Whatta Man

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“Whatta Man”

Single by Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue from the album Very Necessary and Runaway Love
Released	1994 (US)
Format	CD single Cassette single
Genre	Hip-hop/R&B
Length	4:42
Label	Next Plateau/London
Writer(s)	Cheryl James Dave Crawford Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor
Salt-N-Pepa singles chronology
"Shoop" (1993)	"Whatta Man" (1994)	"None of Your Business" (1994)
En Vogue singles chronology
"What Is Love" (1993)	"Whatta Man" (1994)	"Don't Let Go (Love)" (1996)

"Whatta Man" is a 1994 single by Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue, taken from Salt-N-Pepa's 1993 album Very Necessary. Issued by Next Plateau/London Records and produced by Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor, "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. 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.

Cheryl "Salt" James and producer Hurby Azor wrote the single, which is built around a sample from the 1968 Stax hit "What a Man" by Linda Lyndell, written by Dave Crawford. "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 (which are performed in part by other members Maxine Jones, Terry Ellis, and led predominately by former member Dawn Robinson).

The song was also used for professional wrestler Jason Knight during his time with the Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion.

It is believed that the song has also been featured in an episode of House MD (4.06 'Whatever It Takes') as the ringtone of protagonist Dr. Gregory House, but it's actually the original 1968 song "What a Man".

Cheryl "Salt" James later stated on SNL that this song was in fact written for a guy called Taz X who resides in Birmingham, England.

[edit] Charts

Chart (1994)	Peak Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	3
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	3
U.S. Billboard Rap	1
U.S. ARC Weekly Top 40	2
UK Singles Chart	7

[edit] 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").