Stanley Kirk Burrell, known to the world as MC Hammer, was once a twelve-year-old batboy for the Oakland Athletics, a role that would unexpectedly become the foundation of a global entertainment empire. Born on the 30th of March 1962 in Oakland, California, Burrell grew up in a cramped three-bedroom apartment with his mother and eight siblings, a poverty-stricken upbringing that fueled his relentless drive. His father, a professional poker player and casino manager, and his mother, a secretary, instilled a work ethic that would later define his career. At the Oakland Coliseum, young Burrell caught the eye of team owner Charlie Finley, who hired him as a batboy and later as an informant, earning him the nickname Pipeline. This early exposure to the high-stakes world of professional sports and the charismatic, colorful Finley shaped Burrell's understanding of showmanship and business. He dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player, but after failing to make the San Francisco Giants' final cut, he channeled his energy into dance and music. His time with the A's also introduced him to the concept of being a master of ceremonies, a title he would later adopt as MC Hammer. This early life, marked by financial struggle and a unique blend of sports and entertainment, laid the groundwork for a career that would see him rise from the streets of East Oakland to the pinnacle of the music industry.
The First Diamond Rapper
In 1990, Stanley Kirk Burrell released the album Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em, which would become the first hip-hop album to achieve diamond status, selling over 18 million copies. The album's lead single, U Can't Touch This, sampled Rick James' Super Freak and became an instant classic, reaching number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. The album's success was not just due to its music but also to Hammer's flamboyant dance style and the iconic Hammer pants, which became a symbol of his unique brand of pop rap. The album included other hits like Pray, which sampled Prince's When Doves Cry, and Have You Seen Her, a cover of the Chi-Lites' song. Hammer's music videos, which received heavy airplay on MTV and VH1, showcased his choreographed dance routines, featuring fifteen dancers, twelve backup singers, seven live musicians, and two disc jockeys. This elaborate stage show was a first for a rap artist, attracting a predominantly white viewership that had rarely seen rap music before. The album's success was so profound that it helped bring hip-hop and rap to the Bay Area and paved the way for the San Francisco Bay Area movement called hyphy. Despite the critical backlash over the repetitive nature of his lyrics and his perceived over-reliance on sampling, Hammer's career continued to be highly successful, with tours in Asia, Europe, Australia, and Russia. The album's impact was so significant that it remains the genre's all-time best-selling album, a testament to Hammer's ability to blend music, dance, and showmanship into a cohesive and captivating performance.
By the early 1990s, MC Hammer had amassed approximately $33 million, a fortune that would eventually lead to his downfall. His lavish lifestyle, including a mansion in Fremont, California, and a payroll that supported a large entourage of dancers, musicians, and backup singers, proved unsustainable. In 1996, Hammer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a highly publicized event that marked the end of his initial rise to fame. The bankruptcy was due to dwindling album sales, unpaid loans, and a large payroll, leaving him over $13 million in debt. His mansion was sold for a fraction of its former price, and he was denied a bankruptcy discharge in 2002. The media labeled him a sellout, and his popularity waned by the mid-1990s. Despite these challenges, Hammer continued to release music, including The Funky Headhunter in 1994, which attempted to adapt to the changing landscape of hip-hop but failed to match the sales of his previous records. His relationship with Suge Knight's Death Row Records in 1995 also ended abruptly after the death of Tupac Shakur in 1996. Hammer's financial struggles were compounded by lawsuits, including one from Rick James over the copyright infringement of U Can't Touch This, which was settled out of court. The bankruptcy and subsequent legal battles marked a turning point in Hammer's career, leading him to reinvent himself as a gospel artist and entrepreneur.
The Gospel And The Tech Mogul
After his financial collapse, Hammer turned to a gospel-friendly audience, releasing his first album in his new deal with EMI, titled Family Affair, in 1998. The album was highly promoted on Trinity Broadcasting Network and featured no charting singles, selling about 1,000 copies worldwide. Hammer also became an ordained preacher during the late 1990s and hosted MC Hammer and Friends, a Christian ministry program on TBN. His transition to gospel music was not just a career change but a personal transformation, as he admitted that his priorities had been out of order. He stated, My priorities should have always been God, family, community and then business. Instead they had been business, business and business. Hammer's interest in technology also grew, and he became a self-described super geek who consulted for or invested in eight technology companies. He spent 10 to 12 hours daily working on his technology projects and tweeted 30 to 40 times a day as of 2012. In 2007, Hammer co-founded DanceJam.com, a community site dedicated to dancing video competitions, techniques, and styles. He also started a mixed martial arts management company called Alchemist Management in 2010, managing fighters like Nate Marquardt and Tim F. Kennedy. Hammer's tech ventures included WireDoo, a deep search engine that never left beta mode, and his involvement in various Internet projects. Despite his financial struggles, Hammer continued to perform concerts, appear in television advertisements, and participate in social media and ministry/outreach functions. His ability to reinvent himself and adapt to new trends, whether in music, technology, or ministry, demonstrated his resilience and entrepreneurial spirit.
The Dance Legend And Cultural Icon
MC Hammer's dance style not only helped pave the way for the San Francisco Bay Area movement called hyphy but also brought hip-hop and rap to the Bay Area. His flamboyant dancing, including the Hammer dance, the bump, the running man, and the butterfly, made his flashy and creative dance skills unlike any others at the time. Hammer's showmanship and elaborate stage choreography, involving fifteen dancers, twelve backup singers, seven live musicians, and two disc jockeys, gave him a powerful visual appeal. He was the first rap artist to put together a choreographed show of this type, and his visual flair attracted heavy airplay for his videos on MTV. At the height of his career, Hammer had his legs insured for a substantial amount of money, into the millions, as mentioned in an interview by Maria Shriver in 1990. He later suffered an injury to his knee that halted his dancing career for a period of time. Despite this, BET ranked Hammer as the 7th Best Dancer of All Time. Hammer's influence extended beyond music, as he appeared on numerous television shows, including The Arsenio Hall Show, Soul Train, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and The View. He also served as a dance judge on Dance Fever and performed his Hammer dance on Live with Regis and Kelly with Will Ferrell as co-host. Hammer's relationship with Michael Jackson was friendly, and they appeared together at the funeral service for James Brown in 2006. Hammer's legacy as a dancer and entertainer continues to be celebrated, with his dance skills still seen on dance-focused and social networking sites. His ability to blend dance, music, and showmanship into a cohesive and captivating performance has made him a cultural icon, influencing generations of dancers and performers.