American rapper (born 1962)
This article is about the American rapper and former baseball executive. For the Rick Ross song, see
Teflon Don (album) .
Musical artist
Stanley Kirk Burrell (born March 30, 1962), better known by his stage name MC Hammer (or simply Hammer ), is an American rapper, dancer, record producer and entrepreneur; known for hit songs such as "U Can't Touch This ", "2 Legit 2 Quit " and "Pumps and a Bump ", flashy dance movements, extravagant choreography and his eponymous Hammer pants .[ 2] Remembered for a rapid rise to fame, Hammer has also been an entrepreneur [ 3] [ 4] and celebrity spokesperson .[ 5] [ 6]
A multi-award winner, Hammer is considered a "forefather" and pioneering innovator[ 7] of pop rap (incorporating elements of freestyle music ), and was the first hip hop artist to achieve diamond status with his album Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em . [ 8] [ 9] [ 10] After being labeled a sellout , and with the changing landscape of hip hop music , Hammer attempted to appeal to the rise of gangsta rap .[ 11] However, due to overexposure and critical backlash ,[ 12] his popularity waned by the mid-1990s (which led to a highly publicized bankruptcy beginning in 1996).[ 13]
Along with a Mattel doll and other merchandise, Hammer starred in a Saturday-morning cartoon called Hammerman in 1991. He became an ordained preacher during the late 1990s and hosted M.C. Hammer and Friends , a Christian ministry program on TBN . Hammer was also a dance judge on Dance Fever in 2003, was the co-creator of the dance website DanceJam.com,[ 14] [ 15] and was executive producer of his own reality show titled Hammertime (which aired on the A&E Network during the summer of 2009).[ 16] [ 17]
Throughout his career, Hammer has managed his own recording business as a record label CEO. As a result, he has created and produced his own acts/music including Ho Frat Hoo!,[ 18] Oaktown's 3.5.7 , Special Generation , Analise , DRS , B Angie B ,[ 19] Gentry Kozia[ 20] [ 21] and Oakland Fight Club .[ 22] A part of additional record labels, he has associated, collaborated and recorded with Psy ,[ 23] VMF,[ 24] Tupac Shakur , Teddy Riley , Felton Pilate , Tha Dogg Pound , The Whole 9 ,[ 25] The Hines Brother,[ 26] Deion Sanders , Big Daddy Kane , BeBe & CeCe Winans and Jon Gibson . Hammer signed with Suge Knight 's Death Row Records in 1995.[ 27]
BET ranked Hammer as the No. 7 "Best Dancer of All Time".[ 28] Vibe ' s "The Best Rapper Ever Tournament" declared him the 17th favorite of all-time during the first round. He continues to perform concerts at music venues and appears in television advertisements ,[ 29] [ 30] [ 31] along with participating in social media and ministry/outreach functions.[ 32] [ 33] He is also active in community and sports activities,[ 34] [ 35] being interviewed locally and nationally.[ 36] [ 37]
^ Huey, Stephen. "MC Hammer AllMusic Biography" . AllMusic . Retrieved December 1, 2023 . West Coast rapper whose upbeat, pop-friendly style made him hip-hop's first multi-platinum, crossover superstar.
^ Huey, Steve. "MC Hammer" . AllMusic . Retrieved October 29, 2019 .
^ Bellafante, Ginia (June 13, 2009). "Where a Fallen Rap Star Is Still No. 1" . The New York Times . Retrieved May 3, 2022 . A&E reality series about the day-to-day happenings of the three-time Grammy-winning rapper, dancer, financial train wreck and blossoming digital-media mogul M C Hammer
^ "2 Legit 2 Quit: MC Hammer's unlikely path to WireDoo" . The Daily Dot . March 12, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2022 .
^ "MC Hammer Still 'Hurtin' 'Em With Business" . Ebony.com . July 23, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2022 .
^ "MC Hammer: 30 Years of 'U Can't Touch This' Is a 'Dream Come True' " . Usmagazine.com . January 30, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2022 .
^ " 'It's Hammer time!' M.C. Hammer: upbeat performer with high-voltage stage show broadens rap's appeal" . Ebony . December 1990.
^ "Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: Overview" . AllMusic.
^ "Hammertime Holdings Retains OTC Financial Network To Direct Investor Relations Campaign" (Press release). PR Newswire. Archived from the original on January 25, 2003. Retrieved March 31, 2010 .
^ Cassidy, John (January 7, 2009). "The Talk of the Town: Under the Hammer" . The New Yorker . Retrieved March 31, 2010 .
^ "MC Hammer: Biography : Rolling Stone" . Rolling Stone . May 29, 2009. Archived from the original on May 29, 2009. Retrieved April 11, 2022 .
^ Williams, Stereo (March 30, 2022). "MC Hammer And The Legacy Of Oakland's Bust-It Records" . Udiscovermusic.com . Retrieved April 11, 2022 .
^ "Rich and famous people who found themselves bankrupt" . MSN . Retrieved April 11, 2022 .
^ "MC Hammer – DanceJam – The GigaOm Show" . Revision3.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2012 .
^ "MC Hammer to take on YouTube" . The Sydney Morning Herald . January 2, 2008.
^ "Hammertime" (official website) . A&E Network.
^ Hammertime at IMDb
^ "Ho Frat Hoo" . Discogs .
^ "FNV Newsletter December 15" . Daveyd.com . Retrieved October 10, 2019 .
^ " "We Gotta Do Better" MC Hammer featuring Gentry Kozia" . Vimeo.com . Retrieved April 11, 2022 .
^ "BIG HAMM "22 Pills" – Feat. Gentry Kozia" . Soundcloud.com . Retrieved April 11, 2022 .
^ "Better Man by Gentry Kozia of The OaklandFightClub" . Soundcloud.com . Retrieved April 11, 2022 .
^ Schneider, Marc (November 20, 2012). "PSY, MC Hammer 'Cooking' Up New Music After Epic AMAs (Video)" . Hollywoodreporter.com . Retrieved April 11, 2022 .
^ "Sultry Funk by MC Hammer feat. VMF on WhoSampled" . WhoSampled.com . Retrieved April 11, 2022 .
^ "The Funky Headhunter - MC Hammer | Billboard.com" . Billboard . January 24, 2011. Archived from the original on January 24, 2011. Retrieved April 11, 2022 .
^ "The Funky Headhunter – MC Hammer | Credits" . AllMusic . Retrieved April 11, 2022 .
^ "Shelved: Tupac and MC Hammer's Promising Collaboration" . Longreads.com . May 14, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2020 .
^ "The Legendary James Brown Rightfully Peaks List of BET's TOP 25 DANCERS of All Time" . BET. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009.
^ "MC Hammer Reveals Why He Strived To Be 'A Complete Artist' Instead Of Just A Rapper" . HipHopDX.com . November 19, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2022 .
^ Graham, Megan (February 3, 2020). "Why pop culture throwbacks were such a big theme in the Super Bowl commercials" . CNBC . Retrieved April 11, 2022 .
^ "Watch Access Hollywood Interview: MC Hammer Explains Story Behind His 'U Can't Touch This' 30th Anniversary Super Bowl Ad - NBC.com" . Nbc.com . January 28, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2022 .
^ "MC Hammer Speaks To HBS On Marketing | News | The Harvard Crimson" . Thecrimson.com . Retrieved April 11, 2022 .
^ Marinucci, Carla (November 20, 2011). "MC Hammer: Busting a move as tech-savvy visionary" . SFGATE . Retrieved April 11, 2022 .
^ "MC Hammer dishes on his Oakland A's origins and Bay Area sports" . Fansided.com . January 31, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2022 .
^ "MC Hammer to throw out AL Wild Card 1st pitch" . MLB.com . Retrieved April 11, 2022 .
^ "MC Hammer on Undisputed: 'We could've planned to keep the Raiders' " . Raiderswire.usatoday.com . June 3, 2017. Retrieved April 11, 2022 .
^ "Hammertime – MC Hammer's Greatest Sports Moments" . Complex . Retrieved June 21, 2022 .