Chance The Rapper wants Fortnite to pay rappers for their dances

Nick D'Orazio reports:

Fortnite owes a lot of it's popularity to the hip-hop community. Travis Scott, Chance the Rapper and most infamously, Drake all share their love of Fortnite openly. Whether it is playing on stream or tweeting about it, it is fair to say that these rappers have significantly helped launched Fortnite into popular culture.

However, today we might have seen the very first sign of dissent among the hip-hop elite:

[Sayai jin]

Not a Chance ;)

[Dabigsiebowski]

Lmao. They should pay the families of whoever invented guns hundreds of years ago as well

[Sono421]

"Fortnite owes a lot of it's popularity to the hip-hop community."

Seriously it's like they let anyone write some idiotic article these days, Fortnite would be beyond fine without the "hip-hop community" stfu with your nonsense.

[Thatguy-310]

To begin with, the dances weren't even made by the rappers. Rappers hop on whatever dance trend is going on and profit off that. Most of these dances are created by regular people that aren't part of any industry which tend to blow up on social media.

[rainslacker]

A dance isn't considered an ip. The name of a dance can be but rarely is. Usually that involves the dance be part of another work...like vogue from modanna.

Dance moves themselves would fall into the realm of fair use, and except in very rare cases, all dancing is derivative of something more structured that came before it.

[Cmv38]

Seems fair, but the same would have to go for the other games that uses popular dances.

[AspiringProGenji]

Fair, really? We are patenting human mobility now? Then these rappers should start by paying the degenerate that popularize walking showing their underwear first

[Eidolon]

You're basically saying the same thing about royalties/copyright for using songs, it's language, human vocal abilities, instruments and synthetic sound created by computers, right? No, let's not pay them because other people created language, computers, and instruments. A lot of these dance moves are pretty specific and recent and were in fact created by artists, and popularized by rappers, and Epic is banking on them, I doubt they would sell as well without the popularization. I'm not saying they should be paid, but what you're saying is BS.

[Rachel_Alucard]

@Eidolon

You can't legally trademark a dance. You can trademark the name of that dance, and a dance if it is associated with a brand or logo. But none of these rappers have any brand tied with any of these dances. Epic is freely allowed to use them, and this is a case of, "They are making money and some input of mine was involved, I should be paid for that." Too bad he can't legally sue for royalties because he can't trademark a stupid dance he made in a forgettable song. Doesn't matter anyway because nobody plays fortnite just to watch some guy in a t-rex suit advertise rappers crummy dances.

[Cmv38]

You and the people that agreed might be a little on the not so smart side. Art can be copyrighted, why is that something you don't understand. You don't have to like it, but its true. But I also think its fruitless to copyright a dance. The goal of a dance I would imagine is to create a craze, and that means people doing the dance. But if copyrighted, less people doing the dance I would assume.

[Rachel_Alucard]

Chance go home

[rainslacker]

Why Fair? Mimicking a dance is fair use, and dance moves can't be trademarked or considered intellectual property.

Plus, all dance moves are derivative of other forms of dance. If you see a music video with dancing, you can likely find the same moves done earlier. Even Michael Jackson wasn't the inventor of break dancing, nor was he so petty or egomaniacal as to think he deserved to get paid for performances that used his moves.

[3-4-5]

Some people publicly say things without understand stuff first. If I was famous......I would not be on social media...just seems like a bad business decision......maybe instagram for pics but not Twitter.

[rainslacker]

Would be funny if everyone that he took his moves from came after him telling him to pay them some sort of royalties.

That being said, many famous people seem completely clueless about the world around them. Makes me wonder if they were that delusional back before they were famous and had to live in the real world. BUt given today's social media, I'd say they probably were just as dumb.

[DogJosha]

Actually choreography is able to be trademarked. All that matters is whether or not they have the trademark. If they have a trademark, they are owed the money. If they don't, then they are most likely barking up the wrong tree.

[rainslacker]

Did a quick google search, and a choreographed work can only be copyrighted/trademarked if it has some creativity, ie. an original move/movees, not just derivative and put together from other moves that exist. That kind of original work is extremely rare nowadays. It also has to be used in a creative piece of work. In this case, it meets that requirement, but not the first.

They can certainly trademark the name of a dance, but that doesn't apply to the moves themselves. For instance, Michael Jackson could of trademarked the moonwalk name. But the actual move he couldn't. Mostly because he didn't invent it. He was the first to use it in a creative work however, but the actual move was free game, and Jackson being the performer he was, understood that such things should be left available to the public for their own interpretation, the same way he interpreted it and made breakdancing a mainstream phenomenom. What this rapper has will neither go down in history, or be remembered after people forget his name. It doesn't even have a name.

[Cmv38]

A lot of negs clearly shows that I have to spell it out a bit. Yes its fair to pay someone for something they created. But something like a dance i would imagine is pretty difficult. It becomes worse than that tattoo artist that tried to sue 2k. Its possible to patent anything, but how do you go about it, seems way too convoluted to matter much.

[TKCMuzzer]

Have a word with yourself. These hip hop dance moves would have their origins in other dance moves, so should the rappers pay royalties to those original creators? It's just greed and easy money for work they haven't probably originally done.

[RabbitFly]

Nah. This is a bad move. On the level of Nintendo not allowing let's plays on youtube.

Think about it. If people want to start trademarking dances. They wont be paid. People will just stop using them in their IPs.

Just because the Floss all of a sudden created this cringy kids trend now we are supposed to think the emotes in a game is a sales factor? Seriously..

[Kabaneri]

If they didnt use the song, then you cant claim it. In the US you cant copyright a dance unless its focused on a tangible object.

[DogJosha]

If it is associated with a song it can be copyrighted. That doesn't mean the song has to be playing for the copyright to kick into effect...

[Teflon02]

Copyrighting a dance is a wasteful effort because every dance fortnite has used mainly hip hop has all been funk or whatever dances back years upon years ago that someone brought back with a new name. Only 2 dances I honestly don't think have a old backgound past the people who started it. That backpack boy one, and the one from that goth girl that they call orange justice in the game. But the orange justice is so random it's impossible to try copyright, and the next one isn't accociated to anything and you can litterally change a sight thing and boom. Copyright isn't a issue. As body movement can differ from person to person. Basically dance copyright is impossible or all these stupid dances would get shut down long ago

[annoyedgamer]

You can't copyright dance moves.

[Muzikguy]

There are a lot of things that people seem to think they have copyrights to. Doesn’t make sense

[Eidolon]

They can copyright/litigate a tune. Their are as many moves as their are tunes, probably more.. and Epic is just inventing them out of the blue and making 100+ million a month off their aesthetics including the other art they're probably ripping off/re-using. They have 3M charity event, generated by attendance, and they're saints??!

[Snookies12]

Not a Chance in hell buddy, lol.

[AspiringProGenji]

Because these rappers aren’t already earning more than a surgeon trying to save a life for two days straight by just yelling in a concert... now they want money for dances. Who do I pay for running and jumping, Mario Bros?

[WOLFofWALLSTREET]

Lol more like they should be paying fortnite

[Muzikguy]

I find it crazy to think that people feel they should get paid for every little thing. I was just talking about this the other day, but about music. It’s stupid to think that anyone that listens to a song at any time owes you money. Same with these dances.

Also, dances aren’t why the game isn’t popular

[Muzikguy]

is* popular..... oops

[Fist4achin]

How about paying the people for his lame music?!

[Teflon02]

people didn't even pay for his album. IT WAS FREE! the irony. You can't release a album for free then say this lol

[Smokehouse]

They didn’t have to pay the pubg devs for stealing their game. What makes him think they will pay drake for his “toss pepperoni on the pizza” old white man dance?

[Tankbusta40]

Jesus Christ I thought your comment was a joke until I Googled it. How these talentless hacks these days are even popular is beyond me.

[Smokehouse]

Lmao! Dude drake just beat a Beatles record. Most singles on the charts or some such nonsense. Shit is real out here.

[Tankbusta40]

I guess I know why i never got hooked with fortnite...these so called modern rappers like it and I haven't liked rap since the early 90s.

KALASHNIKOV didn't get any royalties for creating the most wildly available firearm on the planet(no patients in the USSR). So surely some dumb ass rapper shouldn't see a cent for an emote! Next time I throw a rock I'm going to try and track down the first caveman to invent that move and pay him!

[LordJamar]

Seems fair if they created the dances and fortnite is makeing a profit off them. Its not there idea they didnt make it so yea pay em

[Smokehouse]

What’s a reasonable payment in your view? How much is Drake’s dance worth? Did youtubers have to pay for using his dance in the onslaught of memes? Many of them made a profit on mocking drake. Like SNL with trump.

You’re saying their dance is a part of their art, right? What’s a reasonable price point? Dollar a dance? 50% royalty and lock the dance behind a paywall? What’s the angle?

[LordJamar]

I dont think youtube videos doing the dance or mocking him is the same as recreating the dance in a video game and forceing a price on it to sell it back to people

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

No. By that logic, anyone who makes a YouTube video where they mimic the dance should pay these already-overpaid hacks.

[rainslacker]

They likely didn't even create it. They have choreographers for that. Sure, they pay for that service, but dance moves aren't an intellectual property. On top of that, every move in his dance could likely be found done before him. Do you think he should pay anyone that did any given move from his own dance before he put it out there? He's profiting on it after all.

What it comes down to is dance moves, or even individual moves from a given person....like the Banderas look, are up available for anyone to mimic under the terms of fair use. Although I'm not sure that fair use applies given that the moves can't be copyrighted or trademarked.

If he performed the moves, and they actually used him in game, whether his likeness or his actual work, then sure,he would be available for some compensation....assuming it doesn't fall under fair use. The rapper in question here may have put all these moves together to form his "dance", but Epic created it's own work to put it in the game. Just because it mimics what he did is inconsequential.

He's SOL really. If for some reason he was able to get some money for it, then basically any form of satire or derivative work would fall under the same thing.

[cfc83]

Hip hop "culture".

[Cobra951]

Weird thing is that I tend to like hip hop, until some thug starts trash talking to the beat.

[ocelot07]

I am trade marking "jumping" any game that has a "jump" function must pay me to use it.

/s

[Dab]

Bob the Builder has got waaay more birthright to royalty money from Fortnite

[WhyHate]

RAP Music: The world's most popular form of Music in regards to cultural impact and earnings. So I guess that's what all of this crying is really all about.

Lol

"I want my country back, I want my culture back!"

Lol

[Smokehouse]

Nah, I’m hip hop in my bones. I can spot a DJ premier beat a mile away. It’s my rhythm. I still think this shit is stupid lol.

[Hoaxone845]

Sure,once they trademark a dance someone else made up years before them

[rainslacker]

If they could trade mark it, it would already be done. Since it can't be trade marked, then anyone could use it. Another artist could come along and use the same moves, with the same camera angles for a video, same clothing, same lighting, same everything....except maybe the actual music(although there are ways around that), and they wouldn't have to give him squat.

[The7Reaper]

HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH.... no.

[The7Reaper]

Go look at his comments on Twitter he almost immediately pulled the race card when someone called him out on this.

[PurpHerbison]

I thought Chance was one of the smart ones. I was wrong.

[Last_Boss]

Geegus!!!

[Segata]

They stole the No Bones dance from Nathan Barnatt. Should at least credit some people.

[rainslacker]

WOW used a lot of famous dances from well known performers for their racial /dance numbers. Quite a few of them were honored. For some, like Alizee, she got a fan base from it outside of the EU and Asia. Of course, she had more grace and style than the dance I saw from this....and she's much more talented.

[Kerplunk80]

Garbage rappers like chance need the money.

[Da12RespectA]

Orange shirt kid should get some doe but that's it.

[NotanotherReboot]

They should also pay PUBG devs for ripping them off

[Sirk7x]

PUBG wasn't even the first battle royale game. And before H1Z1 did it, I'm pretty sure they took the idea from mods in ARMA and other games that were fan created. Also, PUBG uses Epic's engine. Pretty sure you can't copyright a video game genre either, or Nintendo would own almost everything lol. Or maybe Bungie and Microsoft will come along and say that every game after Halo 2 that uses smart matchmaking should pay them.

[ghostrider32]

Since when was a dance considered intellectual property? Lay off the weed Chance.

[winter_hill]

Chance the crapper can f*** right off.

[Dirtnapstor]

Whatever Chance...Napoleon Dynamite says hello.

[Shakengandulf]

This generation is a joke..

[RadicalCannibal]

What are the chances, eh?

[BioShockGX]

The headline confused me

[Artemidorus]

Didn't take long for the leeches arrive.

[madpuppy]

"the hip-hop elite"
wow.....

[omegaheat]

I think he's being sarcastic about the pay compensation. However hiphop culture influences so many things nowadays from advertising to just everyday life. The culture derived from urban black life. I guess it only became acceptable when money could be made from it.

[Gh05t]

Are you kidding? Soon EA will have to start paying for end zone dances.

Plus if that is your reasoning I am pretty sure Michael Jacksons estate should have a small fortune for how many moves have been copied and sold.

[KillBill]

Go ahead and tell me what emotes a rapper has claim to. I'll wait...

[uth11]

can you trademark a dance routine?

[Omegasyde]

You can’t patent a dance.... LOL

[subtenko]

oh and while were at it, the same applies to anyone doing 'your' dances at home or Youtube....

[xtheblackparade]

Nah man that's insane. If that would be possible next thing on the list is patenting athlete stances in sports and before you know it everyone has to walk around the streets like in Monty Python's ministry of weird walks because they can get sued otherwise.

[OG_TK_Cole]

How did I know i was going to come in here and the closet racists were going to be the ones disagreeing with Chance The Rapper?? First and foremost, most of you dont even know anything about Hip Hop. Secondly, 2Milly's dance was created by him right here in Brooklyn. The kids here in Brooklyn were doing his dance years, before it even became popular around the country. And now Epic Games is capitalizing off of his creation in Fortnite.