Social media definitely has its strengths when it comes to creativity, networking, and communicating with millions of people across a variety of topics. However, what is the particular line drawn between freedom of speech and plagiarism if an artist essentially steals an original thought from any fan who may have expressed their excitement or anticipation for certain music releases.
As someone who’s heavily present on social media, it’s not uncommon to witness users’ tweet their own lyrics as to what they may expect from their favorite artists, but what happens if a fan realizes that their favorite artist used their original thought without them receiving any compensation?
Therefore the true question remains: Should fans have rights to the posts they make? What if an artist uses their material in their music and receives excessive revenue? This sparked debate when Kendrick Lamar released one of his latest diss tracks, “Not Like Us,” against Drake, and came under fire when certain fans realized that he, now nicknamed “Kendrick [‘Plagiarism’] Lamar,” allegedly stole from their posts/material. Complex reported that @mladyfootlocker wrote in a 2121 tweet, “Certified Lover BOY? More Like Certified Pedophile” And @Cammyiceee tweeted back in 2016, “If she listen to Drake she a OVHoe.” According to XXL.com, the same user recently tweeted, “Damn @kendricklamar can I get in the writer credits???”
Alexis Avery, 25, has been a long-time fan of Lamar, but since his recent diss tracks with familiar social media user posts, she feels that artistry is becoming less unique. Also, that it’s unfair for someone to take a lyric from a fan and not acknowledge them.
This guest post is in partnership with True Star Media.