Black TikToker Behind Viral Phrase Calls Out Influencers and Brands Not Crediting Her

The Black TikToker behind “The girls that get it, get it; the girls who don’t, don’t,” phrase is calling out the big brands and influencers using her sound without crediting her.

Mikhaela Jennings, known as @KhaeNotBae on TikTok, has garnered over 470,000 followers for her short comedic videos. It was a video posted back in November that resulted in someone asking her to turn it into a sound that could be used by other TikTokers.

@khaenotbae I’m tryna see something #ROMWEnextgen #fyp #foryou #hair ♬ original sound – KHAE🦦

The sound has since been reused over 70,000 times in comical videos posted by women conflicting on tacky beauty and style choices and even major retailers attempting to stay connected to younger audiences. Brands like Boohoo, LinkedIn, Outback Steakhouse, and Oreo have all used Jennings’ original phrase, Insider reported.

However, when Jennings reached out to some of the brands for compensation, she says she was snubbed.

“Wait this better gimme some money,” she wrote in a Twitter response to Outback Steakhouse using her sound.

Wait this better gimme some money $khaebae https://t.co/awGreUUO59

— #LONGLIVEKHAMEYEA (@KHAENOTBAE) February 4, 2022

“It’s a little tough because I know for a fact that y’all wouldn’t spit on me if I was on fire,” Jennings told Refinery 29. “So please stop.”

Jennings is now working on trademarking her sound to ensure her compensation in the event someone references her original content.

Her fight comes a year after Black TikTokers boycotted created dance challenges on the app after feeling overlooked and shunned over white content creators who gained popularity off the dances created by Black TikTokers. TikTok stars Addison Rae and Charli D’Amelio faced public scrutiny for performing TikTok dances without acknowledging the original Black creators.

Social networking apps like Instagram recently implemented a new feature to help creators get credit for their original sounds and videos. But it’ll still be up to the brands and businesses to do their due diligence when jumping on social media trends.