In March 2020, Wilson created the dance to Megan Thee Stallion’s hit song Savage. It was immediately popularized by millions of people posting the moves on social media, including Megan Thee Stallion, Jennifer Lopez and Keke Palmer.Logitech and JaQuel Knight, a choreographer, joined forces to honor BIPOC creators, which included Wilson, at a Wednesday dinner in Los Angeles. According to their announcement, the partnership helped 10 creators obtain copyright for their choreography using labanotation. This is a method that documents steps in specific patterns with symbols.Wilson, 20 years old, said that it took her just one hour to create the dance in a Cosmopolitan interview. She started making a living as TikToker after the dance took off.According to the announcement the US Copyright Office receives less than 20 choreography applications per year. However, now that the "Savage” dance is copyrighted, she should be given proper credit. Wilson can also claim payment if the dance is used for film productions or in video games. If she does not get credit, Wilson can take legal action.This is a huge win for Black TikTok creators, who have struggled for proper credit through the app. Charli D’Amelio, Addison Rae Easterling and others are the most followed creators on TikTok. They have performed dances by Black creators and sometimes credit the original choreographer. Easterling, who performed several dances made by Black TikTokers on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, brought things to a head. Critics pointed out that Easterling didn't give the proper credit and also didn’t do the dances justice.Several Black creators had announced that they would be protesting the app a few weeks back in an effort to be recognized for their work."I feel that we continue showing that we, as black creators and especially Black femme creators, drive the culture and trends and end up on our pages," Daniel Akomolafe (a 19-year old TikToker), told BuzzFeed News in June. From a business perspective, it is in TikTok's best interests to suggest and implement changes that will make the platform safer and more enjoyable for Black creators.
