Whatta Man by Salt-N-Pepa

Whatta Man was released in 1993 by Salt-N-Pepa, in collaboration with En Vogue. The song was an instant hit, peaking at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number two on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

However, Salt-N-Pepa’s version of Whatta Man was not the first. The song is actually a cover of a 1968 track called “What a Man” by Linda Lyndell. That was written and produced by Stax Records’ Isaac Hayes and David Porter, the same duo responsible for classic hits like “Soul Man” and “Hold On, I’m Coming.” Lyndell’s version was a moderate hit, peaking at number 50 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 22 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Despite her success, Lyndell’s career in the music industry was relatively brief. There are reports that Lyndell received threats from the Ku Klux Klan due to her success as a white artist working with African American artists. While the exact nature of these threats is unclear, reports suggest that Lyndell was warned to stop performing soul music or face violent consequences. In a 2017 interview with The Guardian, Lyndell stated, “There was a lot of KKK activity back then, and it was scary. I don’t want to get into the details, but let’s just say they didn’t like me singing soul music.”