Whatta Man – Salt-N-Pepa

I’m not going to lie, this song showed up on my FYP as a mashup from the Cinderella movie with Camilla Cabello. I am aware of how embarrassing this is and that I could have lied about how I remembered the song, but it is honestly such a good mashup that reintroduced me to two songs: Whatta Man / Seven Nation Army. After listening to the mashup, I decided to listen to the original songs on their own. “Whatta Man” is such a fun song and the lyrics are so creative and funny to listen to, so I wanted to dive deeper into the lyrics. 

Behind the Lyrics:

The iconic collaboration of these two female vocal groups was bound to become a hit. This song was actually sampled from the 60s tune by Linda Lindell, but they wrote in their own rap verses, hinting at a new generation of rap artists taking samples of old songs and putting their own spin on it. This song describes the perfect man who “spends quality time with his kids when he can, secure in his manhood ‘cause he’s a real man, a lover, and a fighter.” Even though the collaboration of these two female acts is historic in itself, the song speaks on a much broader level about how a man should treat a woman in a relationship and helped guide the path for empowering women through music. The song reminds its listeners that it is okay to set high expectations and not settle for anything less because charm isn’t all to a man, they should support and stand up for you. He should love you and your flaws because as a woman, you deserve respect and dignity. This taught women to look beyond a man’s looks, wealth, and power to make sure they satisfy their emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being as well.