Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em

Last updated
Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em
Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em.jpg
Studio album by
MC Hammer
ReleasedFebruary 12, 1990 (1990-02-12)
Recorded1988 – 1989
Genre
Length59:04
Label
Producer
MC Hammer chronology
Let's Get It Started
(1988)		Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em
(1990)		 Too Legit to Quit
(1991)
Singles from Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em
  1. "Help the Children"
    Released: January 10, 1990
  2. "Dancin' Machine"
    Released: February 1990
  3. "U Can't Touch This"
    Released: April 1990
  4. "Have You Seen Her"
    Released: June 1990
  5. "Pray"
    Released: August 21, 1990
  6. "Here Comes the Hammer"
    Released: December 1990

Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em is the third studio album by American rapper MC Hammer, released on February 12, 1990 [1] by Capitol Records and EMI Records. Produced, recorded and mixed by Felton Pilate and James Earley. With a small budget of around $10,000 and recorded on a modified tour bus between May 1988 to November 1989, The album incorporates hip hop music, pop-rap and dance.

Contents

Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em received lukewarm reviews by critics and hip hop purist fans about over the repetitive nature of his lyrics, his clean-cut image and his perceived over-reliance on using hooks from other artists for the basis of his singles. Despite this, the album received five nominations at the 1991 Grammy Awards including Album of the Year, becoming the first Hip Hop record to be nominated on this category and eventually winning Best Rap Solo Performance and Best R&B Song for "U Can't Touch This" and Best Music Video: Long Form. Also, it won five awards at the 1991 American Music Awards including Favorite Soul/R&B Album, Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album and Favorite Pop/Rock album.

The album is considered Hammer's mainstream breakthrough album and a commercial juggernaut. It peaked at number one for twenty one weeks at the US Billboard 200 becoming the first time ever for a rap recording on the pop charts and was best-selling album of 1990. It was the first Hip Hop album to be certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over ten million in the United States. [2] [3] Also it was certified platinum in serverial territories including United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Spain. It was on the best-selling hip hop albums with over 17 million copies worldwide, as of July 15, 2012. [4] [5]

To promote the album, six official singles was released: "Help the Children", "Dancin' Machine", "Pray", "Have You Seen Her", "Here Comes the Hammer" and the smash hit "U Can't Touch This" that reached the Top 10 at the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number one in Australia, Netherlands, New Zealand and Sweden, and number 3 on the UK Singles Chart. Most of the singles released from the album proved to be successful on radio and video television. Following the album success, Hammer embarked on the Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em World Tour, that stretched from 1990 to 1991 with 144 dates, grossing over $32 million. [6]

Background

Hammer previous Let's Get It Started (1988) was certified two times platinum for selling over two millions of copies in the United States. By the end of 1989, it sold over 1.5 million of units in the United States. [7] Not quite satisfied with the multi-platinum success, Hammer's music underwent a metamorphosis, shifting from the standard rap format in his upcoming album. According to Hammer: "I decided the next album would be more musical." Purists chastised him for being more dancer than rapper. Sitting in a leopard-print bodysuit before a concert, he defended his style: "People were ready for something different from the traditional rap style. The fact that the record has reached this level indicates the genre is growing."

During the summer 1988, while he was on tour, Hammer started to record his third studio album on a modified tour bus. After spending part of his advance from Capitol Records on $50,000 worth of equipment for the back of the tour bus, he used his free time on the road to record his next album. [8] According to Guinness World Records of hit singles, the album cost just $10,000 to produce, roughly the same budget as his independent debut. [9] Capitol launched the album with an innovative marketing strategy, mailing out free cassette singles and a personalized letter to 100,000 kids, most of whom were black or Hispanic. The letter, signed by Hammer, asked the youths to phone MTV and request his video. [10]

Album overview and promotion

Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em was released on February 12, 1990. It features the commercially successful single "U Can't Touch This", which sampled Rick James' 1981 single, "Super Freak". [11] It was produced, recorded and mixed by Felton Pilate and James Earley, on a modified tour bus in 1989. [12] Despite heavy airplay and a No. 27 chart debut, "U Can't Touch This" peaked at No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, because it was only released as a twelve-inch vinyl single with not other single type available. [13] [ clarification needed ] However, the album was a No. 1 success for 21 weeks at the US Billboard 200. The song has been used in many movies and television shows to date, and appears on soundtrack and compilation albums as well (such as Man of the House and Back 2 Back Hits ). During this time, Hammer released "This Is What We Do" for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film and soundtrack (1990) [14] and "That's What I Said" on the Rocky V soundtrack (1990). [15]

Follow-up singles 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"). [16] "Pray" was his biggest hit in the US, peaking at No. 2. It was also a major UK success, peaking at No. 8. The album was notable for sampling other high-profile artists, and gave some of these artists a new fan base. "Dancin' Machine" sampled The Jackson 5, "Help the Children" (also the name of an outreach foundation Hammer started) [17] interpolates Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)", and "She's Soft and Wet" also sampled Prince's "Soft and Wet".

Following the success of the album, Hammer toured extensively in Europe, which included a sold-out concert at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. With the sponsorship of PepsiCo International, Pepsi CEO Christopher A. Sinclair went on tour with him during 1991. By June 1991, the album sold 14.5 million copies worldwide. [18] It would go on to become the first hip-hop album to earn diamond status, selling more than 18 million units to date. [19] [20] [21] [22]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [19]
Entertainment Weekly A− [23]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [24]
RapReviews5/10 [25]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [16]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [26]
The Village Voice C+ [27]

Hammer experienced critical backlash over the repetitive nature of his lyrics, his clean-cut image and his perceived over-reliance on using hooks from other artists for the basis of his singles. He was dissed in music videos by The D.O.C. and Ice Cube. Oakland hip-hop group Digital Underground mocked him in the CD insert of its Sex Packets album, by placing his picture in with the other members, and referring to him as an unknown derelict. He was also mentioned in the song "The Humpty Dance", with Shock G claiming: "People say 'Ya look like MC Hammer on crack, Humpty!'."

On the track "To da Break of Dawn", Hammer is depicted as an "amateur, swinging a Hammer from a body bag [his pants]", from LL Cool J's album Mama Said Knock You Out (1990). Additional lyrics included: "My old gym teacher ain't supposed to rap." He later referenced Hammer in "I Shot Ya (remix)", a track on his album Mr. Smith (1995). However, LL Cool J would later compliment and commend Hammer's abilities/talents on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop, which aired in 2008. On Hammer's second album, Let's Get It Started (1988), he originally claimed: "And when it comes to straight up rockin' / I'm second to none / from Doug E. Fresh to LL or DJ Run." [28]

However, Ice-T came to Hammer's defense on his 1991 album O.G. Original Gangster , stating: "A special shout-out to my man M.C. Hammer. A lot of people diss you, man, but they just jealous." Ice-T later explained that he had nothing against people who were pop rap from the start, but only against emcees who switch from being hardcore or "dirty" to being pop rap, in order to sell more records.

Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em was also criticized for its sampling of songs by other musicians. [16] The album sampled high-profile artists, and gave some of these artists a new fan base as a result. "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" samples "When Doves Cry" and "She's Soft and Wet" samples "Soft and Wet", both songs by Prince.

Commercial reception

Released on February 12, 1990, Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em reached the number one position on the US Billboard 200 in the week ending June 9, 1990 becoming the first rap album to reach the top spot on the pop charts. [29] By August, it was selling over 100,000 copies a day. [30] In less than six months, it sold more than four million copies, making it the biggest selling rap album at the time, beating Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill. [31] By October 1990, it had reached the six million mark, and by November of the same year, seven million units sold in the United States. [32] [33] By January 1991, the album reached 8 million units sold, becoming the first album to do so in one calendar year since Prince's Purple Rain in 1984 . [34] [35] In the same month, it reached the 9 million mark in US sales. [36] By May 1991, the album certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America, for sales of over ten million copies in the United States. [2] [37]

The album ranked No. 1 for twenty-one weeks on the US Billboard 200, due primarily to the success of the single "U Can't Touch This". [38] [39] Likewise, the album saw longevity on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, peaking at No. 1 and staying atop the chart for twenty-eight weeks. [40] It was the top selling album of 1990 in the United States, and is one of the best-selling hip hop albums of all time. [3]

In Canada, the album was the sixth best-selling album of 1990 and the single, "U Can't Touch This", was the sixth best-selling single of that year. [41] Eventually, it was certified 8x platinum for selling over 800,000 units in the country, and won International Album of the Year at the 1991 Juno Awards. [42] Also, it was certified triple platinum in New Zealand. In May 1991, Hammer received an award for sales of more than 1 million units of his album "Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em" in EMI Music Worldwide's international territories of Japan, SE Asia, Australasia, Africa and Latin America. [43] As of July 1991, it sold 17 million of copies worldwide. [44]

Most of the singles released from the album proved to be successful on radio and 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 became the first hip-hop album to be ever nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1991. The album has sold over 17 million copies worldwide, as of July 15, 2012. [4] [5]

Lawsuits

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 a former producer, Felton Pilate (who is also a member of the successful R&B band Con Funk Shun), and by several of his former backers. Additionally, he faced charges that performance troupe members (aka posse) endured an abusive, militaristic atmosphere. [45]

In 1992, Hammer admitted in depositions and court documents to getting the idea for the song "Here Comes the Hammer", from a Texas-based Christian recording artist named Kevin Abdullah. Abdullah had filed a US$16 million lawsuit against Hammer for copyright infringement for his song entitled "Oh-Oh, You Got the Shing". [46] Hammer settled with Abdullah for $250,000 in 1995. [47]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Here Comes the Hammer" Stanley Burrell 4:32
2."U Can't Touch This"Stanley Burrell, Rick James, Alonzo Miller4:17
3."Have You Seen Her" (The Chi-Lites cover)Stanley Burrell, Barbara Acklin, Eugene Record4:42
4."Yo!! Sweetness"Stanley Burrell4:36
5."Help the Children"Stanley Burrell, Marvin Gaye 5:17
6."On Your Face" (Earth, Wind & Fire cover) Charles Stepney, Maurice White, Philip Bailey 4:32
7."Dancin' Machine" (The Jackson 5 cover) Hal Davis, Don Fletcher, Dean Parks 2:55
8."Pray"Stanley Burrell, Prince 5:13
9."Crime Story"Stanley Burrell5:09
10."She's Soft and Wet"Stanley Burrell, Prince, Chris Moon3:25
11."Black Is Black"Stanley Burrell4:31
12."Let's Go Deeper"Stanley Burrell5:16
13."Work This"Stanley Burrell5:03

Samples

"Work This"

"Help the Children"

"Here Comes the Hammer"

"Pray"

"U Can't Touch This"

"Yo!! Sweetness"

"She's Soft and Wet"

"Black Is Black"

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [79] Platinum70,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria) [80] Gold25,000*
Canada (Music Canada) [81] 8× Platinum800,000^
France (SNEP) [82] Gold100,000*
Germany (BVMI) [83] Gold250,000^
Japan (RIAJ) [84] 2× Platinum400,000^
Netherlands (NVPI) [85] Gold50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) [86] Platinum15,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [87] Platinum100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [88] Gold25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [89] 2× Platinum600,000^
United States (RIAA) [90] Diamond10,100,000 [91]
United States (RIAA) [92]
Video longform 		2× Platinum200,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Film

The Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em album was accompanied by a direct-to-video film titled Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie (1990). [93] It stars Hammer as a rapper who returns to his old neighborhood, and defeats an illegal drug trade dealer who is using kids to traffic his product. Hammer plays an additional role of preacher "Reverend Pressure". The film costarred Juice Sneed, Keyon White, Joe Mack and Davina H'Ollier.

The movie won Hammer, director Rupert Wainwright and producer John Oetjen a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Long Form at the 33rd Grammy Awards. [94] [95] Besides Hammer, music talent included Ho Frat Hoo! (1991 MTV Video Music Awards Best Choreography in a Video winner for "Pray" along with Hammer), Torture, Special Generation and rapper One Cause One Effect. [96] [97] [98]

Additional releases included The Making of Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em (1990), [99] Hammer Time (1990) and Here Comes the Hammer (1991). All projects were Capitol Records Productions. [100] [101] [102]

See also

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  47. ↑ Weitz, Matt (February 26, 1998). "Hammered". Dallas Observer.
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  51. ↑ "RPM 100 Albums". RPM . Vol. 52, no. 14. archived at Library and Archives Canada. 18 August 1990. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
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  76. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1991". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  77. ↑ "1991 The Year in Music" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 103, no. 51. December 21, 1991. p. YE-17. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  78. ↑ Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade – The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s . Retrieved October 15, 2010.
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  81. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – MC Hammer – Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em". Music Canada.
  82. ↑ "French album certifications – MC Hammer – Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved November 12, 2021.Select MC HAMMER and click OK. 
  83. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (M.C. Hammer; 'Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  84. ↑ "Japanese album certifications – M.C. Hammer – Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan . Retrieved October 22, 2019.Select 1991年4月 on the drop-down menu
  85. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – M.C. Hammer – Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers.Enter Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1991 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
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  98. ↑ "U Can't Touch This". 9 September 2009.
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