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MC Hammer (born '''Stanley Kirk Burrell''' on March 30 , 1962 ) is an American MC who was popular during the late 1980s and early 1990s, known for his dramatic rise to and fall from fame and fortune, his trademark Hammer Pants , and for leaving a lasting influence on Hip Hop Culture and Music . He became a preacher in the 1990s and now has his own television program. He lives in Tracy , California with his wife Stephanie and six children, 3 boys and 3 girls. EARLY LIFE Burrell was born in Oakland , California and graduated from McClymonds High School . "Executive VP" for the A's From 1972 to 1980, Burrell served as a , the '70s .'' HBO , 10 December 2003. 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 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!" Burrell wanted to be a professional baseball player, but he did not catch on in any professional organization. He instead joined the , 2007 EARLY CAREER His debut album '' Feel My Power '' was released independently in 1987. It was Produced by Felton Pilate (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, Cool LL, or DJ Run"—after which the track began to gain popularity in clubs. Hammer received several offers from major record labels. Hammer initially refused to sign a contract with Capitol Records , but after a substantial signing bonus was added to his contract, he did. His debut album was then re-released as ''Let's Get It Started''. A new video was shot for "Let's Get it Started," and another video was produced in fall of 1988 called "Pump It Up" (a new track added to ''Let's Get It Started''). The "Pump It Up" video was added to the roster of "new wave" hip-hop videos that premiered or re-aired on the premiere season of ''Yo! MTV Raps''. It depicted hip-hop legends Run-DMC getting disrespected by Hammer. The album eventually went Triple-platinum (more than 3 million units sold). "Turn This Mutha Out" (the album's biggest hit), "Feel My Power", and "They Put Me in the Mix" saw heavy rotation on R&B/Hip-Hop radio stations throughout late 1988 into 1989. His second album, 1990s '' 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 in 1991. A critical backlash began brewing over the repetitive nature of his lyrics, his clean-cut image, and his perceived over-reliance on you, man, but they just jealous. Fuck 'em!" Many considered this to be strange, given Ice-T's usual stance against "selling out". 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 ''. After dropping the MC from his stage name, Burrell released '' Too Legit To Quit '' (again, produced by Felton Pilate) in 1991. Burrell 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 and the title track was a hit. Another hit came soon after, with "Addams Groove" (which appeared on both '' The Addams Family '' motion picture soundtrack and the vinyl version of ''2 Legit 2 Quit''). LATER CAREER Later, Hammer parted ways with Pilate, switched record labels and signed with Giant Records . To adapt to the changing landscape of hip-hop, his next album was a more aggressive, Gangsterish album entitled '' The Funky Headhunter ''. The accompanying video to ''The Funky Headhunter's'' first single, " Pumps And A Bump ", was banned from heavy rotation on MTV with censors claiming that the depiction of Hammer in Speedos was too graphic.http://63.194.19.185/~rawattitude/v2.php?subaction=showfull&id=1078785985&archive=&start_from=&ucat=&http://www.sfweekly.com/Issues/2005-06-29/summer7.html This led to an alternative video being filmed (with Hammer fully clothed) that was directed by fellow Bay Area native Craig S. Brooks, who also helmed the video of rap group D.R.S.' only hit single "Gangsta Lean written by Kenny P (Kenny Marshall ) out of Las Vegas." In 1995, Hammer released the album '' on April 3 , 1996 .http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/special2/article.adp?id=20050328135309990003 Hammer next signed with Death Row Records , then home to gangsta rap stars Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur . The label did not release any of Hammer's music while he was with them. However, Burrell did record music with Shakur, and the album 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. In 1996, Burrell signed with EMI , which saw the release of a compilation of Hammer's chart topping songs. The album, ''Greatest Hits'', featured 12 former hits and was released in October, only six months after his bankruptcy.http://www.dealtime.com/xPF-Greatest_Hits_M_C_Hammer In 1997, 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 ''. In these appearances, Burrell admitted that he had already used up most of his fortune of over $20 million. Due to the success of the ''Please Hammer Don’t Hurt Em'' album, Hammer had amassed approximately USD $33 million in income. First, $12 million of this total was used to have his home built in Fremont , California , 30 miles south of where he grew up. Among the documented features this house had included:
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):
In 1991, MC Hammer established Oaktown Stable that would eventually have nineteen Thoroughbred Racehorses . In 1991, 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 Lane's End Breeders' Futurity in 1991 then the following year won the Fountain Of Youth Stakes and finished 3rd in the 1992 Kentucky Derby . 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 2004, he released the ''Full Blast'' album. Neither album managed to peak on the Billboard Charts.http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Albums&model.vnuArtistId=1035&model.vnuAlbumId=507384 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, MC 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." http://mchammer.blogspot.com/ HAMMER'S LEGACY After his rapid fall from fame and subsequent bankruptcy, 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", announced his intention to ''"blow 30 mill like I'm Hammer" ''[http://www.davemcnally.com/Lyrics/Nelly/CountryGrammar/ . However, he has also influenced the industry. Hammer's sampling of large portions of well-known Pop oldies (as opposed to short James Brown or George Clinton Funk riffs) has increasing popularity among mainstream rappers, particularly Diddy 's Bad Boy Records stable. Other examples include Eminem 's '' Like Toy Soldiers '' which samples nearly the entire chorus from Martika's similarly-named 1989 Hit. Hammer's catchphrase, "Stop! Hammer Time !" is considered something of an Internet Phenomenon , appearing in various spoofed error messages in the Windows XP operating system . Notoriously, British TV presenter Mark Lamarr interrupted Hammer repeatedly with this phrase in an interview filmed for " The Word ", much to Hammer's annoyance. The phrase also appeared as graffiti on Stop signs. Hammer recently 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 chips to appease him. He throws back their ball, their dog, a car belonging to one kid's dad, and MC Hammer, still dressed in golden sparkle shirt and Parachute Pants . MC Hammer instantly breaks into the chorus of "U Can't Touch This." The kids then toss Hammer back over the fence. 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. 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 , Nelly , and P. Diddy . Ironically, two of Hammer's biggest detractors, LL Cool J and Run D.M.C. , appeared together in a Dr Pepper ad during Super Bowl XXXVIII . Dr. Dre appeared in a Heineken commercial in 2001, and Ice Cube , another one of Hammer's biggest detractors, filmed St. Ides malt liquor ads in the early 1990s and has since become a B Movie actor and producer. PASTORAL CAREER Hammer reaffirmed his Christian beliefs in October 19971 and now has a television show on the Trinity Broadcasting Network .2 Hammer has officiated at the celebrity weddings of actor Corey Feldman and Susie Sprague on 30 October 20023 and Mötley Crüe & Kenny P 's Vince Neil and Lia Gerardini in January 2005.4 DISCOGRAPHY Albums COMPILATIONS Singles TRIVIA
Music sampled by Hammer
List of athlete appearances in Hammer's "Too Legit to Quit" video (in chronlogical order)
Sampling court case Hammer was a defendant in a landmark 1998 sampling copyright decision in the case of Santrayll v. Burrell {Link without Title} . The Hammer song in question was "Here Comes the Hammer". Federal Court Judge Peter K. Leisure concluded that Hammer had sampled music by another rap group, The Legend. The Legend admitted to sampling LTD's "Back In Love"; Wham! 's " Everything She Wants "; Barry DeVorzon 's "S.W.A.T." theme in their songs "In Full Effect"/"Uh-Oh". The Legend also admitted that they did not disclose the sampled works when filing for copyright registration. In essence, Hammer argued that because The Legend admitted to sampling, this constituted a knowing failure to advise the Copyright Office of facts that might have led to the rejection of the copyright application. Meaning: no copyright protection for The Legend means no lawsuit for infringement against Hammer. But the court disagreed with Hammer and found that: (1) it was possible that a jury might find that the failure to disclose the samples was not deliberate and (2) the samples played such a minor role in The Legend's song that the unauthorized use of samples "could not possibly have led the Copyright Office to reject the copyright applications." {Link without Title} NOTES EXTERNAL LINKS
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