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MC Hammer

Profile via TMDB · Courtesy of TMDB

EntityQ295923· pop 36· linked from 1,331 articles

Also known as M.C. Hammer, Stanley Kirk Burrell, Stanley Burrell, Kirk Burrell

American rapper

Person · Open Library

Works
1

Top works

  • Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'em

via Open Library + Wikidata

Film & TV

Acting · Oakland, California, USA

Stanley Kirk Burrell (born March 30, 1962), better known by his stage name MC Hammer (or simply Hammer), is an American rapper, actor, TV personality, entrepreneur, celebrity spokesperson, and ordained preacher. Known for hit songs such as "U Can't Touch This", "2 Legit 2 Quit", and "Pumps and a Bump", flashy dance movements, extravagant choreography, and his eponymous Hammer pants. A…

Known for

  • 40 Hidden Music Treasures at the BBC — Self (archive footage)2024
  • Springfield of Dreams: The Legend of Homer Simpson — Self (archive footage)2017
  • The Swingin' A's — Self - Narrator (voice)2017
  • The '91 Falcons — Self2017
  • Beat Shazam — Self2017
  • Zoolander 2 — M.C. Hammer2016
  • James Brown - The Man, The Music & The Message — Self2014
  • Uncle Grandpa — MC Hammer (voice)2013
  • Vanilla Ice Archive — Self (archive footage)2012
  • 1040: Christianity in the New Asia — Self2010

via TMDB

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners
1,129,979
Total plays
5,826,101

Tags

Hip-Hoprap90sdancehip hop

MC Hammer (born Stanley Kirk Burrell on March 30, 1962) is an American MC who was most popular during the late 80s and early 90s as he released a string of hits, labeled by critics such as those at Allmusic as "one of the best-selling rappers of all time". Known for his dramatic rise to and fall from fame and fortune (going from top 40 acclaim to bankruptcy) as well as his trademark 'Hammer Pants' and 'Hammerman' cartoon, he became a preacher in the mid-90s, and he now works as a television show

via Last.fm · MC Hammer

Key facts

Also known as
Hammerman Hammer
Born
Stanley Kirk Burrell , ( 1962-03-30 ) March 30, 1962 (age 64) , Oakland, California , U.S.
Genres
Hip hop pop rap
Occupations
Rapper dancer record producer entrepreneur
Years active
1985–present
Labels
Capitol EMI Death Row Giant Reprise World Hit Full Blast Warner Bros.
Spouse
Stephanie Burrell ​ ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. December 21, 1985</span>"}]]}'>1985 ) ​
Allegiance
United States
Branch
United States Navy
Service years
1981–1984
Rank
Petty Officer Third Class
Unit
VP-47

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Official website
www.mchammer.com
Image
MC Hammer (cropped).jpg
Show 7 more facts
Commons category
MC Hammer
date of birth
1962-03-30
start of work period
1973-00-00
birth name
Stanley Kirk Burrell
pseudonym
MC Hammer
name in native language
Kirk Burrell
social media followers
766000
Sources (5)

via Wikidata · CC0

~40 min read

Article

Stanley Kirk Burrell (born March 30, 1962), better known by his stage name MC Hammer (or simply Hammer), is an American rapper and dancer. He is known for hit songs such as "U Can't Touch This", "Pray", "2 Legit 2 Quit" and "Pumps and a Bump", as well as flashy dance movements, extravagant choreography and his namesake Hammer pants. Remembered for a rapid rise to fame, Hammer has also become an entrepreneur and celebrity spokesperson. A multi-award winner, he is considered a "forefather" and pioneering innovator of pop rap (incorporating elements of freestyle music).

Born and raised in Oakland, California, Hammer served three years in the United States Navy before independently releasing his debut album Feel My Power in 1986. After signing a contract with Capitol Records, Hammer released his second album Let's Get It Started in 1988, which became his first multi-platinum hit. Hammer became the first hip hop artist to achieve diamond status with his next album Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em (1990), helping him become one of the most prominent media celebrities of the early 1990s. After being labeled a sellout by the changing landscape of hip hop music which led to declining record sales for his fourth album, Too Legit To Quit (1991), Hammer unsuccessfully attempted to appeal to the rise of gangsta rap with his next album, The Funky Headhunter (1994). However, due to commercial overexposure, Hammer's popularity waned by the mid-1990s, which led to a highly publicized bankruptcy beginning in 1996. He has since released seven more albums, in addition to multiple songs after 2010.

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