What a Man (song)

In 1993, Salt-N-Pepa recorded the song retitled "Whatta Man" for Runaway Love, an EP by En Vogue, who is credited as the featured group. Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor wrote the rap lyrics and produced the version. Salt-N-Pepa sampled Lyndell's original recording and remade the song as a rap song throughout the recording.[7][8]

En Vogue sings the refrain of the song, "Whatta man, whatta man, whatta mighty good man."[9] While Terry Ellis and Maxine Jones sing intro, bridge, background and lead vocals, the song is predominantly led by Dawn Robinson. A pregnant Cindy Herron is featured only on background vocals. "Whatta Man" was later featured on Salt-n-Pepa's 1993 album Very Necessary. The male vocals at the beginning of the song which were performed by brothers Troy and John Mitchell of the rap group 3 Feet.

AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the song a "such wonderful duet" and noted that they deliver a song "so sexy it hurts".[10] Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that the "fierce, ruling rap divas dip into their fine "Very Necessary" album and pull out this wickedly funky hip-hop jam. Loose and oh-so-appealing harmonies by En Vogue provide a kickin' framework for clever, lip-lickin' rhymes that melt into the track's butt-shaggin' beats. Destined to be an out-of-the-box smasheroo, single further benefits from Danny D's well-conceived remixes."[11] James Earl Hardy from Entertainment Weekly wrote in his review of En Vogue's EP, Runaway Love, that the song "prove [that] these divas have more in common with the Emotions and the Sweet Inspirations than with the Supremes."[12] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report commented, "Whatta concept, pairing these goddesses of hip-hop with a killer track and some of the best lines heard in a long time. Though it was getting a healthy number of spins in several markets late last year, it's now starting to bust big."[13] Gerald Martinez from New Sunday Times said the track shows that En Vogue "can rap with the best of them."[14] People described the song as "R&B-stoked".[15] Pop Rescue called it a "fantastic collaboration with En Vogue" and a "masterpiece".[16] James Hunter from Vibe noted that En Vogue are "sounding proud as punch to play second fiddle, furnish Salt-N-Pepa with harmonic backdrops. It's a logical collaboration: En Vogue provide the sound of true romance that the rappers can better state than demonstrate."[17]

"Whatta Man" was a major hit for Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, and at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. In the US, this version was certified platinum.[18] 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. "Whatta Man" was ranked number 23 on VH1's countdown of the 100 Greatest Songs of the 1990s.

Richard Harrington of The Washington Post interprets the song as "a celebration of strong men who stay home and care for kids."[19] Garth Baker-Fletcher, an Associate Professor of Religion from Texas College, interpreted the version's refrain as "praising a steady-thinking, family-values-yet-sexy man."[9] Writer Keith Boykin described the song portion, "Although most men are hos / He flows on the down low / Cuz I never heard about him with another girl," as if "rather than praise his faithfulness, the artists appreciate his discretion, while tacitly acknowledging his cheating." Moreover, Boykin said that "another girl" refers to Salt-N-Pepa's considerations of "heterosexual infidelity" and as if "some women [...] were publicly excusing their men for their down low behavior."[20]

A music video was released on the week ending January 17, 1994[21] to promote the single. Tupac Shakur and Treach from Naughty by Nature make cameo appearances. The single's music video, directed by Matthew Rolston and filmed by cinematographer Derek M. Allen, won three MTV Video Music Awards: Best Dance Video, Best R&B Video, and Best Choreography in 1994. A New York magazine journalist Dinitia Smith wrote about the video: "Salt-N-Pepa have [sic] a warmth and sexual heat that make Madonna seem contrived and mechanical."[21]

Salt-n-Pepa later recorded a variation on their own, with slightly rewritten lyrics, for another music video as the one-time segment of Monday Night Football. In the Monday music video, the two women wearing tight short-sleeved clothes, including T-shirts containing their respective logos of two opposing teams, are seen in a gym complimenting two football players of their respective teams,[22][23] one white and one black, for the men's bodies and weight training efforts.[23] In contrast, the lyrics of the Monday Night Football music video say that "their man 'likes pushin'[,] spends quality ball with the fellas,' and 'takes a big hit, 'cause he's a real man.'" According to academic Nick Trujillo of California State University, Sacramento, the rap song may associate hypermasculinity "with combat sports such as [American] football." He further said that the standard version has the women rather choose men who do not play football but are good parental candidates and are comfortable with their masculinities, while the Monday music video "not only objectifie[s] football players as sex objects but also reinforce[s] stereotypes of black men as sexual performers and white men as loving fathers."[23]

The Village Voice listed "Whatta Man" number 99 in their list of "Top Singles Of The 90's" in 1999.[24]

Maxi-single

1. "Whatta Man" (Video remix)
2. "Whatta Man" (Luvbug remix)
3. "Whatta Man" (12" Danny D remix)
4. "Push It" (remix)
5. "Let's Talk About AIDS"

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.

A music video to accompany the release of "What a Man" was first released onto YouTube on 30 August 2011 at a total length of three minutes. The video features actor Matthias Schweighöfer.[58]