''Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em'' is the third studio album by American rapper MC Hammer, released on February 12, 1990 by

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...

and

EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succ ...

. The album was produced, recorded and mixed by Felton Pilate and James Earley. The album ranked No. 1 for 21 weeks on the US ''Billboard'' 200, due primarily to the success of the single " U Can't Touch This". Likewise, the album saw longevity on the

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...

chart, peaking at No. 1 and staying at the top for 28 weeks. It was the top selling album of 1990 in the United States, and one of the bestselling hip hop albums of all time. Most of the singles released from the album proved to be successful on radio and video 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 Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

to a new level of popularity. It is the first hip-hop album ever to be

certified Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, b ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

, for sales of over ten million in the United States. The album has sold as many as 17 million copies worldwide, as of July 15, 2012.

Album overview

''Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em'' was released on February 12, 1990. It features the successful single " U Can't Touch This", which sampled

Rick James James Ambrose Johnson Jr. (February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004), better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, James began his musical career in ...

' 1981 single, "

Super Freak "Super Freak" is a 1981 single produced and performed by American singer Rick James. The song, co-written by James and Alonzo Miller, was first released on James' fifth album, '' Street Songs'' (1981) and became one of James' signature songs. "F ...

". It was produced, recorded and mixed by Felton Pilate and James Earley, on a modified tour bus in 1989. 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 single. However, the album was a No. 1 success for 21 weeks, due primarily to this single – the first time ever for a rap recording on the pop charts. The song has been used in many movies and television shows to date, and appears on

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrac ...

and

compilation album A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for rel ...

s as well (such as '' Man of the House'' and '' Back 2 Back Hits''). Follow-up singles included " Have You Seen Her" (a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of copy ...

of the Chi-Lites) and " Pray" (a beat sampled from Prince's "

When Doves Cry "When Doves Cry" is a song by American musician Prince, and the lead single from his sixth studio album '' Purple Rain''. According to the DVD commentary of the film '' Purple Rain'' (1984), Prince was asked by director Albert Magnoli to write a ...

" and Faith No More's "

We Care a Lot ''We Care a Lot'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Faith No More, originally released in 1985 and distributed through Mordam Records. On the original vinyl release, the band is credited as Faith. No More. on the album's liner no ...

"). "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 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

, "Help the Children" (also the name of an

outreach Outreach is the activity of providing services to any population that might not otherwise have access to those services. A key component of outreach is that the group providing it is not stationary, but mobile; in other words, it involves meetin ...

foundation Foundation may refer to: * Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization ** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S. ** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...

Hammer started)
interpolates Marvin Gaye's " Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)", and "She's Soft and Wet" also sampled Prince's "

Soft and Wet "Soft and Wet" is a song performed by American musician Prince. It was his first solo single, released on June 7, 1978, his 20th birthday, from his debut album, '' For You''. The track contains drums, bass guitar and synthesizers. The lyrics wer ...

". Hammer toured extensively in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, which included a sold-out concert at the

National Exhibition Centre The National Exhibition Centre (NEC) is an exhibition centre located in Marston Green, Solihull, West Midlands, England. It is near junction 6 of the M42 motorway, and is adjacent to Birmingham Airport and Birmingham International railway sta ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

. With the sponsorship of PepsiCo International,

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi wa ...

CEO Christopher A. Sinclair went on tour with him during 1991. By June 1991, the album sold 14.5 million copies worldwide. It would go on to become the first hip-hop album to earn diamond status, selling more than 18 million units to date. Following the album success, Hammer embarked in a 1990–1991 worldwide tour with 144 dates grossing over $32 million. According to ''

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

'' of hit singles, the album cost just $10,000 to produce. The video for "Here Comes the Hammer" proved to be the most expensive video on this album, Hammer's second most expensive behind "

2 Legit 2 Quit "2 Legit 2 Quit" is a song by Hammer featuring Saja (a.k.a. Sonia Moore), released on September 5, 1991 as the first single from his fourth studio album, ''Too Legit to Quit'' (1991). Music video The music video was directed by Rupert Wainwrigh ...

". During this time, Hammer released "This Is What We Do" for the ''

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (named after It ...

'' film and

(1990) and "That's What I Said" on the ''

Rocky V ''Rocky V'' is a 1990 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen (the first time since the first film of the franchise), written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the sequel to ''Rocky IV'' (1985) and is the fifth install ...

(1990).

Critical reaction

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 video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

s by

The D.O.C. Tracy Lynn Curry (born June 10, 1968), better known as The D.O.C., is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. In addition to a solo career, he was a member of the Southern hip hop group Fila Fresh Crew and later collaborated with ga ...

and Ice Cube. Oakland hip-hop group

Digital Underground Digital Underground was an American alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California. Their personnel changed and rotated with each album and tour. Digital Underground's leader and mainstay was Gregory " Shock G" Jacobs (also known as Humpty H ...

mocked him in the CD insert of its ''

Sex Packets Sex is the phenotypic trait, trait that determines whether a sexual reproduction, sexually reproducing animal or plant produces male or female gametes. Male plants and animals produce smaller mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm, pollen), while ...

'' 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 "The Humpty Dance" is a song by the American rap group Digital Underground from their debut album '' Sex Packets''. Released as the second single from the album in January 1990, it reached No. 11 on the pop chart, No. 7 on the R&B chart, and No. ...

", with

Shock G Gregory Edward Jacobs (August 25, 1963 – April 22, 2021), known professionally as Shock G and by his alter ego Humpty Hump, was an American rapper and musician who was best known as the lead vocalist of the hip hop group Digital Underground. ...

claiming: "People say 'Ya look like MC Hammer on crack, Humpty!'." On the track "

To da Break of Dawn "To da Break of Dawn" is a single from both LL Cool J's fourth album, ''Mama Said Knock You Out'', and the soundtrack to the Kid 'n Play movie ''House Party''. The song was released on June 17, 1990 by Motown Records and Def Jam Recordings. B ...

", Hammer is depicted as an "amateur, swinging a Hammer from a

body bag A body bag, also known as a cadaver pouch or human remains pouch (HRP), is a non-porous bag designed to contain a human body, used for the storage and transportation of shrouded corpses. History In the United States, the apparent first docum ...

is pants, from LL Cool J's album ''

Mama Said Knock You Out ''Mama Said Knock You Out'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper LL Cool J. It was produced mostly by Marley Marl and recorded at his "House of Hits" home studio in Chestnut Ridge and at Chung King House of Metal in New York City. Afte ...

'' (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 Doug E. Fresh (born September 17, 1966) is a Barbados-born American rapper, record producer, and beatboxer, also known as the "Human Beat Box". The pioneer of 20th-century American beatboxing, Fresh is able to accurately imitate drum machines an ...

to LL or DJ Run." 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 Pop rap (also known as pop hip-hop, hip pop, melodic hip-hop or melodic rap) is a genre of music fusing the rhythm-based lyricism of hip hop music with pop music's preference for melodious vocals and catchy tunes. This genre gained mainstrea ...

from the start, but only against emcees who switch from being

hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

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. 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 "

" by

; " Dancin' Machine" sampled the

Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

; "

Have You Seen Her "Have You Seen Her" is a song by American soul music, soul vocal group the Chi-Lites, released on Brunswick Records in 1971. Composed by the lead singer Eugene Record and Barbara Acklin, the song was included on the group's 1971 album ''(For God's ...

" is a semi-cover of

The Chi-Lites The Chi-Lites (, ) are an American R&B/soul vocal quartet from Chicago, Illinois, United States. Forming at Chicago's Hyde Park High School in 1959, The group's original lineup consisted of singers Robert Lester, Eugene Record, Creadel Jones, ...

song; "Help the Children" interpolates Marvin Gaye's " Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)"; " Pray" samples "

" and "She's Soft and Wet" samples "

", both songs by

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

Lawsuits

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 Con Funk Shun (formerly known as Project Soul) is an American R&B and funk band whose popularity began in the mid-1970s and ran through the 1980s. They were influenced by funk legend James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone. Signed to Mercury ...

), and by several of his former backers. Additionally, he faced charges that performance troupe members (aka posse) endured an abusive, militaristic atmosphere. 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 Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, s ...

for his song entitled "Oh-Oh, You Got the Shing". Hammer settled with Abdullah for $250,000 in 1995.

Track listing

Samples

"Work This" *"

Let's Work "Let's Work" was the second single from the 1981 album '' Controversy'', by Prince. The song originates from a dance called "the Rock" that local kids were doing at the time in Minneapolis. Prince responded quickly with a track called "Let's Rock ...

" by

"Help the Children" *" Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" by Marvin Gaye "Here Comes the Hammer" *" Super Bad" by James Brown "Pray" *"

" by

" by Faith No More "U Can't Touch This" *"

" by

"Yo!! Sweetness" *"

Give It to Me Baby "Give It to Me Baby" is a song written by American singer Rick James. Taken from his album ''Street Songs (album), Street Songs'', the song charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100, spending two weeks at No. 40 and spent five weeks ...

" by

*"Your Sweetness Is My Weakness" by

Barry White Barry Eugene Carter (September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003), better known by his stage name Barry White, was an American singer and songwriter. A two-time Grammy Award winner known for his bass voice and romantic image, his greatest success came ...

"She's Soft and Wet" *"

" by

"Black Is Black" *" Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud" by James Brown

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Film

The ''Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em'' album was accompanied by a

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy wa ...

film titled ''Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie'' (1990). It stars Hammer as a rapper who returns to his old neighborhood, and defeats an

illegal drug trade The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs throug ...

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 Rupert Wainwright is an English film and television director, with credits including ''Blank Check'' (1994), ''The Sadness of Sex'' (1995) and ''Stigmata'' (1999). He is also a music video producer and multiple award-winner. British-born, Wain ...

and producer John Oetjen a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

for Best Music Video, Long Form at the

33rd Grammy Awards The 33rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 20, 1991. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Quincy Jones was the night's biggest winner winning a total of six awards including Album of the Year. Performers ...

. Besides Hammer, music talent included Ho Frat Hoo! (

1991 MTV Video Music Awards The 1991 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 5, 1991, honoring the best music videos from June 2, 1990, to June 15, 1991. The show was hosted by Arsenio Hall at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. This year saw the introduction ...

Best Choreography in a Video winner for " Pray" along with Hammer), Torture, Special Generation and rapper One Cause One Effect. Additional releases included ''The Making of Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em'' (1990), ''Hammer Time'' (1990) and ''Here Comes the Hammer'' (1991). All projects were

Productions.

References

{{Authority control 1990 albums MC Hammer albums Capitol Records albums EMI Records albums Juno Award for International Album of the Year albums

Album overview

Critical reaction

Lawsuits

Track listing

Samples

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Film

See also

References