Viral video of female students dancing to X-rated rap sparks anger over ‘cultural appropriation’

A video of female students dancing to adult rap music was shared online, sparking anger and accusations of “cultural appropriation.”

Members of Gamma Alpha Omega, a Latino fraternity at the University of Houston Downtown, can be seen dancing to music on campus in a video that has now gone viral.

The video of the dance was posted on X on Wednesday and has since garnered more than 41,000 likes and 5,000 comments.

“Black people are truly the blueprint. Exhibit A…” said Ashley Miller, who shared the video. “This is straight up theft. There is no reason for a non-Black sorority to pretend.”

Strolling or stepping is commonly known as a traditional celebratory dance that was originated in the 20th century by black Greek letter organizations, including Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA), the first historically African-American sorority.

With Crime Mob's “Knuck it if you buck” playing in the background, the young women dance around in the clip, which was originally posted on TikTok before being shared on X.

The video begins with the sorority members dancing in a circle to the hip hop song.

Some of the girls are seen in casual attire with white and green jackets with Greek letters, while others wear formal attire, including high heels and dresses.

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At the beginning of the clip, the girls form a circle before turning around and twerking towards the camera.

Then the members of the inner circle move their bodies and swing their hands while the others stomp around outside the circle.

After about 15 seconds in the video, a girl with long red hair, dressed in light blue jeans, a navy blue t-shirt and white Converse sneakers, quickly joins in the dance.

As they continue their performance, the crowd cheers them on.

Then girls in bright purple jackets take over the screen and stomp in a circle while the crowd claps along before the video ends.

“This just looks so weird… no shadow,” wrote one commenter.

Another said: “They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery, but in this case I disagree.”

“For me it was the effort, but it’s still a no,” said another person.

Although many people disagreed with Gamma Alpha Omega's performance, others defended the sorority.

A viewer responded to Miller's claim, asking, “The blueprint of WHAT exactly?”

Another asked, “Shouldn't we appreciate it when other cultures repeat practices that are part of our culture? Should we always feel insulted, criticize or make fun of them?”

DailyMail.com has contacted Gamma Alpha Omega and the University of Houston Downtown for comment.

According to the sorority's website, the group has built “a lifelong sisterhood and network of support” over the course of about 30 years.

The Greek organization, which includes both fraternities and sororities, was founded at Arizona State University.

The sorority at the University of Houston Downtown is “dedicated to the advancement of women in the world. The vision of our founders has evolved and now serves countless members across the country.”

The names Stepping and Strolling come from black Greek letter organizations that were founded at a time when African Americans were not accepted by many sororities.

To support each other, black students at predominantly white universities joined together to form their own universities.

There are currently nine black Greek letter organizations representing the National Panhellenic Council, also known as the Divine Nine.

According to the National Museum of African American History & Culture, philanthropic groups “have an impact on community service and civic engagement through service programs that include literacy, job training, and voter registration.”

There are several Greek letter organizations on the University of Houston Downtown campus, including fraternities that belong to the Divine Nine.