Cardi B Catches Heat For Trying To Trademark “Okurrr” — But What Will The Kardashians Say?

There’s nothing in this world that Cardi B likes more than checks — and she’s staying true to her word.

Earlier this month, the Grammy-winning rapper applied to trademark her now-ubiquitous catchphrase, “Okurrr,” for use on merch and other swag such as paper goods (cups and posters) and clothing items (shirts, hoodies, pants, hats, shoes, and so forth).

The chirp is typically spelled with three Rs, though The Blast reports Cardi also applied to trademark “Okurr” with two Rs, just to be safe. The owner for both was listed as the New York City-based Washpoppin Inc., Cardi’s makeup company, and the trademark would prohibit any unauthorized third parties from using “Okurrr” (or “Okurr”) on any commercial items.

“You think I ain’t going to profit off this shit?” Cardi said in an Instagram story about the trademarking. Ever pragmatic about her finances, she recounted how she has constantly been asked to rattle off “Okurrr” in TV appearances, commercials, and corporate meetings — such as when she appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where she famously described “Okurrr” as the sound “a cold pigeon in New York City” makes.

To some fans, though, “Okurrr” is also the sound that many a Kardashian makes — in fact, some fans were first introduced to “Okurrr” on Keeping Up With The Kardashians, as Khloé, Kourtney, Kylie, and the rest of the Kardashian-Jenner clan trilled their way through episodes. However, a Refinery29 investigation found that the Kardashians did not originate “Okurrr” — like so much common slang today, the colloquialism was popularized in drag culture and likely originated in urban Black and brown communities.

Cardi is now positioned as the latest public figure to bring “Okurrr” to the mainstream. Addressing some backlash she received after filing for trademark, Cardi said, “White people do it all the motherfucking time! So you’re going to be mad at me because I want to make some motherfucking money? Let me tell you something: while I’m here, I’m going to secure all the fucking bags.” Okurrrrrrr!