MC Hammer

MC Hammer

Stanley Kirk Burrell (born March 30, 1962), known better by his stage names MC Hammer and Hammer, is an African-American multi-platinum selling MC and dancer most popular during the late 1980s until the mid-1990s, known for his dramatic "rise and fall" from fame and fortune and his trademark Hammer Pants. He became a preacher during the late 1990s and as of 2008 works as a co-initiator of a dance website, television show host and CEO, still performing occasionally at concerts and other functions. He lives in Tracy, California, with his wife Stephanie and six children, three boys and three girls (one now in college). Throughout his career, MC Hammer has managed his own recording business, Oaktown Records.

Although considered a "forefather" of entertainment rap music (or "pop rap") at one time, due to his mainstream appeal since the late 1980s, he would later be considered a "sell-out" rapper by many. Nonetheless, BET ranked Hammer as the #7 Best Dancer Of All Time.

Early life

Burrell was born in Oakland, California. From 1980 to 1981, Burrell served as a batboy with the Oakland Athletics under colorful team owner Charlie Finley, who lived in the Midwest and for whom Burrell was his "eyes and ears." Reggie Jackson, in describing Burrell's role for Finley, took credit for the "Hammer" nickname:

Hell, our chief executive, the guy that ran our team, uh, that communicated [with] Charlie Finley, the top man there, was a 13-year old kid. I nicknamed him "Hammer," because he looked like [Hammerin'] Hank Aaron.

Ron Bergman, at the time an Oakland Tribune writer who covered the A's, recalled that:

He was an informant in the clubhouse, an informant for Charlie, and he got the nickname "Pipeline."

According to Hammer:

Charlie said, "I'm getting you a new hat. I don't want you to have a hat that says "A's" on it. I'm getting you a hat that says 'Ex VP,' that says 'Executive Vice President.' You're running the joint around here." ... Every time I come down to the clubhouse, you know, Rollie would yell out "Oh, everybody be quiet! Here comes Pipeline!"

MC Hammer could be found outside the stadium dancing in an effort to earn enough money to attend the games. Finley saw his eagerness and entrepreneurial techniques which made him suitable for such a position.

Burrell wanted to be a professional baseball player, but he did not catch on in any professional organization. He joined the Navy instead, serving with Patron (Patrol Squadron) Forty Seven (VP-47) of Moffett Field in Mountain View, California, as a Petty Officer Third Class Aviation Store Keeper (AK3) until his honorable discharge . Through that experience, he acquired the nickname M.C. for being "Master of Ceremonies". Upon his return from the military he began performing music in clubs and started his own record vending business, Bust It.

Music career

Prior to his mainstream career, Hammer formed a Christian rap music group known as the Holy Ghost Boys and later released "This Wall" (it was within the lyrics of this song that Burrell first identified himself as M.C. Hammer) with CCM's Jon Gibson, which appeared on Gibson's album Change of Heart, and "Son of the King" which showed up on Hammer's debut album Feel My Power as well as the updated version Let's Get It Started.

Feel My Power (1987)

Main article: Feel My Power

His debut album Feel My Power was produced between 1986 and 1988 to be released independently in 1987 on his Oaktown Records label (Bustin'). It was produced by VEH (of Con Funk Shun), and sold over 60,000 copies. In the spring of 1988, a DJ played the track Let's Get It Started — a song in which he declared he was "...second to none, from Doug E. Fresh, LL Cool J, or DJ Run" — after which the track began to gain popularity in clubs. Hammer received several offers from major record labels after the successful release of the independent album. Coupled with his dance abilities, his style was unique.

Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em (1990)

Main article: Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em

His second album, 1990's Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em, included the extremely successful single U Can't Touch This which sampled Rick James' 1981 success Super Freak). It was produced, recorded, and mixed by Felton Pilate and James Earley on a modified tour bus (while on tour). Interestingly, despite heavy airplay and a #27 chart debut, U Can't Touch This stopped at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart due to the fact that it was released only as a twelve-inch single. However, the album was a #1 success for 21 weeks, due primarily to this single.

Follow-up successes included Have You Seen Her (a cover of the Chi-Lites) and Pray (a beat sampled from Prince's When Doves Cry), which was his biggest hit in the US, peaking at #2. Pray was also a major UK success, peaking at #8. The album went on to become the first "hip-hop" album to score "diamond" status, selling more than 10 million units. During 1990, Hammer toured extensively in Europe which included a sold-out concert at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. With the sponsorship of PepsiCo, PepsiCo International CEO Christopher A. Sinclair went on tour with him during 1991.

The album was notable for sampling other high-profile artists and gave some of these artists a new fanbase. "Dancin' Machine" sampled the Jackson 5, "Help the Children" interpolates Marvin Gaye's Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) and "She's Soft and Wet" also sampled Prince's Soft and Wet. All of these songs proved to be successful on radio and video television, with "U Can't Touch This", "Pray" (most successful), "Have You Seen Her", "Here Comes the Hammer" and "Yo!!Sweetness" (UK only) all charting. The album increased the popularity of rap music. It remains among the genre's all-time best-selling albums.

At the same time, he also appeared in The West Coast Rap All-Stars posse cut We're All in the Same Gang. Music videos from this album and the previous albums began to receive much airplay on MTV and VH1. A movie also accompanied the album and was produced at this same time called "Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie" along with music videos included within the movie.

A critical backlash began over the repetitive nature of his lyrics, his clean-cut image, and his perceived over-reliance on sampling others' hooks for the basis of his singles - criticisms which were also directed toward his contemporary, Vanilla Ice. He was mocked in music videos by 3rd Bass, The D.O.C., DJ Debranz, and Ice Cube. Oakland hip-hop group Digital Underground mocked him in the CD insert to their Sex Packets album when placing his picture in with the other members and referring to him as an "Unknown derelict". In fact, LL Cool J mocked him in To tha Break of Dawn, a track on his Mama Said Knock You Out album, calling Hammer an "...amateur, swinging a Hammer from a bodybag (his pants)," and saying, "my old gym teacher ain't supposed to rap." However Ice-T came to his defense on his 1991 album OG: Original Gangster: "A special shout out to my man MC Hammer; A lot of people diss you, man, but they just jealous." Ice-T later explained that he had nothing against people who were pop rap from the start, as Hammer had been, but only against rappers who switch from being hardcore or dirty to being pop-rap so that they can sell more records.

Despite the criticisms, MC Hammer's career continued to be highly successful. Soon, MC Hammer dolls, lunchboxes, and other merchandise was marketed. He was even given his own Saturday morning cartoon, Hammerman.

Too Legit to Quit (1991)

Main article: Too Legit to Quit

After dropping the "MC" from his stage name, Burrell released Too Legit to Quit (again, produced by Felton Pilate) in 1991. Hammer took the opportunity to answer his critics on certain songs on the album. Though the album was, by and large, no better accepted (critically) than his first, sales were strong (over three-million copies) and the title track was a hit. The album peaked in the Top 5 of the Billboard 200. Another hit came soon after, with Addams Groove (which appeared on both The Addams Family motion picture soundtrack and the vinyl and cassette versions of 2 Legit 2 Quit), which reached #7 in the U.S. and #4 in the UK. His video for the song appeared after the movie. Hammer set out on tour, but the stage show had become as lavish as his lifestyle; loaded with singers, dancers, and backup musicians, the supporting concert tour was too expensive for the album's sales to finance, and it was canceled partway through. Despite the multi-platinum certification, the sales were one-third of Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em.

A video for the title song was also produced, featuring many celebrity appearances. 2 Legit 2 Quit has been ranked as one of the most expensive videos ever made. The song proved to be successful in the U.S., peaking at the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, at #6. The hand motions used within the song and video also became very popular.

New venture (Oaktown/Giant)

Later, Hammer parted ways with Pilate, switched record labels and signed with Giant Records, taking his Oaktown label with him.

In 1992, Hammer admitted in depositions and court documents to getting the idea for the song Here Comes The Hammer from a Christian recording artist in Dallas, Texas named Kevin Christian (formerly "Kevin" Muhammad Abdallah). Christian had filed a 16 million dollar lawsuit against Hammer for copyright infringement for his song entitled Oh-Oh, You Got The Shing. This fact compounded with witness testimony from both Hammer's and Christian's entourages and other evidence including photos brought about a settlement with Capitol Records in 1994. The terms of the settlement remain sealed. Hammer settled with Christian the following year.

The Funky Headhunter (1994)

Main article: The Funky Headhunter

To adapt to the changing landscape of hip-hop, his next album was a more aggressive sounding album entitled The Funky Headhunter. He co-produced this record with funky rapper and producer, Stefan Adamek. While Hammer's appearance changed to keep up with the gangsta rap audience, his lyrics still remained somewhat clean. Yet, as with previous records, Hammer would continue to disrespect other rappers on this album. As with earlier songs such as Crime Story, the content remained somewhat the same, but the sound was different, resulting in Hammer losing favor with fans.

The accompanying video to albums's first single, Pumps and a Bump, was banned from heavy rotation on MTV with censors claiming that the depiction of Hammer in Speedos and with what appeared to be an erection was too graphic. This led to an alternative video being filmed (with Hammer fully clothed) that was directed by Bay Area native Craig S. Brooks, who also helmed the video of rap group D.R.S.' only hit single Gangsta Lean.

It's All Good was the second single released, which would become a pop culture phrase as a result of its success. This album managed to become certified platinum. It was also the first and most successful song by this title.

Inside Out (1995)

Main article: Inside Out (MC Hammer album)

In 1995, Hammer released the album Inside Out, which critics claimed was unfocused, as it was unclear if the genre was pop or rap. The album sold poorly (peaking at 119 on the Billboard Charts) and Giant Records dropped him and Oaktown Records from their roster. However, Going Up Yonder and Sultry Funk managed to get moderate radio play (charting on station countdowns). Hammer would go on to explain in this album that many of his so-called friends he staffed, who he felt used and betrayed him, would contribute to a majority of his financial loss (best explained in the song Keep On from this album). He would also claim this again on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2009. Because of dwindling album sales and a lavish lifestyle, Hammer, who was $13 million in debt, filed for bankruptcy in April 1996.

Career with Death Row Records (1995–1996)

Main article: Death Row Records

Hammer's relationship with Suge Knight dates back to 1988. Hammer next signed with Death Row Records, then home to Snoop Dogg and his close friend, Tupac Shakur. The label did not release any of Hammer's music while he was with them. However, Burrell did record music with Shakur, most notably the song "Too Late Playa", and the album (Too Tight) he recorded leaked onto the internet some years later. Their collaborative efforts are yet to be released. After the death of Shakur in 1996, Burrell left the record company. He later explained his concern about this circumstance in an interview on Trinity Broadcasting Network since he was in Las Vegas with Tupac the night of his death.

Return to EMI (1996–1997)

In 1996, Burrell and Oaktown signed with EMI, which saw the release of a compilation of Hammer's chart topping songs prior to The Funky Headhunter album. The album, Greatest Hits, featured 12 former hits and was released in October, only six months after his bankruptcy. Since then, several compilation album versions of his "greatest hits" have been produced.

In 1997, just prior to beginning his ministry, MC Hammer (who by that time had readopted the "MC") was the subject of an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show and the VH1 series Behind the Music (music from his previous album Inside Out was featured in this documentary). In these appearances, Burrell admitted that he had already used up most of his fortune of over $20 million, proving that money is nothing if it doesn't bring peace. He would go on to express a similar point in other interviews as well.

Family Affair (1998)

In 1998, MC Hammer released his first album in his new deal with EMI, titled Family Affair because it was to introduce the world to the artists he had signed to his Oaktown Records (Geeman, Teabag, and Common Unity) as they made their recording debut. This album was highly plugged on Trinity Broadcasting Network (performing a more gospel version of Keep On from his album Inside Out) but featured no charting singles, and sold between about 100,000-500,000 copies worldwide. However, it did showcase a song originally by 2Pac that was given to Hammer which he did as a remake on the album called Unconditional Love.

Active Duty (2001)

Main article: Active Duty (MC Hammer album)

In 2001, MC Hammer released his 8th studio album, Active Duty, to pay homage to the ones lost in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The album followed that theme, it featured two singles, No Stoppin' Us (USA), and Pop Yo Collar. The album, like its predecessor, failed to chart and would not sell as many copies as previous projects. He did however promote it on such shows as The View and produced a video for both singles.

Full Blast (2003)

Main article: Full Blast

After leaving Capitol Records and EMI for the second time in his career, MC Hammer decided to move his Oaktown imprint to an independent distributor and released his ninth studio album, Full Blast, in 2003. The album would feature no charting singles and failed to certify in the RIAA. A video was produced for Full Blast, a song that attacks Eminem and Busta Rhymes.

Look Look Look (2006)

Main article: Look Look Look

After going independent, he decided to create a digital label to release his tenth studio album, Look Look Look. The album was released in 2006 and featured production from Scott Storch. The album featured the title-track single, and would sell much better than his previous release (300,000 copies worldwide).

Between 2006 and 2007, Hammer released a military-inspired rap song with a political message to President George W. Bush about sending the American troops back from war, called "Bring Our Brothers Home". The video was filmed at the Santa Monica Pier.

"I Got It From The Town" was used in the movie but not present on The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (soundtrack).

DanceJamtheMusic (2008)

Since his 2006 album, Hammer continued to produce music and released several other raps that have appeared on his websites and/or in commercials, with another album due for launch in late 2008 (via his own record label Fullblast Playhouse). Talks of the tour and new release were expected in 2009.

Lifestyle and Business Entrepreneur

Due to the success of the Please Hammer Don’t Hurt Em album, Hammer had amassed approximately USD$33 million.

$12 million of this total was used to have his home built in Fremont, California, 30 miles (50 km) south of where he grew up. Among the documented features this house had included:

• Recording studio
• 33 seat theater with stadium seating
• 2 swimming pools (one indoor/one outdoor)
• Tennis courts and a baseball diamond
• Waterfalls, ponds, and aquariums
• Mirrored Bathroom (at least $75,000 (£35,000) in mirrors throughout the house)
• $2 Million of Italian marble floors and a floor-to-ceiling gray marble office with customized marble niches for awards.
• Marble countertops in the kitchen (the house was heavily decorated in marble)
• A stop sign with "Hammertime!" engraved in to it, in reference to the song that made him famous
• Massive gold and black marble jacuzzi in the master bedroom
• Basketball courts
• Bowling alley
• 17 car garage
• Two gold-plated "Hammertime" gates for entrance to the property
• A dishwasher installed in his master bedroom for the purpose of "cleaning up after a midnight snack" (as told in the VH1 movie about his life, entitled Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story).

Many of these amenities did little to improve the value of the home.

After the purchase of the home, it left approximately $20 million, the money that was supposedly squandered. After the home, his money went into other things (much described as frivolous):

• A fleet of 17 automobiles, including a Lamborghini, a stretch limousine, a Range Rover, and a De Lorean.
• Two helicopters.
• 1976 Refurbished "Hoopty Ride"
• Investments up to $1 million in Thoroughbred racehorses.
• Careless spending on high-priced items like antique golf clubs, Etruscan sculpture, and gold chains for his 4 pet rottweilers.
• Extravagant parties financed by Hammer himself.
• The huge entourage of over 300 people, most of whom were on his payroll, for total monthly wages of $500,000. This "posse" ended up contributing to some of his financial decline, as well as lower-selling albums that followed. He openly declared many of these people he tried to help out, were never really his true friends and were in it for the money and fame. This was mentioned not only in numerous interviews, but in his 1995 album bio as well.
• Leased Boeing 727.

In 1991, MC Hammer established Oaktown Stable that would eventually have nineteen Thoroughbred racehorses. That year, his outstanding filly Lite Light won several Grade I stakes races including the prestigious Kentucky Oaks. His D. Wayne Lukas-trained colt Dance Floor won the Grade II Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes and the Breeders' Futurity Stakes in 1991, then the following year won the Fountain of Youth Stakes and finished 3rd in the 1992 Kentucky Derby.

Hammer had several costly videos, two in particular were Too Legit to Quit or 2 Legit 2 Quit (which many celebrities appeared in) and "Here Comes the Hammer". He has also made cameos or performed on many television shows such as Saturday Night Live, Amen (TV series) and Martin (TV series), and has appeared in movies as an actor as well.

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Hammer released the patriotic album Active Duty on his own WorldHit label. He donated portions of the proceeds to 9/11 charities.

In 2003, Hammer appeared on the first season of The Surreal Life, a reality show known for assembling an eclectic mix of celebrities to live together.

In the 2005 MTV Music Video Awards, Hammer made a surprise appearance in the middle of the show with best friend Jeremiah Jackson.

In February 2006, the first single off Hammer's new album Look Look Look was released. The Scott Storch-produced title track was released as a single and a music video. Hammer now frequently posts about his life on his blog "Look Look Look," as well as other sites.

As a result of his previous success, Hammer has now become somewhat of a popular web mogul and activist, currently involved in several Internet projects (such as the TechCrunch40 conferences and DanceJam). In early 2008, Hammer launched his newest project as co-founder of DanceJam.com, an exclusive community site dedicated only to dancing videos, competitions and styles.

In August 2008, a new ESPN ad featured Hammer in it, showcasing his newest single ("I Got Gigs" from his album "DanceJamtheMusic"). The commercial was for Monday Night Football's upcoming football season. This is not the first commercial in more recent years that Hammer has been in, or his songs/raps/dancing was used for or included in. (ie. Lays, Hallmark, Purell, Lysol, Nationwide Insurance, Citibank, etc.)

According to past articles, Hammer had shown an interest in having his own reality show with specific television networks. He has already been a part of two for VH-1 (I Married... MC Hammer) and The Surreal Life. It was later confirmed he would appear in Hammertime on A&E Network in the summer of 2009. This reality show will be about his personal, business and family life.

On February 1, 2009, Hammer and Ed McMahon were featured in a Super Bowl XLIII commercial for Cash4Gold.com.

On February 11, 2009, Hammer made an in-person appearance at the Shorty Awards, which honor the top short-form content creators on Twitter. In recent news (March 2009), Ellen DeGeneres made plans for Hammer to be on her show (The Ellen DeGeneres Show) via communication with Twitter. As a result of his popularity with the site, he has been considered a "Tweeter star".

In March 2009, MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice had a one-off concert in the McKay Events Center, Orem, Utah.

Legacy

After his rapid fall from fame and subsequent bankruptcy (due in part to the amount of people Hammer employed, which he would later publicly regret, admitting his so-called friends were only interested in his success and money overall), MC Hammer spent most of the latter half of the 1990s as a punch line in the music business. In 2000, Nelly, in his breakthrough hit Country Grammar (Hot Shit), announced his intention to "blow 30 mill[ion] like I'm Hammer".

Hammer has also influenced the music industry as well as pop culture catch phrases and slang. His sampling of large portions of well-known pop oldies (as opposed to short James Brown or George Clinton funk riffs) has become increasingly popular among mainstream rappers, particularly Diddy's Bad Boy Records stable. Digital Underground's rap The Humpty Dance included the lyrics "People say ya look like M.C. Hammer on crack, Humpty!", boasting about Hammer's showmanship versus Humpty Hump (Shock G)'s inability to match it. Other examples include Eminem's Like Toy Soldiers which samples nearly the entire chorus from Martika's similarly-named 1989 hit. At the time Hammer was most popular though, it was frowned upon.

Hammer's clothing-line and flashy wardrobes also led to other performers being more conscientious about video outfits, "shiny suits" and baggie pants. During his career, Hammer would tour, perform and record with his brother 2 Bigg MC or Too Big (releasing a song in which he considered himself as "King of the Hype"). It's interesting to note that this duo introduced the "shiny suit" to mainstream America as seen in the video (Hammer Hammer) They Put Me In A Mix in which Hammer also claimed Too Big was the "King of Hype", who was in an unspoken competition with Flavor Flav (hype man for Public Enemy) during the height of their careers.

Even in 2008, artists continue to invoke Hammer's catchphrase.

British TV presenter Mark Lamarr interrupted Hammer repeatedly with Hammer's catchphrase in an interview filmed for The Word, which he took in good humour.[?]

MC Hammer performed a self-parody role in a television ad for Lay's potato chips. Some kids lose their baseball over the fence of a neighbor apparently infamous for not returning lost toys, so they throw him a bag of king sizes to appease him. He throws back their ball, their dog, a car belonging to one kid's dad, and Hammer, still dressed in golden sparkle shirt and Hammer pants. Hammer instantly breaks into the chorus of U Can't Touch This. The kids then toss Hammer back over the fence as he cries out, "You're not supposed to touch this!" He also appeared in an ad for Nationwide Insurance which made fun of his sudden fall from fame and wealth. In 2004, U Can't Touch This was licensed by Purell for a series of commercials. It was also used in a Hallmark Cards commercial.

Hammer also began the trend of rap artists being accepted as mainstream pitchmen. Prior to Hammer, it was virtually unheard of for a hip-hop artist to be seen in a major commercial spot. Hammer appeared in major marketing campaigns for companies such as Pepsi, KFC, and Taco Bell to the point that he was criticized as a "sell-out". Today, many rappers appear in various major commercials and market their own clothing lines. Ironically, three of Hammer's biggest detractors (LL Cool J, Run D.M.C. and Ice Cube), would also appear in ads later.

In one of the episodes of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy called Goodbling and the Hip-Hop-Opotamus Irwin wears clothing similar to that of MC Hammer and dances to a variation of U Can't Touch This.

The Simpsons have made numerous references to MC Hammer throughout its run. In season 11, episode 22, Behind the Laughter, Homer buys MC Hammers mansion. The gates to the mansion are decorated with golden letters spelling the word "hammertime," which Homer bashes with a hammer to spell out "Homertime".

In Treehouse of horror IX, Homer tries to kill Bart with a sledgehammer, while making a reference to MC Hammer, "It's hammertime dude"!

MC Hammer appeared on VH-1's "100 Greatest Songs of the 90s" countdown and as a commentary, as well as on And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip-Hop (2004).

MC Hammer has six children. The eldest, 20-year-old A'Keiba Burrell, was a contestant on MTV's Rock the Cradle in April, 2008 (which Hammer made appearances on).

With Chamillionaire and Mistah F.A.B. in Stanford, California in July 24, 2008.

Dancing

Hammer's dance style not only helped pave the way for the Bay Area Movement called Hyphy, but also helped to bring hip-hop and rap to the Bay Area. His dancing skills are still taught to this day. One phenomenal difference from Hammer versus other performers during his heyday, is that he was an entertainer, both during live shows and in music videos. His flamboyant dancing was as much a part of his performances as rapping and musical instruments were. With high-energy dance routines, he was often considered one of the greatest dancers. While adding his own techniques, Hammer adopted styles from James Brown and The Nicholas Brothers such as the splits, and feverish choreographed dance routines including leaps and slides, most notably. His creation of such dances as Hammer Dance (or the Typewriter Dance) and the use of The Running Man and the "Butterfly," among others, made his flashy and creative dance skills unlike any others at the time.

During the height of his career, Hammer had his legs insured for a substantial amount of money, as mentioned in an interview by Maria Shriver in the early 90s. He would later suffer injury to his knee that halted his dancing career for a period of time. Eventually, BET ranked Hammer as the 7th Best Dancer Of All Time. Some of Hammer's entourage, or "posse" as he called them, were also trained/skilled dancers. They participated in videos and at concerts, yet too many dancers and band members eventually contributed to Hammer's downfall, proving to be too much for him to finance.

Hammer is still active in the dance media/genre, both on television shows and as co-founder of DanceJam.com (which showcases dance competitions and instructional videos on all the latest dance styles). Well known for bringing choreography to hip-hop, many of his dancing skills can now be seen on this dance-focused social networking site. “Dance is unlike any other social medium. It's the core of our culture,” Burrell told Wired News.

In addition to his websites and other Internet appearances, Hammer has also appeared demonstrating much of his dancing abilities on talk shows such as The Arsenio Hall Show, Soul Train, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The View and was a dancing judge on Dance Fever (2003 TV series). Hammer would go on to win many awards and specifically be nominated for his dancing and choreography skills.

Christian Influence and Pastoral Career

In 1984, Hammer began attending Bible studies, joined a street ministry, and formed a gospel rap group known as the Holy Ghost Boys featuring Jon Gibson, another musician interested in inspirational music. In 1986, Kirk Burrell, along with Tramaine Hawkins, performed with Jon's band doing several concerts in various halls such as the Beverly Theatre in Beverly Hills. They collaborated on Gibson's 1988 album (Change of Heart) for a gospel-charged rap "This Wall" prior to Hammer's mainstream success. This was CCM's first rap hit ever, by anyone, not to mention by a Caucasian (Gibson) and/or a duo. Burrell also produced "Son of the King" at that time, releasing it on his debut album. Raised Pentecostal, Hammer strayed from his faith during his success, before returning to ministry. His awareness of this could be found in a movie he made called Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie (1990).

As a tribute to his faith, Hammer vowed to dedicate at least one song on each album to God. Hammer later reaffirmed his beliefs in October 1997, and starred in the ministry television show MC Hammer and Friends on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. Hammer officiated at the celebrity weddings of actor Corey Feldman and Susie Sprague on October 30, 2002 (as seen on VH1's The Surreal Life), and also at Mötley Crüe's Vince Neil and Lia Gerardini's wedding in January 2005. During an interview on TBN (between 1997-1998), Hammer claimed he adopted the M.C. back in his name which now stood for "Man of Christ."

Discography

Main article: MC Hammer discography

Studio albums

• 1987: Feel My Power
• 1988: Let's Get It Started
• 1990: Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em
• 1991: Too Legit to Quit
• 1994: The Funky Headhunter
• 1995: Inside Out
• 1996: Too Tight
• 1998: Family Affair
• 2001: Active Duty
• 2003: Full Blast
• 2006: Look Look Look
• 2008: DanceJamtheMusic

External links

• MC Hammer's blog
• MC Hammer on Twitter
• Template:MySpace
• MC Hammer at IMDb
• "Hammered" Successful Copyright Infringement Lawsuit by Kevin Christian (Abdullah)