In exciting TikTok news, the world now knows who created the original Renegade dance!
As reported by the NY Times, 14-year-old Jalaiah Harmon choreographed the Renegade dance from her Atlanta bedroom with friend Skylar back in September 2019. She first uploaded the dance to Funimate and Instagram, but it wasn’t until user @global.jones brought it to TikTok months later that the dance exploded. The Renegade quickly became the most popular dance on the platform, helping to shape the zeitgeist of one of the world’s largest video apps. TikTok’s biggest star, Charli D’Amelio, is often associated with Jalaiah’s dance— fans have even branded Charli the “C.E.O.” of the Renegade.
“I was happy when I saw my dance all over,” Jalaiah told the NY Times. “But I wanted credit for it.”
Well, Jalaiah is certainly getting her well-deserved credit now.
This weekend, the young dancer and her friend, Skylar, had a pretty big “pinch me” moment when they were invited to hang with rapper K Camp— the artist of Lottery AKA the song the Renegade dance is set to.
In a video posted to his Instagram and Twitter, K Camp is seen moving to the beat while Jalaiah and Skylar perform their iconic dance in front of him. In the caption, he thanks the girls for helping make his song the “BIGGEST in the world.”
Users were excited to see the rapper supporting Jalaiah and Skylar and praised him for using his influence to spotlight the young WOC. Many pointed out that this situation is a prime example of the consistent problem black creators face— their work gets ripped off while others reap the recognition and profit.
Other celebrities have been voicing their support for the OG creators as well. “Give this girl ALL her flowers, praise, love, support, opportunities and CREDIT!!!” Gabrielle Union tweeted. “Definitely giving me #BringItOn flashbacks.”
Hopefully, this is only the beginning of Jalaiah and Skylar’s viral success and they’re granted the opportunities they deserve.
Here’s to giving credit?where?credit?is?due?.
You can follow Jalaiah at @_.xoxlaii and Skylar at @skylarvictoria_.