MC Hammer was good friends with Arsenio Hall and was invited to first perform the song "U Can't Touch This", prior to its release, on The Arsenio Hall Show in late 1989. He also performed "Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em", a song that didn't make it on this album, but did appear in the same-titled movie.
The album ranked number one for 21 weeks on the Billboard 200, due primarily to the success of the single, "U Can't Touch This". The song has been and continues to be used in many movies and television shows to date, and appears on soundtrack/compilation albums as well. Likewise, the album saw longevity on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart at number-one due to the fact it peaked there for 28 weeks. It was criticized for its sampling of other artists' songs. The album sampled high-profile artists and gave some of these artists a new fanbase. "U Can't Touch This" sampled "Super Freak" by Rick James; "Dancin' Machine" sampled the Jackson 5; "Have You Seen Her" is a semi-cover of The Chi-Lites song; "Help the Children" interpolates Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)"; "Pray" and "She's Soft and Wet" sample the Prince songs "When Doves Cry" and "Soft and Wet" respectively.
These album songs all proved to be successful on radio and video television, with "U Can't Touch This", "Pray", "Have You Seen Her", "Here Comes the Hammer" and "Yo!! Sweetness" (UK only) all charting. The album raised rap music to a new level of popularity. It was the first hip-hop album certified diamond by the RIAA for sales of over ten million. It remains one of the genre's all-time best-selling albums. To date, the album has sold as many as 18 million units.
The album's liner notes contain a "Special dedication to the victims of the California Earthquake of 1989 and the victims of Hurricane Hugo".
Album details and pop culture fame
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic
RapReviews (5/10)
Rolling Stone
Notorious for dissing rappers in his previous recordings, Hammer appropriately titled his third album (and second major-label release) Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em, which was released January 1, 1990. It included the successful single "U Can't Touch This" (which sampled Rick James' 1981 "Super Freak"). It was produced, recorded, and mixed by Felton Pilate and James Earley on a modified tour bus (while on tour) in 1989. Despite heavy airplay and a #27 chart debut, "U Can't Touch This" stopped at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart because it was released only as a twelve-inch single. However, the album was a #1 success for 21 weeks, due primarily to this single, the first time ever for a rap recording on the pop charts. The song has been and continues to be used in many movies and television shows to date, and appears on soundtrack/compilation albums as well.
Follow-up successes included "Have You Seen Her" (a cover of the Chi-Lites) and "Pray" (a beat sampled from Prince's "When Doves Cry" and Faith No More's "We Care a Lot"), which was his biggest hit in the US, peaking at #2. "Pray" was also a major UK success, peaking at #8. The album went on to become the first hip-hop album to earn diamond status, selling more than 18 million units to date. During 1990, Hammer toured extensively in Europe which included a sold-out concert at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. With the sponsorship of PepsiCo, PepsiCo International CEO Christopher A. Sinclair went on tour with him during 1991.
The album was notable for sampling other high-profile artists and gave some of these artists a new fanbase. "Dancin' Machine" sampled The Jackson 5, "Help the Children" (also the name of an outreach foundation Hammer started) interpolates Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)", and "She's Soft and Wet" also sampled Prince's "Soft and Wet". All of these songs proved to be successful on radio and video television, with "U Can't Touch This," "Pray" (most successful), "Have You Seen Her," "Here Comes the Hammer," and "Yo!! Sweetness" (UK only) all charting. The album increased the popularity of hip-hop music. It remains the genre's all-time best-selling album.
A critical backlash began over the repetitive nature of his lyrics, his clean-cut image, and his perceived over-reliance on sampling others' entire hooks for the basis of his singles—criticisms also directed to his contemporary, Vanilla Ice. He was mocked in music videos by 3rd Bass, The D.O.C., DJ Debranz, and Ice Cube. Oakland hip-hop group Digital Underground mocked him in the CD insert of its Sex Packets album when placing his picture in with the other members and referring to him as an unknown derelict. In fact, LL Cool J mocked him in "To tha Break of Dawn," a track on his Mama Said Knock You Out album, calling Hammer an "amateur, swinging a Hammer from a bodybag his pants," and saying, "My old gym teacher ain't supposed to rap." (LL Cool J would later compliment and commend Hammer's abilities/talents on VH-1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop, which aired in 2008). However, Ice-T came to his defense on his 1991 album O.G. Original Gangster: "A special shout out to my man M.C. Hammer: a lot of people dis you, man, but they just jealous." Ice-T later explained that he had nothing against people who were pop-rap from the start, as Hammer had been, but only against emcees who switch from being hardcore or dirty to being pop-rap so that they can sell more records.
Despite the criticisms, MC Hammer's career continued to be highly successful including tours in Asia, Europe, Australia, and Russia. Soon after, MC Hammer Mattel dolls, lunchboxes, and other merchandise were marketed. He was also given his own Saturday morning cartoon, called Hammerman, which he hosted and voiced.
According to Guinness World Records of hit singles, the album cost just $10,000 to produce. The video for "Here Comes the Hammer" proved to be the most expensive video on this album, Hammer's second most expensive behind "Too Legit to Quit".
This album was accompanied by a movie called "Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie" (1990) which included some of Hammer's videos. The album title was often used as a chant by the crowd during live performances. ("Please, Hammer, don't hurt 'em..."!) Additionally, "Hammer Time" (from the track "U Can't Touch This") became a major pop culture phrase and used in many television shows and movies, eventually becoming Hammer's nickname and eventually the title of his own reality show called Hammertime.
"U Can't Touch This" has been used in many shows and movies, such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990), Hot Shots! (1990), The Super (1991), Doogie Howser, M.D. (1992), Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996), Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), Into the Wild (2007), Tropic Thunder (2008), Dancing with the Stars (2009), Glee (2010) and many more. Additionally, during this time, "This Is What We Do" was a 1990 track released by Hammer (featuring B Angie B) for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film and soundtrack. Some other songs used from this album in shows and film were "Pray" (License to Wed) and "Let's Go Deeper" (Beverly Hills, 90210), among others.
Legal issues
Rick James sued Hammer for infringement of copyright on the song "U Can't Touch This", but the suit was settled out of court when Hammer agreed to credit James as co-composer, effectively cutting James in on the millions of dollars the record was earning. Hammer was also sued by Felton Pilate (who had worked with the successful vocal group Con Funk Shun) and by several of his former backers, and faced charges that performance troupe members endured an abusive, militaristic atmosphere.
In 1992, Hammer also admitted in depositions and court documents to getting the idea for the song "Here Comes The Hammer" from a Christian recording artist in Dallas, Texas named Kevin Christian. Christian had filed a 16 million dollar lawsuit against Hammer for copyright infringement for his song entitled "Oh-Oh, You Got The Shing". This fact compounded with witness testimony from both Hammer's and Christian's entourages and other evidence including photos brought about a settlement with Capitol Records in 1994. The terms of the settlement remain sealed. Hammer settled with Christian the following year.
Track listing
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Here Comes the Hammer" MC Hammer 4:32
2. "U Can't Touch This" James, MC Hammer, Miller 4:17
3. "Have You Seen Her" (The Chi-Lites cover) Acklin, MC Hammer, Record 4:42
4. "Yo!! Sweetness" MC Hammer 4:36
5. "Help the Children" Gaye, MC Hammer 5:17
6. "On Your Face" (Earth, Wind & Fire cover) Bailey, Stepney, White 4:32
7. "Dancin' Machine" (The Jackson 5 cover) Davis, Fletcher, MC Hammer, Parks 2:55
8. "Pray" MC Hammer, Prince 5:13
9. "Crime Story" MC Hammer 5:09
10. "She's Soft and Wet" (Prince cover) MC Hammer, Moon, Prince 3:25
11. "Black Is Black" MC Hammer 4:31
12. "Let's Go Deeper" MC Hammer 5:16
13. "Work This" MC Hammer 5:03
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