Many say that the origins of modern-day hip hop lie in the inner city practice known as "signifying", wherein two young friends or rivals spar by hurling hilarious, often vulgar insults at each other – usually involving crude remarks about their mothers. These quickly became known as "Yo Mama" jokes. Now, there is probably only a very slim overlap between people who tell Yo Mama jokes and people who study art history. In fact, this overlap may consist solely of me and my wife. Nevertheless, here are nine art history Yo Mama jokes. Please note: These are meant to be stupid.
- Yo Mama's so fat, even Rubens wouldn't let her pose for him.
- Yo Mama's such a ho, she's got more fingerprints on her than a Chuck Close portrait.
- The original title for Munch's The Scream was Look, It's Yo Mama.
- Did you hear about Joseph Beuys's latest performance? He spends three days locked in a cage with Yo Mama.
- Yo Mama talks so much, Van Gogh cut off his own ear so he wouldn't have to hear her.
- James McNeill Whistler painted a portrait of Yo Mama. He called it Arrangement in Grey, Black and Ugly.
- Picasso's Old Guitarist looks so sad because he's married to Yo Mama.
- Marcel Duchamp painted that mustache on the Mona Lisa because he wanted to make her look like Yo Mama.
- My Mama was the model for the Venus de Milo. Yo Mama was the model for the Venus of Willendorf.