Entry · catalog no. 1106
on my mama
/ /ɒn maɪ ˈmɑː.mə/ /on-my-MAH-ma
phrase · The South / nationwide · 2000s
✓ Verified
1.
An oath of truth or sincerity — 'I swear it's true,' staked on one's mother. Also 'put it on my mama.' A strong vouch.
“On my mama, I didn't touch your plate.”
Origin & Attribution
African American Vernacular oath, staking a claim's truth on one's mother — the deepest thing to swear by. Long current in Black speech, especially the South; carried in hip-hop, from Chalie Boy's Texas hit "I Look Good" (2009) to Victoria Monét's "On My Mama" (2023), which samples that hook.
1990s
Common oath in Black speech
2009
Hook of Chalie Boy's 'I Look Good'
2023
Sampled in Victoria Monét's 'On My Mama'
Region of origin
West
Midwest
N.East
South
The South
The South / nationwide · 2000s
Spoken by
Black speakers, esp. the South
$ONMYMAThe Record · cultural traction
▲ Rising36 yrs
ahead of the mainstream
70/100
peak cultural energy
Introduced to English by the culture — logged here before the mainstream caught on.
Cultural usage — the recordMainstream search interest
First used
1990
in the culture
Cultural energy indexed from documented usage, search interest, and citation frequency. The recorded date is the archive’s permanent point of record.
Hear it spoken
By region — how it actually sounds
@nolakid
New Orleans, LA
@htxdri
Houston, TX
Contribute your pronunciation
Citations & Sources
■
Chalie Boy, "I Look Good" ('that's on my mama') — song · 2009
submitted
■
+ Cite a sourceVictoria Monét, "On My Mama" — song · 2023
submitted
See also