# I just learned that Martin Lawrence made these phrases popular in mainstream US **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 10, 2005, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-that-martin-lawrence-made-these-phrases-popular-in-mainstream-us/325531 "2005-10-10T09:21:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![andrewdt85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71e660/32.png) [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-that-martin-lawrence-made-these-phrases-popular-in-mainstream-us/325531/1 "2005-10-10T09:21:11Z")
“You go girl!” “Don’t go there!” Oh, and if you didn’t know: “Get to steppin’!” Of course, Lawrence didn’t originate the first two (or the last AFAIK)- African Americans had used them for at least a decade before his show Martin premiered in the 90s. Still, though, I want to recognize Lawrence for making these two phrases what they were in the 90s. I never imagined he had such influence; such bad influence, but influence. Cite: [http://www.word-detective.com/021605.html](http://www.word-detective.com/021605.html) ---
**Author:** ![Stillwell\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@Stillwell\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stillwell_Angel)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-that-martin-lawrence-made-these-phrases-popular-in-mainstream-us/325531/2 "2005-10-10T12:27:13Z")
I remember “You go girl” becoming popular from the show “In Living Color” which was on long before I ever heard of Lawerence. They even had a regular sketch about a talk show called “You go girl!” Not sure when I remember hearing the other phrases first, but that one sticks in my mind because at the time it was popular with the demographic of people I worked with and it was often a topic of discussion at work the next day. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-that-martin-lawrence-made-these-phrases-popular-in-mainstream-us/325531/3 "2005-10-10T13:23:08Z")
I hear “Damn, Gina” used a lot as well. ---
**Author:** ![archmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@archmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/archmichael)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-that-martin-lawrence-made-these-phrases-popular-in-mainstream-us/325531/4 "2005-10-10T14:28:52Z")
“You so crazy!” “I’ll see you when I see you” from his stand-up act ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-that-martin-lawrence-made-these-phrases-popular-in-mainstream-us/325531/5 "2005-10-10T14:30:48Z")
Didn’t he also popularize the phrase “Whatup?” ---
**Author:** ![Stillwell\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@Stillwell\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stillwell_Angel)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-that-martin-lawrence-made-these-phrases-popular-in-mainstream-us/325531/6 "2005-10-10T14:43:32Z")
> [@middleman](#): > > Didn’t he also popularize the phrase “Whatup?” I think his was more like “Wazzzzup!” ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-that-martin-lawrence-made-these-phrases-popular-in-mainstream-us/325531/7 "2005-10-10T14:59:23Z")
> [@archmichael](#): > > “You so crazy!” > > “I’ll see you when I see you” from his stand-up act I thought the Terminator made that last one popular: Hasta La Vista = I’ll see you when I see you. ---
**Author:** ![archmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@archmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/archmichael)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-that-martin-lawrence-made-these-phrases-popular-in-mainstream-us/325531/8 "2005-10-10T15:17:52Z")
> [@Max Carnage](#): > > I thought the Terminator made that last one popular: Hasta La Vista = I’ll see you when I see you. No 'I’ll see you when I see you" must be exclaimed in a sing-songy voice for full effect, and has nothing to do with ‘hasta la vista’. In fact Terminator II made ‘hasta la vista’ less popular. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-that-martin-lawrence-made-these-phrases-popular-in-mainstream-us/325531/9 "2005-10-10T16:41:59Z")
He also came up with now-obsolete terms such as “Jive Turkey” and “Soul Train” when he was a toddler. ---
**Author:** ![GraceTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c4cdca/32.png) [@GraceTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GraceTX)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-that-martin-lawrence-made-these-phrases-popular-in-mainstream-us/325531/10 "2005-10-10T16:43:19Z")
> [@andrewdt85](#): > > “You go girl!” > “Don’t go there!” > > Oh, and if you didn’t know: “Get to steppin’!” Not sure about the first two, but I know that I borrowed “Get to Steppin’!” from the tv show _Martin_. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-that-martin-lawrence-made-these-phrases-popular-in-mainstream-us/325531/11 "2005-10-10T16:46:46Z")
Didn’t “Hasta la vista, baby” originally come from a Tone Loc video? I thought the Terminator scene was itself a pop cultural reference to Tone-Loc. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-that-martin-lawrence-made-these-phrases-popular-in-mainstream-us/325531/12 "2005-10-10T17:19:10Z")
I was actually kidding about Termy making it popular, but yeah I think popularity of the Spanish version of “I’ll see ya when I see ya” can be attributed to Tone Loc. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-that-martin-lawrence-made-these-phrases-popular-in-mainstream-us/325531/13 "2005-10-10T20:25:55Z")
It may have been introduced by Tone Loc, but it did not become a catch phrase my dad would know (the ultimate test for cultural saturation) until after T2. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-learned-that-martin-lawrence-made-these-phrases-popular-in-mainstream-us/325531/14 "2005-10-10T20:28:38Z")
Animal said it in the closing credits for The Muppets Take Manhattan well before Tone or Arnold ever did! 😉 –Cliffy