MC HAMMER
AT THE EQC JUNE 26 AT 8:30 P.m.
Known for his amazing dance talent and spectacular performances as well as his flamboyant wardrobe and energetic personal style, MC Hammer has made his mark in America’s pop history.
He has won Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, a People’s Choice Award and a Diamond Award. He has sold more than 30 million records, breaking down numerous doors for rap music and demonstrating that hip-hop had the potential for blockbuster success.
Today he is still recording, releasing his most recent album in 2008, and is still relevant online and throughout various television interviews – and he is also still performing.
On June 26, the hip-hop legend will bring “Hammer time” to the Emerald Queen Casino.
MC Hammer was born Stanley Kirk Burrell and raised in Oakland, Calif. His first break came when he landed a job as a ball boy for the Oakland A’s, where he entertained fans by dancing during game breaks and earned the nickname “Hammer” for his resemblance to all-time home run leader, “Hammerin’” Hank Aaron.
An aspiring baseball player, MC Hammer was unable to break into professional baseball. He gave up that dream and enlisted in the Navy for three years. Upon his return to Oakland, he began performing at local clubs and, with help from several of his athlete friends, started his own record label. Recording singles and selling them out of the trunk of his car, he marketed himself relentlessly. In 1987, using the name MC Hammer, he recorded “Feel My Power” and impressed a Capitol Records executive with his elaborate live dance show. Soon after, he signed a multi-album deal.
MC Hammer’s 1988 triple-platinum debut, “Let’s Get It Started,” paved the way for his massive breakthrough effort, “Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em” which sold 17 million units and established him as the most popular hip-hop artist of the era. The mega single “U Can’t Touch This” was unavoidable in 1990, playing regularly on radio and MTV.
For 1991’s five-time platinum “2 Legit To Quit,” Hammer dropped the “MC” from his name, but kept the trademark wholesome pop-rap sound, which had won over millions of fans worldwide. The single became his second big smash. In 1994, Hammer returned with a new platinum album, “The Funky Head Hunter,” and a grittier, hip-hop image. In 1997 Hammer announced his choice to use his musical talents to praise God and emphasize traditional family values.
While Hammer’s presence in the music industry is not as pervasive today, he still continues to make music and dance with his most recently releases “Full Blast” in 2003, “Look Look Look” 2006 and “DanceJamtheMusic” in 2008.
Throughout his career, Hammer has managed his own recording business, Oaktown Records. Hammer currently resides in Tracy, Calif. with his wife of 23 years, Stephanie, his nephew Jamaris, and Stephanie and Hammer’s five children: boys Bobby, Jeremiah and Sammy, and girls Sarah and A’keiba.
Hammer performs at the Emerald Queen Casino’s I-5 Showroom at 8:30 p.m. June 26. Tickets range from $30 to $65 and can be purchased online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling the Emerald Queen Casino box office at (888) 831-7655.
