The clip comes from Martin, the Fox sitcom that ran from 1992 to 1997 and starred Martin Lawrence as radio host Martin Payne. Lawrence built much of the show's humour around catchphrases, voices and exaggerated greetings, and short extracts later circulated on soundboards and social media as standalone reactions. The repeated whatsup became easy to reuse because it needs no setup and is recognised from the delivery alone. It remains popular for entrances and greetings online, long after the series ended, as a nostalgic shorthand for showing up with confidence.