From 1972 to 1980, I served as a batboy with the Oakland Athletics under colorful team owner Charlie Finley, who lived in the Midwest and for whom Burrell was his "eyes and ears." Reggie Jackson, in describing my role for Finley, took credit for the "Hammer" nickname:
EARLY CAREER
My debut album Feel My Power was released independently in 1987. It was produced by Felton Pilate (of Con Funk Shun), and sold over 60,000 copies. In the spring of 1988, a DJ played the track "Let's Get it Started"—a song in which I declare I am "...second to none, from Doug E. Fresh, Cool LL, or DJ Run"—after which the track began to gain popularity in clubs. I received several offers from major record labels.
My second album, 1990's Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em, included the smash single "U Can't Touch This", which sampled Rick James' 1981 hit "Super Freak". Interestingly, despite heavy airplay, "U Can't Touch This" stopped at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart due to the fact that it was released only as a twelve-inch single. Follow-up hits included "Have You Seen Her" (cover of the Chi-Lites); and "Pray", which was sampled from Prince's "When Doves Cry." The album went on to become the first hip-hop album to reach diamond status, selling more than 10 million units. During 1990 I toured extensively in Europe which included a sold-out concert at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. With the sponsorship of PepsiCo, PepsiCo International CEO Christopher A. Sinclair went on tour with me in 1991.
After dropping the MC from my stage name, I released Too Legit to Quit (again, produced by Felton Pilate) in 1991. I took the opportunity to answer my critics on certain songs on the album. Though the album was, by and large, no better accepted (critically) than my first, sales were strong and the title track was a hit. Another hit came soon after, with "Addams Groove" (which appeared on both The Addams Family motion picture soundtrack and the vinyl version of 2 Legit 2 Quit).
LATE CAREER
To adapt to the changing landscape of hip-hop, my next album was a more aggressive, gangsterish album entitled The Funky Headhunter. The accompanying video to The Funky Headhunter's first single, "Pumps and a Bump", was banned from heavy rotation on MTV with censors claiming that the depiction of me in Speedos was too graphic. This led to an alternative video being filmed (with me fully clothed) that was directed by fellow Bay Area native Craig S. Brooks, who also helmed the video of rap group D.R.S.' only hit single "Gangsta Lean."In 1995, I released the album Inside Out, which critics claimed was unfocused. The album sold poorly (peaking at number 119 on the Billboard Charts) and Giant Records dropped me from their roster. Because of dwindling album sales and a lavish lifestyle, I was $13 million in debt, and had to file for bankruptcy on April 3, 1996.I next signed with Death Row Records, then home to gangsta rap stars Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur. The label did not release any of my music while I was with them. However, I did record music with Shakur, and the album I recorded leaked onto the internet some years later. Our collaborative efforts are yet to be released. After the death of Shakur in 1996, I left the record company. In 1996, I signed with EMI, which saw the release of a compilation of my chart topping songs. The album, Greatest Hits, featured 12 former hits and was released in October, only six months after my bankruptcy.
PASTORAL CAREER
I reaffirmed my Christian beliefs in October 1997 and now I have a television show on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. I have officiated at the celebrity weddings of actor Corey Feldman and Susie Sprague on 30 October 2002 and M?tley Cr?e's Vince Neil and Lia Gerardini in January 2005.
UPDATE JULY 17th, 2007
Hammer has been in the recording studio over the past 4 months, and is about 10% complete on his comeback album entitled "Fried Chicken and Funk"----He has already composed a partial list of who he will be inviting to the record release party, which should be in early 2009---here is that guest list:
WORK IN PROGRESS....STAY TUNED!!!
Word To your Mutha!!
We Got's To Pray
Hammer...Still Pimpin'
The Song that Made Me My Money!!
The Song that put Hammer on the mapmyspace layouts :: Get this layout .