Snoop Dogg is not happy with how streaming giants compensate Black creators.
He has a point. A 2021 study released by PR agency MSL revealed a significant pay gap between white and Black creators, 35%, and nearly half of Black influencers shared that they believe their race contributed to a lower offer.
For many, even the bare minimum of being credited for viral trends is not a guarantee. This was seen with the popular “Renegade” dance craze, which originated from Atlanta, GA-based dancer Jalaiah S. Harmon, as AfroTech previously reported.
Over 30 million TikTokers participated in the trend, according to TikTok.
@jalaiahharmonLets see you do it ! 🔥🔥❤️♬ renegade mashup – roman <3
However, Charli D’Amelio was credited for making the dance more popular and had not shared the original creator. This continued with Harmon not receiving her proper dues by more TikTok influencers who hopped on the trend, per New York Times.
“Just like the TikTokers. All of the young Black content creators on TikTok have boycotted because they see that when they do the dances they don’t get the attention or the money,” Snoop Dogg wrote on LinkedIn. “But as soon as the white dancers do it, it’s the biggest [expletive] in the world and they on Jimmy Fallon. That’s not fair. It’s not cool to just keep stealing our culture right in front of us and not include us in the finances of it all.”
“We need to be involved early,” he expressed on LinkedIn. “They always cut us out. They call Snoop after they got their companies up and are like, ‘Hey, Snoop, you want to be a brand ambassador?’ I want some equity. Give me a piece of the pie. If I can’t get no equity, [expletive] you and your company.”