
Stanley Kirk Burrell (born March 30, 1962), better known by his stage name MC Hammer (or simply Hammer), is an American rapper, actor, TV personality, entrepreneur, celebrity spokesperson, and ordained preacher. Known for hit songs such as "U Can't Touch This", "2 Legit 2 Quit", and "Pumps and a Bump", flashy dance movements, extravagant choreography, and his eponymous Hammer pants.
A multi-award winner, Hammer is considered a "forefather" and pioneering innovator of pop rap (incorporating elements of freestyle music), and is the first hip hop artist to achieve diamond status with his album Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em.
BET ranked Hammer as the No. 7 "Best Dancer of All Time". Vibe's "The Best Rapper Ever Tournament" declared him the 17th favorite of all-time during the first round. He continues to perform concerts at music venues and appears in television advertisements, along with participating in social media and ministry/outreach functions.
Along with a Mattel doll and other merchandise, Hammer starred in a Saturday-morning cartoon called Hammerman in 1991. He became an ordained preacher during the late 1990s and hosted M.C. Hammer and Friends, a Christian ministry program on TBN. Hammer was also a dance judge on Dance Fever in 2003, was the co-creator of the dance website DanceJam.com, and was executive producer of his own reality show titled Hammertime (which aired on the A&E Network during the summer of 2009).
Known For

40 Hidden Music Treasures at the BBC
Self (archive footage)
2024

The '91 Falcons
Self
2017

Springfield of Dreams: The Legend of Homer Simpson
Self (archive footage)
2017

Beat Shazam
Self · (1 episode)
2017

The Swingin' A's
Self - Narrator (voice)
2017

Zoolander 2
M.C. Hammer
2016

James Brown - The Man, The Music & The Message
Self
2014

Uncle Grandpa
MC Hammer (voice) · (1 episode)
2013
Vanilla Ice Archive
Self (archive footage)
2012
1040: Christianity in the New Asia
Self
2010

Katt Williams: Pimpadelic
Self
2009

Glenn Martin, DDS
(1 episode)
2009

Hammertime
Self · (11 episodes)
2009

Finishing the Game: The Search for a New Bruce Lee
Roy Thunder
2007

Life O' The Party: On the Road with Prince and the New Power Generation
Self
2005

Infinite Challenge
Self · (2 episodes)
2005

Letter to the President
Self
2005
Black in the 80s
Self · (3 episodes)
2005

Rebels of Oakland: The A's, The Raiders, The '70s
Self
2003
The New Tom Green Show
Self · (1 episode)
2003

The Surreal Life
Self · (8 episodes)
2003

Greatest Hits of the 70's & 80's
Self (archive footage)
2002

Rhapsody
Wizard
2001
Street Life
2001

Where Are They Now?
Self · (1 episode)
1999

The Hip Hop Years
Self · (1 episode)
1999

I Am a Man: Black Masculinity in America
Self
1998

Behind the Music
Self · (1 episode)
1997

The Right Connections
Kendrick Bragg
1997

The View
Self · (1 episode)
1997

Private Parts
M.C. Hammer
1997

The Chris Rock Show
(1 episode)
1997

Cheyenne
Haddox
1996

Reggie's Prayer
Forest Ranger Baker
1996

One Man's Justice
Dexter Kane
1996
I Hate The Way I Look
Self
1994

Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
1993

Last Action Hero
M.C. Hammer
1993
Surviving A Break-Up
Self
1992
Out All Night
Self · (1 episode)
1992

Martin
(1 episode)
1992
The Making of "The Addams Family"
Self
1991

Hammerman
Hammerman/Stanley Burrell · (13 episodes)
1991

Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie
Self / Reverend Pressure
1990
8:15 from Manchester
(1 episode)
1990

Slammin' Rap Video Magazine Vol. 1
Self
1990
Dance Fever
Self · (1 episode)

Yo! MTV Raps
Self · (1 episode)
1988

MTV Video Music Awards
Self · (2 episodes)
1984

Saturday Night Live
Self - Host & Musical Guest · (1 episode)
1975

American Music Awards
Self - Musical Guest · (1 episode)
1974