MC Hammer

Stanley Kirk Burrell, born in Oakland in 1962 and known to the world as MC Hammer, didn't take the scenic route to stardom. He did three years in the Navy, put out his debut Feel My Power on his own in 1986, then signed with Capitol, where Let's Get It Started went multi-platinum in 1988. None of that prepared anyone for Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em.

That 1990 record was a blockbuster. It made Hammer the first hip-hop artist to reach diamond status, and "U Can't Touch This" was everywhere: the sliding footwork, the balloon-legged pants that took his name. "Pray" brought gospel fervor to the party. Hammer was a dancer as much as a rapper, and his shows were full-blown spectacles of choreography. The video work earned him a Grammy in 1991.

Then the backlash hit. Too Legit to Quit in 1991 sold less as hip-hop tagged him a sellout, a stab at gangsta rap on The Funky Headhunter in 1994 didn't take, he signed with Death Row Records in 1995, and in 1996 came a very public bankruptcy. He later became an ordained preacher, and has kept making records, running labels and producing other acts ever since.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.