Salt-N-Pepa - Whatta Man ft. En Vogue

What this video is

Released in late 1993 and charting into early 1994, 'Whatta Man' arrived at a pivotal moment in both hip-hop and R&B history: female artists were asserting lyrical and visual authority in a genre landscape previously dominated by male perspectives. Salt-N-Pepa had already established themselves as pioneers of female hip-hop, and En Vogue represented the apex of neo-soul vocal glamour. The video's celebration of the…

Why it matters

A landmark in hip-hop/R&B crossover production, 'Whatta Man' demonstrated that female-led hip-hop acts could command mainstream chart dominance and MTV saturation simultaneously. Its sample of Linda Lyndell's 1968 soul original bridged three decades of Black American musical tradition. The video's…

The director

Matthew Russell Rolston (born March 1, 1955, Los Angeles) is an American artist, photographer, and director known for signature glamour lighting techniques. Discovered by Andy Warhol for Interview magazine, he later shot over 100 Rolling Stone covers. He…