A baby mama (or baby momma, also baby mother) is a slang term for a mother who is not married to her child's father, although the term often carries other connotations as well. This term is associated with African Americans originally, coming from Jamaican Creole and finding its way into hip-hop music.
The equivalent term for a male is baby daddy (or baby father), but it is not used as frequently.
The term originated in Jamaican Creole as "baby-mother" (pronounced [ˈbebiˈmada] ), with the first printed usage appearing in the Kingston newspaper, The Daily Gleaner in 1966. [1] [2] Another Daily Gleaner use dates from November 21, 1989. [2] Originally, the term was used by the fathers of illegitimate children to describe the mothers of their children.
The term is now in general use to describe any single mother. Peter L. Patrick, a linguistics professor who studies Jamaican English, has said (of the terms baby mother and baby father), "[they] definitely imply there is not a marriage—not even a common-law marriage, but rather that the child is an 'outside' child". [1] Since entering currency in U.S. tabloids, the terms have even begun to be applied to married and engaged celebrities. [1]
Linguist John McWhorter states "baby mama" is typical Black English, removing the "'s" possessive marker. [3]
Baby mother and baby mama had entered widespread use in American hip-hop lyrics by the mid-1990s. [1] One of the first representations of baby mamas in hip-hop lyrics was by southern rapper Krazy, from Tampa, Florida. One of his songs was titled "I Hate My Baby Mama." [4] The Outkast song "Ms. Jackson", released in 2000, was dedicated to "all the baby mamas' mamas". American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino released a song entitled "Baby Mama" in 2004. In this song she is writing an ode to single mothers and how to be a baby mama should be a "badge of honor". She makes firsthand acknowledgements as a single mother and empathizes on the thoughts of baby mamas and how they are "fed up with makin' beds up." [4] Planet Earth , an album by Prince released in 2007, features a song called "Future Baby Mama". Three 6 Mafia had a song called "Baby Mama" on Choices: The Album . Tupac's "Dear Mama", and "Brenda's got a Baby" are two hip hop songs that show a strong Black woman/mothering trope. [5]
All My Babies' Mamas was an unaired reality show starring rapper Shawty Lo, showcasing his lifestyle as the father of 11 children, mothered by 10 different women. The show was cancelled due to it stereotyping black families and polygamy. [6] [7] A sitcom titled Baby Daddy premiered in 2012.
In 2008, Universal Pictures released a comedy film entitled Baby Mama starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, in which Poehler plays a woman Fey hires to be her surrogate.
In many films, including some like Tyler Perry's "Meet the Browns", that was released in 2008, there are many stereotypical representations of black baby mamas. Brenda, who is played by Angela Bassett, is one of the main characters in the film that is portrayed as a stereotypical Black single mother who is caught in an endless cycle of poverty and struggle. She has three children from three different men, none of which have a presence in their child's life. Throughout the film there is not indication that Brenda is on welfare but nevertheless, she is a clear representation of a contemporary "baby mama". In stereotypical fashion, her character is powerless. [8]
Rodney Basil Price, known as Bounty Killer, is a Jamaican lyricist and reggae and dancehall deejay. AllMusic describes him as "one of the most aggressive dancehall stars of the '90s, a street-tough rude boy with an unrepentant flair for gun talk". He is considered one of the best dancehall lyricists of all time.
"Brenda's Got a Baby" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his debut album, 2Pacalypse Now (1991). The song was first released as a promotional CD single a month prior to album's release and then, in February 1992, it was re-released as a double A-side single with the song "If My Homie Calls". The song, which features R&B singer Dave Hollister singing background vocals with Roniece Levias, is about a 12-year-old girl named Brenda who lives in a ghetto and has a baby she can't support. The song explores the issue of teen pregnancy and its effect on young mothers and their families. Like many of Shakur's songs, "Brenda's Got a Baby" draws from the plight of the impoverished. Using Brenda to represent young mothers in general, Shakur criticises the low level of support from the baby's father, the government, and society in general. Shakur wrote the song while filming the feature film Juice, after reading a newspaper article about a 12-year-old girl who became pregnant by her cousin and threw the baby into a trash compactor.
D4L was an American hip hop group formed in 2003, composed of Atlanta-based rappers Fabo, Mook-B, Stoney, and Shawty Lo. They are best known for their 2005 hit single "Laffy Taffy", which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 2006.
"Dear Mama" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from his third studio album, Me Against the World (1995). It was released on February 21, 1995, as the lead single from the album. The song is a tribute to his mother, Afeni Shakur. In the song, Shakur details his childhood poverty and his mother's addiction to crack cocaine, but argues that his love and deep respect for his mother supersede bad memories. The song became his first top ten on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number nine. It also topped the Hot Rap Singles chart for five weeks. As of March 2021, the song is certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA.
"Stuntin' Like My Daddy" is the first single from Birdman and Lil Wayne's album, Like Father, Like Son. It peaked at number twenty-one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, won the 2007 BET Viewer's Choice Award, and was named the 94th best song of 2006 by Rolling Stone magazine.
"Shawty" is a song by rapper Plies featuring singer-songwriter T-Pain. Released in July 2007, it is Plies' lead single from his debut studio album The Real Testament and samples "Fantasy" by Earth, Wind & Fire. The song won an award at the 2007 Ozone Awards for Best Rap/R&B Collaboration.
Niatia Jessica Kirkland, better known by her stage name Lil Mama, is an American rapper and actress. She experienced top 10 Billboard placements at 17 with her debut album VYP (2008), which debuted at number 25 on the Billboard 200. The album spawned her four major singles including her staple song and dance anthem "Lip Gloss", earning her two Teen Choice Awards and Monster Single of the Year nominations at the MTV Video Music Awards. Kirkland gained further attention in pop music after a collaboration with Avril Lavigne for the remix of her hit single "Girlfriend".
Baby Mama is a 2008 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Michael McCullers in his directorial debut and starring Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Greg Kinnear, Dax Shepard, Romany Malco, Maura Tierney, Holland Taylor, with Steve Martin, and Sigourney Weaver.
B-Rock & the Bizz was a hip-hop and rap group consisting of producer and rapper/ singer, Baron "B-Rock" Agee, his brother Leevirt Agee from New York City, Paul Costict, and Thaddeus "T-Bird" Maye from Mobile, Alabama. Leevirt Agee and T-Bird Maye were known as the Bizz.
Baby mama is a slang term for an unmarried mother.
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The discography of Shawty Lo, an American hip hop recording artist from Atlanta, Georgia. Shawty Lo embarked on his career with the Southern hip hop group D4L. The discography consists of one studio album, one posthumous album, 15 mixtapes and 20 singles.
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Shawty, shorty, shauty or shortie is a slang term from African American Vernacular English used generally as a nonspecific term of endearment. In specific settings, it can be interpreted as a catcall. Since the 1990s, the term has also been used to refer to young and attractive women, mostly in hip hop tracks from that decade and those from the early 2000s. Shawty is a Southern and African American variant of shorty, and can also refer to someone of any gender who is shorter in stature compared to a taller person. It is also frequently used to amicably address newcomers, children, and good friends.
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