Remembering Brandon Moore: the Rise, Peak, and Legacy of the 'What Are Those?' Creator
By Elena Rostova
Moore created his masterpiece in an era that lacked creator funds, sound-licensing payouts, and digital rights management. Today, an audio track that racks up billions of impressions across TikTok automatically flows through automated royalty systems, earning its originator a cut of commercial usage. In 2015, platforms like Vine offered no programmatic revenue splits to users.
Black creators, in particular, routinely laid the groundwork for popular online vocabulary, dances, and comedic timing, only to see corporate marketing departments and established media figures lift the material without attribution. Moore’s experience remains a textbook study in cultural extraction. The phrase made marketing campaigns memorable and filled movie theaters with laughter, yet the man who stood in the Berkeley parking lot never received an equity stake in the phenomenon he launched.
Elena Rostova holds a Master's degree in Public Health Journalism. She covers groundbreaking medical research, holistic wellness trends, mental health awareness, and nutritional science.
