build a portfolio and attract future work. It does not, on its own, pay for the copies already made or give the creator a share of the value those copies generated.
Creators Made Their Labor Part Of the Protest
Two years later, Black TikTok creators used a different tactic. When Megan Thee Stallion released “Thot Shit” in June 2021, some creators declined to make a dance for it. Their informal strike drew attention to a pattern they said they knew well: Black creators helped drive the platform’s dance culture, while others could become more visible for performing the moves.
By June 24, the song had appeared in 168,000 TikTok videos, The Guardian reported, but no dance had become the standard viral routine. Withholding a dance made visible the creative work that platforms and audiences had come to expect for free.
Black creators are tired of white people profiting off our work and appropriating Black culture — Amanda Bennett
Bennett said the protest called for compensation, citation and ethical collaboration. TikTok told the newspaper it supported Black creators and wanted proper credit to become normal. That response addressed recognition, but it did not establish payment whenever a creator’s work was reused.
The platform later introduced some crediting measures. TikTok said 100 Black creators and music artists joined its first TikTok for Black Creatives accelerator in 2021, a program offering educational events and community-building. In May 2022, it announced tools for users to tag and cite creators whose videos inspired their own.
Some Campaigns Turned Recognition Into Paid Work
Coca-Cola’s 2021 #ShareTheMagic campaign put Harmon’s choreography inside a branded TikTok campaign with musician Khalid. The company’s Shorty Awards submission says it contracted 20 TikTok creators. The creators were paid equitably.
Coca-Cola’s submission reported 11.9 billion campaign views, 1.7 million original videos, nearly one million participating creators and a 71 percent increase in its TikTok following. Still, Harmon had a paid role connected to the dance for which she had first been overlooked.
Champion also built a campaign around the Renegade in 2021. Its “Reverse Renegade” project worked with Harmon to reverse the choreography and direct attention to her profile. The One Club’s award entry says the resulting video became her most-viewed post at the time. Champion was then part of HanesBrands; HanesBrands completed the sale of Champion’s global business to Authentic Brands Group in September 2024.
Both campaigns gave Harmon a defined role and used brand reach to send attention back to her. They also show why the details of a deal matter. A fee and public credit are useful, but creators need to know how long a company can use their work, whether it can be reused in other campaigns and whether the agreement includes exclusivity or licensing rights.
A Credit, a Fee and Ownership Are Different Things
A name in a caption identifies the creator. A fee pays for work or for permission to use it. Ownership determines who can authorize future uses and collect from them. These are related, but one does not guarantee the others.
For brands, that distinction changes what meaningful collaboration looks like. A company can name the originator in the campaign brief, agree to payment before production and spell out usage rights and duration. It can also hire Black choreographers, creatives and agencies while a concept is still being developed, instead of bringing them in once the campaign needs a cultural reference.
Creators cannot fix platform rules alone, but they can keep dated source files, publish original work on accounts they control and use written agreements when a company wants commercial rights. Those steps do not guarantee income from every repost. They can, however, help establish authorship and give both sides clearer terms when a brand wants to use the work in advertising.
The Renegade story shows a change in who gets named and invited into the campaign. The strikes show that creators can make their labor—and its absence—part of the conversation. But a brand’s attention is only a start. More persuasive evidence of a shift would be repeat contracts, clear licensing terms, fair fees and creators involved in decisions about how their work is used.
A viral trend may last a week. The terms attached to it can shape a creator’s income long after the sound fades.
FAQs
What does cultural whitewashing mean on social media?
It describes the use or repackaging of cultural expressions associated with Black communities when the people behind them receive little credit, visibility or compensation. It can involve language, music, dance, fashion and other forms of cultural expression.
Why did Jalaiah Harmon become central to the Renegade debate?
Harmon created the choreography known as the Renegade in 2019. The dance became widely popular before many users knew who made it. Later reporting identified her, and she went on to perform it at major events and work with brands.
Did the 2021 Black TikTok strike change brand practices?
The strike made demands for credit and compensation more visible. Later projects, including Coca-Cola’s #ShareTheMagic and Champion’s Reverse Renegade, gave Harmon paid or credited brand work. Those campaigns do not show that pay gaps across the industry have disappeared.
Does giving credit pay a creator?
No. Credit names the person behind an idea and may help them find future work. Payment requires an agreement, while ownership and licensing terms determine who can authorize later commercial uses.
What should a brand do when it uses a Black creator’s trend?
It should identify and contact the creator before commercial use, negotiate a fee and clear usage rights, then credit them in the campaign. Bringing Black creators into the concept stage can also give them a say in how their work and culture are represented.
How can creators protect their work?
Creators can keep dated originals, post through accounts they control, document authorship and use written agreements for commercial work. These steps can help establish a record and clarify terms, though they cannot guarantee payment for every online reuse.
