Feel My Power is an EP by M.C. Hammer, produced by Felton Pilate (of Con Funk Shun) and released in 1987. This album sold over 60,000 copies, which led to several offers from major labels.
Album history
In the mid-80s while rapping in small venues and after a record deal went sour, Hammer borrowed $20,000 each from former Oakland A's players Mike Davis and Dwayne Murphy to start a record label business called Bust It Productions. He kept the company going by selling records from his basement and car. Bust It spawned Bustin' Records, the independent label of which Hammer was CEO. Together, the companies had more than 100 employees. Recording singles and selling them out of the trunk of his car, he marketed himself relentlessly. Coupled with his dance abilities, Hammer's style was unique at the time.
Now billing himself as "M.C. Hammer", he recorded this debut album, which was produced between 1986-1987 and released independently in 1987 on his Oaktown Records label (Bustin'). In the spring of 1988, a DJ played the track "Let's Get It Started" — a song in which he declared he was "...second to none, from Doug E. Fresh, LL Cool J, or DJ Run" — after which the track began to gain popularity in clubs. (He would continue to call out other East Coast rappers in future projects as well.)
Hammer also released a single called "Ring 'Em", and largely on the strength of tireless street marketing by Hammer and his wife, it achieved considerable popularity at dance clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area. Heartened by his rising prospects, Hammer launched into seven-day-a-week rehearsals with the growing troupe of dancers, musicians, and backup vocalists he had hired. It was Hammer's stage show, and his infectious stage presence, that led to his big break in 1988 while performing in an Oakland club. There he impressed a record executive who "didn't know who he was, but knew he was somebody", as was quoted as saying in the New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll.
M.C. had received several offers from major record labels before (which he initially declined due to his personal success), but after the successful release of this independent album and elaborate live dance show amazed the Capitol Records executive, Hammer agreed to sign a record deal soon after. Hammer took home a $750,000 advance and a multi-album contract, which did not take long for Capitol to recoup its investment. After signed to Capitol Records, Hammer re-issued a revised version of this album with additional tracks added on his next album and sold over 2 million copies with Let's Get It Started.
Track listing
"That's What I Said"
"Ring 'Em"
"Get It Started"
"Feel My Power"
"The Thrill Is Gone"
"Mix It Toss It & Bust It"
"Son of the King"
"Brother Versus Brother"
"I Can Make It Better"
"That's What I Said" and "Feel My Power" were later used for the Rocky V film and soundtrack.
Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em is the third and most popular album (and second major-label release) by MC Hammer, released between January 1, 1990 - February 12, 1990 by Capitol Records. There were different release dates for this album, some sources also claiming February 20, 1990. The album was produced, recorded, and mixed by Felton Pilate and James Earley.
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
Too Legit To Quit is Hammer's fourth album, released on October 29, 1991. While the album wasn't as successful as Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em, it nevertheless proved successful, peaking in the Top 5 of the Billboard 200, as well as going triple platinum. A video for the title song was also produced, featuring many celebrity appearances. It was ranked one of the most expensive videos ever produced. Music videos were produced for all four tracks listed below with related articles. Each single released also charted.
After dropping the "MC" from his stage name, Hammer released this album (also produced by Felton Pilate), answering his critics within certain songs from the album. Sales were strong (over five million copies) with the title track being the biggest hit. Another hit came soon after, with "Addams Groove" (which appeared on both The Addams Family motion picture soundtrack and the vinyl and cassette versions of 2 Legit 2 Quit), which reached #7 in the U.S. and #4 in the UK. His video for the song appeared after the movie.
Hammer set out on a tour for this album, but the stage show had become as lavish as his lifestyle; loaded with singers, dancers, and backup musicians, the supporting concert tour was too expensive for the album's sales to finance, and it was canceled partway through. In 1992, Boyz II Men joined Hammer's high-profile 2 Legit 2 Quit tour as an opening act. While traveling the country, their tour manager Khalil Roundtree was murdered in Chicago, and the group's future performances of "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" were dedicated to him. As a result of this unfortunate experience, the song would help advance their success.
The hand motions used within the "2 Legit 2 Quit" music video also became very popular. The song proved to be successful in the U.S., peaking at the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, at #5. Despite the album's multi-platinum certification, the sales were one-third of Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em.
At the end of the "Too Legit to Quit" video, after James Brown enlists Hammer to obtain the glove of Michael Jackson, a silver-white sequined glove is shown on the hand of a Jackson look-a-like doing the "2 Legit 2 Quit" hand gesture. It was a reference to Hammer wanting to challenge Jackson to a dance-off for rights to the famous glove, which is also referenced on the album.
MC Hammer appeared on The Wendy Williams Show (July 27th, 2009) and went on to tell a story about a phone call he received from Michael Jackson, regarding the portion of the "Too Legit to Quit" video that included a fake Jackson, giving his approval and inclusion of it. He explained how Jackson had seen the video and liked it, and both expressed they were a fan of each other.[9] Hammer and Jackson would later appear, speak and perform at the funeral service for James Brown in 2006.
Prior to Hammer's next album (The Funky Headhunter), rumors from critics and fans began claiming Hammer had quit the music/entertainment business and had suffered a financial downfall (since a couple of years had passed in between the two records), which Hammer denied at the time.
Track listing
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "This Is the Way We Roll" Burrell, Pilate 5:53
2. "Brothers Hang On" Burrell, Pilate, Whitfield 7:12
3. "Too Legit to Quit" Burrell, Earley, Kelly, Pilate 5:36
4. "Living in a World Like This" Burrell, Pilate 5:29
5. "Tell Me (Why Can't We Live Together)" Burrell, Pilate, Thomas 6:38
6. "Releasing Some Pressure" Burrell, Pilate 5:03
7. "Find Yourself a Friend" Burrell, Pilate 3:56
8. "Count It Off" Burrell, Pilate 5:05
9. "Good to Go" Burrell, Pilate 4:53
10. "Lovehold" Burrell, Pilate 4:55
11. "Street Soldiers" Burrell, Pilate 5:00
12. "Do Not Pass Me By" Burrell, Pilate 5:30
13. "Gaining Momentum" Burrell, Buckholtz 5:40
14. "Addams Groove" Burrell, Pilate, Mizzy 3:58
The cassette tape version of this album is considerably longer, with the addition of four songs (two of which are remixes). After "Find Yourself a Friend" there follows "Rollin' On (Oaktown Style)" (5:50). After "Gaining Momentum" is "Burn It Up" (4:28). The last two songs on the album are then "Addams Groove" (3:54) and "Street Soldiers (Saxapella Reprise)" (4:56). The total run time is 1:29:00 (89 minutes).
