Looking back, Is MC Hammer a Pioneer or a Sellout?

[Mumbo Sauce]

Was MC Hammer ahead of his time in his domination of music, cartoons, merchandising etc?
In 1992, MC Hammer had his own doll and cartoon in the era of the rise of Dre, Snoop etc.

He actually is the blueprint for today's 360 deal.

Was Hammer 'really' that bad when you look at the artists that are 'winning' today?

At least with Hammer he gave you a damn good show and he actually can rap.

-ooooor - was he just a sellout in the same bunch with Vanilla Ice and all the rest.

Discuss here or leave replies on Twitter using @indieplanet

[mr.shadeed]

MC Hammer is a pioneer and should be awarded a Hip-Hop Honors if for no other reason he showed the next generation how to do it. He was the 1st hip-hop mega-star. Many people want to say that Hammer isn't hip hop or he was this or that but I don't recall him singing on his records.

Many hip-hop "experts" try to write artists such as Hammer, Luke, out the history books.

[Tony Jefferson]

Hammer Is the reason Im Business 1st, all I can say about him is Thanks Buddy!!!!!!!!

[Julius Adu]

MC HAMMER IS A HOT DUDE EVEN HERE IN AFRICA. HE IS WELL RECOGNIZED TO THE EXTEND THAT WE EVEN HAVE A SPECIAL DANCE NAMED AFTER HIM.
HIS CUTS STILL HIT.

[GROOVE da Budweiser King]

You know it's funny i was walking past a co-worker who was listening to internet radio and hammer came on...first thing popped to mind..lol.."OOHH lord..here's hammer..lol"..Then i started to like really listen to his rap style and really paid attention...He wasn't really that different than the 80's NY rap cats back in the day...And after reading the replies posted i think i'd have to call him a pioneer...And you know these days cats is basing the best artist on how many sales they can get (ex: Jay Z who i really think is over rated)..if they wanted to go by that, Hammer was the first Hip hop artist to go Diamond

[mr.shadeed]

If anything, Hammer was a THROWBACK (as an MC) to the artists that were on prior to Rakim's arrival on the scene and transformed lyricism. Hammer wasn't WACK, if anything he was corny with the baggy pants and all that but he did what he did.

For all you youngsters, NEWSFLASH: Rappers used to dance on-stage and have full routines and still would be considered tough. Ice-T used to breakdance and many, many others.

I think that Hammer literally was ahead of his time and blew up too quick. Nobody who was around Hammer says he was "a bad dude" and if you ever went to a Hammer show, he killed it EVERYTIME.

Respect the legends and stop letting mainstream media tell you who and what shaped hip-hop culture.

[mobey_dillz]

Hey I listned to hammer and vanilla ice was when I was a youngin so I'm not gonna front on em.
Was it the real raw?? Hell No...but honestly to me hammer was a dancer first rapper second.
So he just wanted to make shit to shake his ass too.
Hammers Hammer...catagory of his own.
definitly a pioneer that opened up the club club scene to hip hop. I would have to say that
hammer...rob base and tone loc are all artists that got me listening to hip hop.
definitly a pioneer...YOU MUTHA SUCKAS KNOW YOU HAD SOME PARACHUTE PANTS!!!!

[mr.shadeed]

Nah - Vanilla Ice was gah-bage (even know I owned To The Extreme and know every word of Ice Ice Baby) when you look at how he stood up to the test of time.
Most of Hammer's rhymes were battle raps, its just that he was a superior entertainer.
His rap style was similar to just about every rapper before Rakim dropped My Melody.

If you think about it - before Hammer there were no Hip-Hop superstars RUN DMC was the closest followed by Kurtis Blow and LL, but Hammer knocked it out the park.

[GROOVE da Budweiser King]

lol shiiiit groove aint never had no parachute pants...lol..that was only cause we aint had no money to buy them shits i aint gonna front...when hammer was out i really didn't feel him though...mainly because my older cousins from NY whom i looked up to didn't...that dude was a crazy entertainer though..He should get hip hop honors too

[mobey_dillz]

HAHA...yeah I didn't have pair of parachutes either...mom dukes wouldn't let me get
em. I remeber she told me I would look like a geni...hahah.
I do remember my first pair of baggy jeans though.
I stole a pair of my dads lee's. I was 12 and probably a size 26 28
( I was about 5 3' 100 pounds wet)
and I remember my dads joints were a 36 34. I rocked the shit out of them Lee's.
HAHAHAHA