Today’s kids probably think rappers have always been purveyors of commercial goods. 50 Cent has Vitamin Water. Diddy and Burger King are partners. Common probably even folds every shirt at The Gap. However, there was a time when rappers weren’t viable salespeople because their music wasn’t reaching a broad segment of the population. In 1990, a Bay Area entertainer who went by the moniker MC Hammer helped set rap on track to be a cultural juggernaut.
His second major label album, Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em, went Diamond in sales due to the ubiquitous “U Can’t Touch This.” The catchy Rick James’ “Super Freak” looped track along with the infamous “Typewriter” dance propelled Hammer into the economic stratosphere. Pepsi came knocking. The British Knights shoe company signed him to a $138 million deal. There was a Hammer doll. And how can we forget the cartoon?
The next calendar year saw Hammer release an album with the title track “Too Legit To Quit.” While it sold three million copies and its own hand signs, Legit couldn’t match Please in terms of impact. Shortly thereafter came the unraveling of MC Hammer’s empire. Subsequent recordings drew more criticism than listeners. Excesses such as a bloated payroll, cars, race horses, and an immaculate mansion helped push him into bankruptcy. Throw in a stint with Suge Knight’s Death Row Records and all the elements for a made-for-TV movie were present.
But as they say, the show must go on. Hammer appeared on the “Surreal Life” reality program. He’s still putting out albums and videos in addition to blogging. The commercial endorsements haven’t completely dried up yet but they’re more likely to bring up the fact that he lost just about everything he owned, as he did in a recent Nationwide insurance spot. Whatever one might think about MC Hammer, a tip-of-the-hat is due for his efforts to make rap music more acceptable, and thus more marketable, to the general public. A lot of rappers are wealthier for it.
Image from Yahoo! TV website
MC Hammer performs at the Woodrow Wilson Plaza at the Ronald Reagan Building tonight at 7 p.m. Admission is free. This event is part of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities’ “D.C. Grooves” concert series.
