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