On January 13, 1990, MC Hammer released the lead single from his second studio album that catapulted him—as well as hip-hop at the time—into the mainstream stratosphere.
“U Can’t Touch This” became the first hip-hop song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its album, Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em, became the first hip-hop album to reach certified diamond status, selling more than 10 million copies. But what truly cemented Hammer in pop culture history were the visuals that accompanied the infectious pop-hip-hop track.
The music video for “U Can’t Touch This” introduced the world to Hammer’s signature harem pants, and, of course, what’s come to be known as “The Hammer Dance.” Hammer had danced in previous videos such like “Turn This Mutha Out”—and “U Can’t Touch This” certainly showcases how smooth he is at the Running Man, the Bump, and hairpin twirls. However, at around two minutes in when Hammer first yells, “Break it down!” there’s a 15-second long single take (the longest in the video) where Hammer rapidly shuffles from one side of the stage to the other. …The Hammer Dance was born.
Per an interview with Forbes, Hammer says “My approach to entertainment from the beginning was to do something that other rap artists at the time weren’t doing – to put on a really high-energy show and to try to do a lot of other things that weren’t traditional.” BET ranked Hammer as the #7 “Best Dancer Of All Time.” Vibe’s “The Best Rapper Ever Tournament” declared him the 17th favorite of all-time during the first round. Not only an artist, he’s also a record producer, actor, choreographer, reality TV star, startup entrepreneur, tourism spokesman for The City of Oakland, angel investor, public speaker, social media expert, father, husband and humanitarian. One of Hammer’s latest projects includes The Last Mile of which he was the first board member. The Last Mile is a vocational rehabilitation program that trains prisoners in technology skills to improve their chances of employment upon release and just received a grant from Google.org in the amount of $2 million in funding.
In 2019 MC Hammer went out on his with his first major tour since 1991 and the 2 Legit 2 Quit Tour, Hammer’s House Party with En Vogue, Sir Mix-a-Lot, Kid ‘n Play, Sisqo, Doug E Fresh, and Tone Loc. Hammer’s House Party toured around the US and performed in over 30 cities. 2020 is set to be a giant year for Hammer, On February 2nd, 2020 he appeared in front of millions of families worldwide in the Cheetos Popcorn Super Bowl LIV commercial. Thankfully, Hammer is not quitting there and will be going back on the road with for his “Hurt ‘Em Tour which will be coming to a city near you!
