Wanna Be the Man
| "Wanna Be the Man" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Earth, Wind & Fire | ||||
| from the album Heritage | ||||
| Released | 1990 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 4:08 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Kellee Patterson, MC Hammer, Maurice White, Sheldon Reynolds, Verdine White | |||
| Producer(s) | Maurice White | |||
| Earth, Wind & Fire singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Wanna Be The Man" on YouTube | ||||
"Wanna Be the Man" is a single by the band Earth, Wind & Fire featuring MC Hammer, issued in 1990 on Columbia Records.[1] The single peaked at No. 41 on the Cashbox Top R&B Singles chart and No. 46 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart.[2][3]
Critical reception
John Milward of Rolling Stone said the song is "sweetened by a buoyant vocal-group hook".[4] Mitchell May of the Chicago Tribune wrote "Hammer's clipped delivery meshes so well with EWF's leaner sound that they might want to consider hiring him full-time".[5] Bruce Britt of the Los Angeles Daily News wrote "'Wanna Be The Man' is great feel-good funk complete with a rapid fire rap by M.C. Hammer".[6] J.D. Considine of the Baltimore Sun exclaimed "Take a tune like 'Wanna Be the Man' with its bouncy chorus, tight falsetto harmonies and intoxicating swirl of percussion, it has all the earmarks of an EW&F classic. Yet by toughening up the beat and tossing in a little rapping (by M.C. Hammer, no less), it seems as vital as anything on the charts. Now, how's that for understanding your heritage?".[7] Pablo Guzman of the New York Daily News said "The pairing with M.C. Hammer on Wanna Be The Man" is "a kicking one".[8] James T. Jones IV of USA Today found that "EWF smartly gets help from MC Hammer on the hard-edged Wanna Be the Man".[9]
References
- ^ Earth, Wind & Fire: Wanna Be The Man. Columbia Records. 1990.
- ^ "CASH BOX Top R&B Singles". cashboxmagazine.com. Cashbox. September 8, 1990.
- ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Wanna Be The Man (Hot R&B Singles)". billboard.com. Billboard.
- ^ Milward, John (March 22, 1990). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Heritage". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone.
- ^ May, Mitchell (February 27, 1990). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Heritage". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune.
- ^ Britt, Bruce (February 9, 1990). "Earth, Wind & Fire shows new sides on 'Heritage'". Macon Telegraph. Los Angeles Daily News. p. 6D – via newsbank.com.
- ^ Considine, J.D. (February 16, 1990). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Heritage". newspapers.com. Baltimore Sun. p. 105.
- ^ Guzman, Pablo (February 18, 1990). "Earth, Wind & Fire: Heritage". newspapers.com. New York Daily News. p. 422.
- ^ Jones, James T, IV (January 18, 1990). "LISTEN UP!". proquest.com. USA Today. p. 4D.
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