Whatta Man
Encyclopedia
"Whatta Man" is a 1994 single by Salt-n-Pepa
and En Vogue
from Salt-N-Pepa's 1993 album Very Necessary
. It was issued by Next Plateau
/London Records
and produced by Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor. It also appears on En Vogue's Runaway Love
EP. "Whatta Man" was a major hit for both Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100
, and at number seven on the UK Singles Chart
. It was nominated for the Grammy Award
for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group and the American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Single.
Cheryl "Salt" James
and producer Hurby Azor covered the song "What a Man" from the 1968 Stax
hit by Linda Lyndell
, written by Dave Crawford
and rapped over the track. "What a Man's" chorus of "What a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty good man" is also repurposed for this recording.
En Vogue
sang the entire vocals on all original and remixed versions of this song. While the song and video features all four members of En Vogue
, Cindy Herron
does not perform any of the lead vocals. While some lead vocals are performed by Maxine Jones
& Terry Ellis
, the song is predominately led by Dawn Robinson
.
and Treach
from Naughty By Nature
make cameo appearances.
The single's music video
, directed by Matthew Rolston
, won three MTV Video Music Awards
: Best Dance Video, Best R&B Video, and Best Choreography
Best video of all time in 1994
's countdown of the 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s.
, a parody of this song called "Whatta Brain" by En Vogue parody En Lobe is featured on the "Brain" episode.
The song references Whitney Houston
's 1991 hit "My Name Is Not Susan
" with the lyrics, "And he knows that my name is not Susan."
Australian rock band New Waver
covered the song in 1994 and released their cover as a Cassingle.
singer Lena Meyer-Landrut
and will be the theme song to the German movie What a Man from the Platinum edition her second studio album Good News
, it will also feature on the Soundtrack for the movie. It was released on 2 September 2011 as a Digital download
in Germany
.
on 30 August 2011 at a total length of three minutes. The video features actor Matthias Schweighöfer.
Salt-N-Pepa
Salt-N-Pepa is an American hip hop trio from Queens and Brooklyn, New York, that was formed in 1985. The group, consisting of Cheryl "Salt" Renee James, Sandra "Pepa" Denton, and Deidra "DJ Spinderella" Roper, was one of the first all-female rap crews....
and En Vogue
En Vogue
En Vogue is an American female R&B vocal group from Oakland, California assembled by music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy.The group has won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of seven, along with four Soul Train Awards, six American Music...
from Salt-N-Pepa's 1993 album Very Necessary
Very Necessary
Very Necessary is the title of the fourth studio album by rap/hip-hop group Salt-n-Pepa Released in 1993, the album went on to become the most successful rap album by a female act. It was produced by Cheryl James , Sandy Denton , Dee Dee "Diedra" Roper , and Hurby Azor...
. It was issued by Next Plateau
Next Plateau Records
Next Plateau Entertainment is an American record label, which currently operates in association and under with Universal Republic Records.-Background:1980’s...
/London Records
London Records
London Records, referred to as London Recordings in logo, is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 to 1979, then becoming a semi-independent label....
and produced by Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor. It also appears on En Vogue's Runaway Love
Runaway Love
Runaway Love may refer to:*Runaway Love , an EP by En Vogue**"Runaway Love" , the title song*"Runaway Love" *"Runaway Love" *"Runaway Love", a song by Linda Clifford...
EP. "Whatta Man" was a major hit for both Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, and at number seven on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. It was nominated for the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group and the American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Single.
Cheryl "Salt" James
Cheryl James
Cheryl R. James , better known as Salt, is an American rapper and actress. She is a member of the rap trio Salt-N-Pepa, which also includes Pepa and Spinderella...
and producer Hurby Azor covered the song "What a Man" from the 1968 Stax
Stax Records
Stax Records is an American record label, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee.Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the name Stax Records was adopted in 1961. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and...
hit by Linda Lyndell
Linda Lyndell
Linda Lyndell is an American soul singer from Gainesville, Florida.Lyndell sang in gospel churches as a child; though she was white, she sang in both white and black churches, and eventually began singing with R&B groups as a teenager...
, written by Dave Crawford
Dave Crawford
Dave Crawford was an American football and basketball coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Hawaii from 1917 to 1919. He also coached the Hawaii basketball team during the 1918–1919 season.-Football:-External links:...
and rapped over the track. "What a Man's" chorus of "What a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty good man" is also repurposed for this recording.
En Vogue
En Vogue
En Vogue is an American female R&B vocal group from Oakland, California assembled by music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy.The group has won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of seven, along with four Soul Train Awards, six American Music...
sang the entire vocals on all original and remixed versions of this song. While the song and video features all four members of En Vogue
En Vogue
En Vogue is an American female R&B vocal group from Oakland, California assembled by music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy.The group has won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of seven, along with four Soul Train Awards, six American Music...
, Cindy Herron
Cindy Herron
Cindy Herron-Braggs , is an American singer and actress, who is best known as a founding member of the R&B/Pop quartet En Vogue.-Early life:...
does not perform any of the lead vocals. While some lead vocals are performed by Maxine Jones
Maxine Jones
Maxine Jones is one of the original members of the R&B singing group En Vogue. She originally left the group in 2001 to spend time with her daughter. Jones rejoined En Vogue on a permanent basis in the third quarter of 2004...
& Terry Ellis
Terry Ellis
Terry Lynn Ellis is an African-American R&B singer best known for her work with the quartet En Vogue.-Biography:...
, the song is predominately led by Dawn Robinson
Dawn Robinson
Dawn Robinson is an American R&B/soul/Dance-pop singer best known for her work as a member of hit Urban/Dance-pop group, En Vogue....
.
Music video
A music video was released to promote the single. Tupac ShakurTupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
and Treach
Treach
Anthony Criss , better known by his stage name Treach, is an American rapper and actor. He is best known as the lead rapper of the hip hop group Naughty by Nature.-Career:...
from Naughty By Nature
Naughty by Nature
Naughty by Nature are a Grammy Award-winning American hip hop trio from East Orange, New Jersey that at the time of its formation in 1989 consisted of Treach, Vin Rock, and the DJ Kay Gee...
make cameo appearances.
The single's music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, directed by Matthew Rolston
Matthew Rolston
Matthew Russell Rolston is an American photographer and music video director. Rolston is known for his signature lighting techniques and detailed approach to art direction and design, and has been repeatedly identified throughout his career with the revival and modern expression of Hollywood glamour...
, won three MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
: Best Dance Video, Best R&B Video, and Best Choreography
Best video of all time in 1994
Reception
"Whatta Man" was named #23 on VH1VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's countdown of the 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s.
Peak positions
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Top Singles (RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... ) |
15 |
| Ireland (Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... ) |
12 |
| US Rhythmic Top 40 | 1 |
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1994) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 14 |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 1994 | Won MTV Video Music Awards for Best Dance Video, Best R&B Video, and Best Choreography for "Whatta Man". |
| 1995 | Nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Single ("Whatta Man"). |
| 1995 | Nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group ("Whatta Man"). |
Parody
In the TV show Bill Nye the Science GuyBill Nye the Science Guy
Bill Nye the Science Guy is an educational television program that originally aired from September 10, 1993 to June 20, 1998, hosted by Bill Nye and produced by Buena Vista Television. The show aired on PBS Kids and was also syndicated to local stations, making it the second first-run television...
, a parody of this song called "Whatta Brain" by En Vogue parody En Lobe is featured on the "Brain" episode.
The song references Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
's 1991 hit "My Name Is Not Susan
My Name Is Not Susan
"My Name Is Not Susan" was the fourth single released from Whitney Houston's third album, I'm Your Baby Tonight. The song was produced by L.A. Reid and Babyface and written by Eric Foster White...
" with the lyrics, "And he knows that my name is not Susan."
Australian rock band New Waver
New Waver
New Waver is an Australian satirical musical project, the brainchild of Greg Wadley. New Waver grew out of one of Wadley's prior projects, a zine named Loser, and shares the same pessimistic outlook, underwritten with Darwinism...
covered the song in 1994 and released their cover as a Cassingle.
Lena version
The song was covered by GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
singer Lena Meyer-Landrut
Lena Meyer-Landrut
Lena Meyer-Landrut , known professionally as Lena, is a German singer-songwriter. She represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo, Norway, and won the contest with the song "Satellite"...
and will be the theme song to the German movie What a Man from the Platinum edition her second studio album Good News
Good News (Lena album)
- Charts :- Sales and certifications :-Release history:-External links:* on YouTube...
, it will also feature on the Soundtrack for the movie. It was released on 2 September 2011 as a Digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Background
The single was released on 2 September 2011 for digital download on iTunes, the single included a Live version of the song "Good News". The song will be the theme song to the German movie What a Man.Music video
A music video to accompany the release of "What a Man" was first released onto YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
on 30 August 2011 at a total length of three minutes. The video features actor Matthias Schweighöfer.
Track listings
Chart performance
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Germany (Media Control AG Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... ) |
21 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 2 September 2011 | Universal Music Universal Music Group Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations... |
Digital download |