The discography of American rapper MC Hammer includes the hit records "U Can't Touch This", "Pray" and "2 Legit 2 Quit". Hammer is known for his flashy dance movements, choreography and Hammer pants. His superstar-status and entertaining showmanship made him a household name and hip hop icon. Hammer has sold more than 50 million records worldwide, breaking down numerous doors for rap music and demonstrating that hip-hop had the potential for blockbuster success. 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.
Throughout his career, Hammer has managed his own recording business and created independent record labels such as Bust It Records, Oaktown Records, Full Blast Digital Music Group and World Hit Records. He has introduced, signed and produced new talent (his own acts collaborating with him and producing music of their own during his career) including: Oaktown's 3.5.7, Common Unity, DRS, the vocal quintet Special Generation, Analise, James Greer, One Cause One Effect, DASIT (as seen on Ego Trip's The (White) Rapper Show), Teabag, Dom Kimberley, Geeman, Pleasure Ellis, B Angie B, The Stooge Playaz, Ho Frat Hoo! and Wee Wee, among others. A part of additional record labels, he has associated/collaborated/recorded with: VMF, Tupac Shakur, Teddy Riley, Felton Pilate, Tha Dogg Pound, Whole 9, Deion Sanders, Big Daddy Kane, BeBe & CeCe Winans and Jon Gibson (or J.G.), among others.
Before Hammer's successful career (and his "rags-to-riches-to-rags-and-back saga"), Burrell formed a Christian rap group known as the Holy Ghost Boy(s) with Gibson, producing songs such as "Word", "B-Boy Chill" and "Stupid Def Yal" (1987). Additionally, "The Wall" featured Hammer (it was originally within this song that he first identified himself as K.B. and then M.C. Hammer before its release), which was later released on Gibson's album Change of Heart (1988). This was CCM's first rap hit by a blue-eyed soul singer and/or duo. "Son of the King" showed up on Hammer's debut album Feel My Power (1986), as well as the re-released version Let's Get It Started (1988). Burrell and Tramaine Hawkins previously performed with Gibson's band in several concerts at various venues, such as the Beverly Theatre in Beverly Hills.
At about the age of 12, Oakland native Keyshia Cole recorded with Hammer and sought career advice from him. In 1992, Doug E. Fresh was signed to Hammer's Bust It Records label. Hammer signed with Suge Knight's Death Row Records in 1995.
In late 2012, Hammer appeared with Psy at the 40th American Music Awards and during Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve performing a mashup of "Gangnam Style" and "2 Legit 2 Quit" together, which was released on iTunes. Hammer released "Raider Nation (Oakland Raiders Anthem)" along with a video in late 2013 and "All in My Mind" (which samples "Summer Breeze" by The Isley Brothers) in early 2014, with his newly formed group Oakland Fight Club (featuring Mistah F.A.B.).
Albums Studio albums + List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and certifications Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications US USR&B AUS Too Legit to Quit: N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart. AUT CANPeak chart positions for albums in Canada: Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em: Too Legit to Quit: GER NLD NZ SWI UK Feel My Power Released: August 13, 1986 Label: Bustin' Track — — — — — — — — — — Let's Get It Started Released: September 28, 1988 Label: EMI, Capitol 30 1 188 39 — 42 — 39 19 46 RIAA: 2× Platinum Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'EmReleased: February 12, 1990 Label: EMI, Capitol 1 1 5 15 1 14 15 2 11 8 RIAA: 10× Platinum (Diamond) ARIA: Platinum BPI: 2× Platinum BVMI: Gold IFPI SWI: Gold MC: 8× Platinum RIANZ: Platinum Too Legit to QuitReleased: October 29, 1991 Label: EMI, Capitol 2 3 84 — 15 49 — 14 — 41 RIAA: 3× Platinum BPI: Silver MC: 2× Platinum The Funky HeadhunterReleased: March 1, 1994 Label: Giant, Warner Bros. 12 2 192 — — — — — — — RIAA: Platinum Inside OutReleased: September 12, 1995 Label: Giant 119 23 — — — — — — — — Family AffairReleased: June 23, 1998 Label: Oaktown, Nujam — — — — — — — — — — Note: While with Death Row Records, an unreleased album called Too Tight was produced in 1996. A digital release was produced between 2008 and 2009 called DanceJamtheMusic.
Independent albums + List of independent albums Title Album details Active Duty Released: November 20, 2001 Label: World Hit Full Blast Released: January 31, 2004 Label: Full Blast Music Group Look Look Look Released: July 4, 2006 Label: Full Blast Music Group DanceJamtheMusic Released: January 1, 2009 Label: Full Blast Music Group
Compilation albums Title Year Greatest Hits 1996 Back 2 Back Hits 1998 The Hits 2000 Platinum MC Hammer 2008 Icon 2014
Note: Back 2 Back Hits was originally released in 1998 for CEMA and was re-released in 2006 for Capitol Records.
Singles Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications Album US US R&B US Dan AUS N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart. CANResults – RPM – Library and Archives Canada . Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved on February 20, 2011. NLD NZ SWE SWI UK 1987 "Ring 'Em" — — — — — — — — — — Feel My Power 1988 "Let's Get It Started" — — — — — — — — — — "Pump It Up" — 46 40 — — — — — — — Let's Get It Started 1989 "Turn This Mutha Out" — 12 34 — — — 31 — — — "They Put Me in the Mix" — 40 40 — — — — — — — "You've Got Me Dancing" (with Glen Goldsmith) — — — — — — — — — — From the Glen Goldsmith album Don't Turn This Groove Around 1990 "U Can't Touch This" 8 1 6 1 8 1 1 1 2 3 RIAA: 4× Platinum ARIA: 2× Platinum BPI: Platinum Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em "Have You Seen Her" 4 4 — 42 — 2 4 18 12 8 RIAA: Gold "Pray" 2 4 3 7 14 3 2 18 10 8 RIAA: Gold ARIA: Gold "Here Comes the Hammer" 54 15 29 37 — 19 6 — — 15 "Help the Children" — 12 — — — — — — — — 1991 "Yo!! Sweetness" — — — 149 — — — — — 16 "(Hammer Hammer) They Put Me in the Mix" — 40 — 149 — — — — — 20 non-album single (remix) "2 Legit 2 Quit" 5 3 18 43 37 39 4 — — 60 RIAA: Platinum Too Legit to Quit "Addams Groove" 7 15 10 12 67 16 9 31 21 4 RIAA: Gold 1992 "Do Not Pass Me By" (with Tramaine Hawkins) 62 15 — — — 28 42 — — 14 "This Is the Way We Roll" 86 20 — — — — — — — — 1994 "Pumps and a Bump" 26 21 34 — — — 41 — — — The Funky Headhunter "It's All Good" 46 14 — 136 — — 17 — — 52 "Don't Stop" 115 63 41 — — — — — — 72 1995 "Straight to My Feet" (with Deion Sanders) — — — 175 — — — — — 57 Street Fighter (soundtrack) "Sultry Funk" 102 59 — — — — — — — — Inside Out "Keep On" — — — — — — — — — — "Going Up Yonder" 101 38 — — — — — — — — 1996 "Too Late Playa" (with Tupac Shakur, Big Daddy Kane, Nuttso & Danny Boy) — — — — — — — — — — Too Tight 1997 "He Brought Me Out" — — — — — — — — — — Family Affair1998 "Unconditional Love" — 73 — — — — — — — — 2001 "No Stoppin' Us (USA)" — — — — — — — — — — Active Duty "Pop Yo Collar" — — — — — — — — — — 2004 "Full Blast" — — — — — — — — — — Full Blast 2006 "Look 3x" — — — — — — — — — — Look Look Look"Hyphy, Dumb, Buck, Krump" — — — — — — — — — — "YAY" — — — — — — — — — — "I Got It from the Town" — — — — — — — — — — "What Happened to Our Hood?" — — — — — — — — — — 2007 "Bring Our Brothers Home" — — — — — — — — — — non-album single 2008 "Getting Back to Hetton" — — — — — — — — — — DanceJamtheMusic "I Got Gigs" — — — — — — — — — — "I Go" — — — — — — — — — — "Keep It in Vegas" — — — — — — — — — — "Lookin' Out the Window" — — — — — — — — — — "Dem Jeans" — — — — — — — — — — "Stooge Karma Sutra" — — — — — — — — — — "Tried to Luv U" — — — — — — — — — — 2010 "Better Run Run" — — — — — — — — — — non-album singles 2011 "See Her Face" — — — — — — — — — — 2020 "Look Around" — — — — — — — — — — 2024 "U R Everything" — — — — — — — — — — "—" denotes releases that did not chart
Note: Music videos were produced for "Let's Get It Started", "Pump It Up (Here's the News)", "Turn This Mutha Out", "(Hammer, Hammer) They Put Me in the Mix", "You've Got Me Dancing" (with Glen Goldsmith), "U Can't Touch This", "Have You Seen Her", "Pray" (including remixes), "Help the Children", "Too Legit to Quit", "Addams Groove", "Do Not Pass Me By" (with Tramaine Hawkins), "This Is the Way We Roll", "Pumps and a Bump", "It's All Good", "Too Late Playa", "Sultry Funk", "Keep On", "Going Up Yonder", "No Stoppin' Us (USA)", "Pop Yo Collar" and "Full Blast", among others.
Additional releases and credits
Songs with or without music videos released (charting and non-charting) were:
"Word", "B-Boy Chill" (live audio performance on YouTube), "Son of the King" (1986), "Stupid Def Yal" (1987) and CCM's hit song "The Wall" (1988) with Jon Gibson as the Holy Ghost Boy(s). Hammer was featured on "Wanna Be the Man" (with music video) and "For the Love of You" (peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and No. 12 on the Cashbox Top R&B Singles chart) from Earth, Wind & Fire's 1990 Heritage album. Hammer released the tracks "This is What We Do" (with music video) on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie soundtrack (1990), and "That's What I Said" on the Rocky V soundtrack (1990). After Hammer signed One Cause One Effect, "Up with Hope, Down with Dope" (included music video) reached No. 77 on the Hot R&B Singles chart (5 weeks) and "Midnite Lover" (featuring B Angie B) peaked at No. 58 on the Hot R&B Singles chart (11 weeks) from their album Drop the Axxe (1990), which peaked at No. 51 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. "We're All in the Same Gang" (1990) by West Coast Rap All-Stars featuring Hammer (with music video) charted and was nominated at the 33rd Annual Grammy Awards for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 1991.Pareles, Jon. "Grammy Nominees Announced". The New York Times, January 11, 1991. "The Blood" from the BeBe & CeCe Winans album Different Lifestyles (1991) featuring Hammer peaked at No. 8 on the Christian charts in 1992, without music video. "This Is the Way We Roll (High Street Mix)" and "Rollin' on Oaktown Style" were B-side tracks in 1992, with music video. "Unconditional Love" from Family Affair (1998) without music video. "I Got It from the Town" with music video, and "What Happened to Our Hood?" (featuring Sam Logan and originally from Active Duty) without music video. "Hyphy, Dumb, Buck, Krump" and "YAY" (produced by Lil Jon) from Look Look Look (released digitally and via web in 2006), with music videos originally via Myspace. "Bring Our Brothers Home" (non-album single released in June 2007) with music video. "I Got Gigs", "I Go" (produced by Lil Jon), "Keep It in Vegas", "Lookin' Out the Window", "Dem Jeans" (by DASIT), "Stooge Karma Sutra" (by The Stooge Playaz) and "Tried to Luv U" (by DASIT featuring Pleasure Ellis) from DanceJamtheMusic (released digitally and via web download between 2008 and 2009), with some music videos. "Better Run Run" (non-album single released online October 31, 2010) with music video. "See Her Face" (non-album track Hammer premiered to the public on The Oprah Winfrey Show via Flipboard on February 3, 2011) without music video. In late 2012, Hammer appeared with PSY at the 40th American Music Awards and during Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve performing a mashup of "Gangnam Style" and "2 Legit 2 Quit" together, which was released on iTunes. Among other songs, Hammer released "Raider Nation (Oakland Raiders Anthem)" along with a music video in late 2013 and "All in My Mind" (which samples "Summer Breeze" by The Isley Brothers) in early 2014, with his newly formed group Oakland Fight Club (featuring Mistah F.A.B.). Hammer released a visualizer music video for his song "We Gotta Do Better" featuring Gentry Kozia on April 22, 2015. It was posted on his personal blogspot via Vimeo.