Biografia
Stanley Kirk Burrell (born March 30, 1962), widely recognized by his stage name MC Hammer or simply Hammer, is an American hip hop artist, dancer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He achieved his peak commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s through the early 1990s. Known for his swift rise to fame, Hammer is celebrated for hit songs like "U Can't Touch This" and "2 Legit 2 Quit," as well as his dynamic dance moves, choreography, and signature Hammer pants.
An award-winning artist, MC Hammer is regarded as a pioneer and innovator of pop rap, blending elements of freestyle music. He is the first hip hop artist to earn diamond certification for an album. BET ranked him as the seventh-best dancer of all time, while Vibe's "The Best Rapper Ever Tournament" placed him 17th in the first round.
In the late 1990s, Burrell became a preacher and hosted a Christian ministry program on TBN titled M.C. Hammer and Friends. He also starred in the 1991 Saturday morning cartoon Hammerman and served as executive producer of his reality show Hammertime, which aired on A&E in summer 2009. Hammer hosted and judged on the 2003 dance show Dance Fever, co-created the dance website DanceJam.com, and remains active as a record label CEO, performer, and participant in social media, ministry, and outreach activities. Before his ordination, Hammer signed with Death Row Records in 1995.
Throughout his career, Hammer has managed his own recording enterprises, creating and producing acts such as Oaktown's 3.5.7, Special Generation, Analise, DRS, B Angie B, and Wee Wee. He has collaborated and recorded with artists including VMF, Tupac Shakur, Teddy Riley, Felton Pilate, Tha Dogg Pound, The Whole 9, The Hines Brothers (Andra and Dunkin Hines), Deion Sanders, Big Daddy Kane, BeBe & CeCe Winans, and Jon Gibson. In 1992, Doug E. Fresh signed with Hammer's Bust It Records label.
Prior to his mainstream success, which lasted roughly from 1988 to 1998, Burrell formed a Christian rap group called Holy Ghost Boys with CCM artist Jon Gibson (aka "J.G."). They produced songs like "Word" and "B-Boy Chill." The track "The Wall," featuring Burrell, was released on Gibson's 1988 album Change of Heart and is considered the first rap hit in Contemporary Christian music. Burrell also produced "Son of the King," which appeared on his debut album Feel My Power (1987) and its re-release Let's Get It Started (1988).
Beyond official releases, Hammer produced numerous rap tracks that were initially unreleased but have since surfaced online. Through labels such as Bust It Records, Oaktown Records, and FullBlast, he discovered, signed, and produced new artists including Oaktown's 3.5.7, Ho Frat Hoo!, Special Generation, Analise, James Greer, One Cause One Effect, B Angie B, The Stooge Playaz, Dasit, Teabag, Common Unity, Geeman, and Pleasure Ellis—collaborating with them and supporting their music careers.
At around age 12, Oakland native Keyshia Cole recorded with Hammer and sought his guidance for her career. In the mid-1980s, after a failed record deal, Hammer borrowed $20,000 each from former Oakland A's players Mike Davis and Dwayne Murphy to launch Bust It Productions. He sustained the business by selling records from his basement and car. Bust It spawned Bustin' Records, an independent label led by Hammer as CEO. Together, these companies employed over 100 people. Hammer marketed himself persistently by recording singles and selling them from his car trunk, while his dance style set him apart.
In addition to numerous TV commercials, Hammer produced and starred in the 1990 film Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie, about a rapper who returns home and defeats a drug lord exploiting children. This project earned him a Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video at the 33rd Grammy Awards, where he had two nominations. He later produced MC Hammer: 2 Legit (The Videos), featuring various actors and athletes.
In 1991, Hammer hosted, performed, and voiced the Saturday morning cartoon Hammerman. That year, he and Bust It Productions artists, including B Angie B, Special Generation, and Ho Frat Hoo!, performed live from New Orleans on BET.
Hammer made guest appearances and performances on television shows such as Saturday Night Live (as host and musical guest), Amen, and Martin. He had a cameo in the 1993 Arnold Schwarzenegger film Last Action Hero and appeared as himself in The History of Rock 'N' Roll, Vol. 5 (1995). His acting credits include One Tough Bastard (1996), Reggie's Prayer (1996), the Showtime film The Right Connections (1997), Deadly Rhapsody (2001), Finishing the Game (2007), and 1040 (2010). He has also worked as a television and film producer.
Despite public speculation about his finances, Hammer funded filmmaker Justin Lin's Better Luck Tomorrow (2002) after meeting him at the 2001 National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas. Credited as a producer, Hammer provided essential financing, enabling the film's debut at the Sundance Film Festival. MTV Films later acquired the movie. Lin stated, "Out of desperation, I called up MC Hammer because he had read the script and liked it. Two hours later, he wired the money we needed into a bank account and saved us."
Hammer appeared in two cable TV movies. At age 39, he co-produced the VH1 biopic Too Legit: The M.C. Hammer Story, starring Romany Malco and Tangi Miller as his wife, which aired on December 19, 2001. The film chronicles his rise and fall. It became the second highest-rated original movie in VH1 history and was simultaneously broadcast on BET. Hammer said, "The whole script came from me. I sat down with a writer and gave him all the information.
