Hammer (rapper)

MC Hammer
Hammer at TechCrunch in July 2008.
Background information
Birth name	Stanley Kirk Burrell
Also known as	M.C. Hammer Hammer Hammertime King Hammer Hammerman
Born	(1962-03-30) March 30, 1962 (age 56) Oakland, California
Genres	Hip hop gospel dance
Occupation(s)	Rapper dancer record producer entrepreneur preacher
Years active	1985–present
Labels	Capitol Records EMI Records Giant Death Row Reprise Warner Bros. Records Full Blast Music
Associated acts	Keyshia Cole Jon Gibson Vanilla Ice Tupac Shakur Deion Sanders Doug E. Fresh Tha Dogg Pound Big Daddy Kane Teddy Riley B Angie B Johnny "J" Paperboy D'Angelo Rick Ross Sean Combs DJ King Assassin Insane Clown Posse Juvenile Rick James

Stanley Kirk Burrell (born March 30, 1962), better known by his stage name MC Hammer (or simply Hammer), is an American hip hop recording artist, dancer, record producer and entrepreneur. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s, until the early 1990s. Remembered for his rapid rise to fame, Hammer is known for hit records (such as "U Can't Touch This" and "2 Legit 2 Quit"), flashy dance movements, choreography and eponymous Hammer pants.

A multi-award winner, M.C. Hammer is considered a "forefather/pioneer" and innovator of pop rap (incorporating elements of freestyle music), and is the first hip hop artist to achieve diamond status for an album. Hammer was later considered a sellout due in part to overexposure as an entertainer (having live instrumentation/bands, choreographed dance routines and an impact on popular culture being regularly referenced on television and in music) and as a result of being too "commercial" when rap was "hardcore" at one point, then his image later becoming increasingly "gritty" to once again adapt to the ever-changing landscape of rap. Regardless, 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.

Burrell became a preacher during the late 1990s with a Christian ministry program on TBN called M.C. Hammer and Friends. Additionally, he starred in a Saturday-morning cartoon called Hammerman in 1991 and was executive producer of his own reality show called Hammertime which aired on the A&E Network during the summer of 2009. Hammer was also a television show host and dance judge on Dance Fever in 2003, was co-creator of a dance website called DanceJam.com, and is a record label CEO while still performing concerts at music venues and assisting with other social media, ministry and outreach functions. Prior to becoming ordained, Hammer signed with Suge Knight's Death Row Records by 1995.