Man's Not Hot

Album: Single release only (2017)
Charted: 3
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • UK comedian Michael Dapaah first came to notice with his comedy skits in which he parodied UK gangster stereotypes and rubbish rappers. He then went viral with his "Fire in the Booth" freestyle on Charlie Sloth's BBC 1Xtra show which he rapped as "Roadman Shaq."
  • A "roadman" is a British slang term for a gangster, who is always wearing a big puffy jacket no matter the weather.

    I tell her man's not hot, I tell her man's not hot
    The girl told me, "Take off your jacket"
    I said, "Babes, man's not hot" (never hot)


    Shaq rhymes about keeping your coat on and getting annoyed when people say take it off.
  • As a result of the popularity of "Fire in the Booth," Dapaah decided to flip the freestyle into an official song titled "Man's Not Hot," which he dropped on September 22, 2017.
  • The song uses the beat of 67's "Let's Lurk" featuring Giggs, which is produced by GottiOnEm and Mazza.
  • The song is best known for its meme-inspiring gun sounds. They are a parody of a lyrical trend involving London rappers, who incorporate deliberately rhythmic gunshot onomatopoeias in their rhymes.
  • Asked by NME how he wrote the song, Big Shaq replied:

    "Boom, basically – everywhere I go I wear my jacket babes – do you know what I'm sayin'? So it's like, it's just me telling my story. It doesn't matter where I am, what I do, whether I'm in the sauna, whether I'm on the beach, whether I'm with my girl at the spa – man's never hot. It's that simple. It's not really a story – it's a lifestyle."
  • The song's music video features cameos by DJ Khaled, Lil Yachty and Waka Flocka Flame.
  • Big Shaq told Genius:

    "I don't take off my jacket for no one. Man was on a date. With a girl. Hot girl. She tried to ask me to take off my jacket. So she can stroke my neck. I said, 'What the heck do you think this is babes? Man's not on some romance ting. What do you think this is? Pretty Woman? Think this is what, Scandal? The Office? Power? Who do you think I am? James St. Patrack?'"
  • Two plus two is four, minus one that's three, quick maths

    British Labour Party MP Fiona Onasanya sneaked the opening line from the song's first verse into a speech at the UK House of Commons. When she stepped up to the podium to debate the allocation of funds for the educational system, the Member of Parliament for Peterborough said:

    "Beyond a small announcement on mathematics, there was no extra money in the budget for the education system. It is not as simple as 'Two plus two is four, minus three is one - quick maths.' This means real terms cuts and a potential continuation of the recruitment and retention crisis in our education system."
  • Big Shaq released a "MC Mix" featuring guest verses from grime rappers Lethal Bizzle, Chipmunk, Krept & Konan and Jme. The new version uses the beat of South London-based rap collective 67's cut "Let's Lurk."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary MachineSong Writing

Fiona's highly-anticipated third album almost didn't make it. Here's how it finally came together after two years and a leak.

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The Remasters

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The RemastersSong Writing

Brian has unearthed outtakes by Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello and hundreds of other artists for reissues. Here's how he does it.

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet SprocketSongwriter Interviews

The "All I Want" singer went through a long depression, playing some shows when he didn't want to be alive.

Marvin Gaye

Marvin GayeFact or Fiction

Did Marvin try out with the Detroit Lions? Did he fake crazy to get out of military service? And what about the cross-dressing?

Steve Morse of Deep Purple

Steve Morse of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple's guitarist since 1994, Steve talks about writing songs with the band and how he puts his own spin on "Smoke On The Water."

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s EditionMusic Quiz

You know the scenes - Tom Cruise in his own pants-off dance off, Molly Ringwald celebrating her birthday - but do you remember what song is playing?