MC Hammer

MC Hammer is an American rapper, dancer, and entertainer whose 1990 hit “U Can't Touch This” helped bring hip-hop into mainstream pop.

U Can't Touch This: A 1990 MC Hammer song built around a sample of Rick James’s “Super Freak.” The song became his signature hit and earned a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance.
Sampling (music): The use of recorded sound fragments as elements in a new musical composition. “U Can't Touch This” builds its central hook from a sample of Rick James’s “Super Freak.”
Oakland, California: A city in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, and a major center of West Coast culture. Hammer grew up in Oakland and began building his musical career there.
Vanilla Ice: An American rapper whose 1990 single “Ice Ice Baby” topped the Billboard Hot 100. His parallel pop-rap breakthrough invites comparison with Hammer’s mainstream success and image.
Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: MC Hammer’s 1990 album, featuring “U Can't Touch This” and “Have You Seen Her.” Its enormous sales made Hammer one of the decade’s most successful recording artists.
Super Freak: A 1981 funk song by Rick James, known for its distinctive bass line and backing vocals. Its riff supplies the defining musical hook of Hammer’s biggest hit.
Oakland Coliseum: A sports and entertainment complex in Oakland that opened in 1966. Hammer worked as a batboy for the Oakland Athletics at the stadium as a teenager.
MC Hammer's bankruptcy: MC Hammer’s 1996 Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing after years of heavy spending and financial strain. It sharply contrasts with the wealth and commercial triumph associated with his early-1990s fame.
Hammer Pants: Loose-fitting trousers with a low crotch and tapered legs, popularized in American fashion during the early 1990s. His baggy stage outfits made this silhouette part of his public image.
Hip-hop dance: A broad family of street and performance dance styles that developed alongside hip-hop culture. Hammer’s tightly synchronized routines connected his songs to a distinctive dance spectacle.

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