A rapper from Brooklyn named “2 Milly” is planning to file a lawsuit against Fortnite developer Epic Games for allegedly stealing his choreography for an emote in-game that players can purchase.
Apparently, the rapper’s signature move – titled the “Milly Rock” – had been circulating the internet for a while before Epic Games used it as a basis for their “Swipe It” emote in the Fortnite Season 5 Battle Pass. A quick search of the emote in-game actually brings up a YouTube video from July 2018 that even calls the dance the Milly Rock emote.
Speaking to CBS News, 2 Milly states that Epic’s decision to actually sell the emote in-game rather than it be a free cosmetic is where he “really was like … oh nah, this can’t go on too long.” Popular hip hop artist Chance the Rapper tweeted back in July that “Fortnite should put the actual rap songs behind the dances that make so much money as Emotes.”
“Black creatives created and popularized these dances but never monetized them. Imagine the money people are spending on these Emotes being shared with the artists that made them.”
The rapper is now looking for legal advice in hopes of filing a lawsuit against the company, however the vagueness behind copyrighting work such as choreography and dance moves is giving him a hard time.
We have reached out to Epic Games for comment and will update this article if we hear back.