Editing MC Hammer (section)

== Legacy and pop culture fame ==
Because of his commercial success during early stages of [[hip hop music]], [[BET]] named Hammer as the first "mainstream" rapper.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.bet.com/Specials/hiphopawards10/hha10_performers/ |title=Performers |website=BET.com |date=October 12, 2010 |access-date=October 22, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100927184806/http://www.bet.com/Specials/hiphopawards10/hha10_performers |archive-date=September 27, 2010 }}</ref> Hammer became a fixture of the television airwaves and the big screen, with his music being used in many popular shows, movies and commercials still to this day. Hammer appeared in major marketing campaigns for companies to the point that he was criticized as a "[[sellout]]",<ref name=rollingstone/><ref name="article"/> including commercials for [[British Knights]] during the height of his career. The shoe company signed him to a $138 million deal.<ref name="test"/><ref name="Ad Rock"/>

Hammer's impression on the music industry appeared almost as instantaneously as [[Digital Underground]]'s rap "[[The Humpty Dance]]," which was released when Hammer was still early in his career and included the lyrics "People say ya look like M.C. Hammer on [[Crack cocaine|crack]], Humpty!", boasting about Hammer's [[showmanship (performing)|showmanship]] versus Humpty Hump ([[Shock G]])'s inability to match it in dance. Additionally, Hammer had several [[List of most expensive music videos|costly videos]], two in particular were "Too Legit to Quit" or "[[2 Legit 2 Quit]]" (in which many celebrities appeared) and "[[Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em|Here Comes the Hammer]]".<ref name="newsweek1"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Farber |first=Jim |url=https://ew.com/article/1991/03/08/racy-music-videos/ |title=Flesh Forward |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=March 8, 1991 |access-date=March 31, 2010 |archive-date=January 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100109062142/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,313556,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Hammer is well known for his [[Hip hop fashion#Late 1980s to early 1990s|fashion style during the late 80s and early 90s]]. Hammer would tour, perform and record with his [[hype man]] 2 Bigg MC or Too Big (releasing a song in which he claimed "He's the King of the Hype").<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wordofsouth.com/myblock/archive/index.php/t-21624.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130209114901/http://www.wordofsouth.com/myblock/archive/index.php/t-21624.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 9, 2013 |title=whose the best hype man of all time??? [Archive] – My Block Community – Hip-Hop & Entertainment Forum |website=Wordofsouth.com |access-date=May 10, 2011 }}</ref> This duo introduced the "shiny suit" and popularized [[Hammer pants]] to mainstream America, as seen in videos such as "(Hammer Hammer) They Put Me In A Mix", in which Hammer also claimed Too Big was the "King of Hype" and in an unspoken competition with [[Flavor Flav]] (hype man for [[Public Enemy]]) during the height of their careers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.audiolunchbox.com/album?a=76055 |title=MC Hammer Lyrics: Break 'Em Off Somethin' Proper |website=Audiolunchbox.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304034904/http://audiolunchbox.com/album?a=76055 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = http://new.music.yahoo.com/mc-hammer/tracks/crime-story--692938#lyrics|archive-date = January 5, 2013|archive-url = https://archive.today/20130105114340/http://new.music.yahoo.com/mc-hammer/tracks/crime-story--692938%23lyrics|url-status = dead|title = Crime Story|website=New.music.yahoo.com}}</ref>

Hammer also established a children's foundation, which first started in Hammer's own community, called Help The Children (HTC was named after and based on his [[Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em#Album details|song by the same name]] which included a music video with a storyline from his film ''[[Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em#Film|Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie]]'').<ref name="answers1"/> A [[Sesame Street]] segment features [[Elmo]] taking on the persona of Hammer; nicknaming himself "MC Elmo" and along with two backup singers they rap a song about the number five called "Five Jive".

In 1994, British TV presenter [[Mark Lamarr]] interrupted Hammer repeatedly with Hammer's catch phrase ("Stop! Hammer Time!") in an interview filmed for ''[[The Word (TV series)|The Word]]'', which he took in good humor. He claimed Hammer was a "living legend". It was also within this interview that Hammer explained the truth about his relationship with "gangsta rap" and that he was merely changing with the times, not holding onto his old image nor becoming a "hardcore gangsta".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spainherewecome.com/videos/tag/hammertime |title=Life in Spain Videos |website=Spainherewecome.com |access-date=March 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716113438/http://www.spainherewecome.com/videos/tag/hammertime |archive-date=July 16, 2011 }}</ref> By some accounts, this change contributed to his decline in popularity.<ref name="daveyd1"/><ref>[http://www.detnews.com/article/20090514/ENT09/905140390/Grapevine--Hammer--Mojo-go-at-it] {{dead link|date=December 2012}}</ref>

[[File:Brunswick-Stop-80s-time edit.jpg|thumb|right|Hammer's catchphrase on graffiti]]

[[File:Hammertime stop sign near Espoo.jpg|thumb|right|MC Hammer's catchphrase invoked in [[Helsinki]], Finland in 2012]]

In 2005, Hammer appeared in a commercial for [[Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company]] which made a humorous reference to his career. First he is shown in his distinctive clothing with his dance troupe performing "[[U Can't Touch This]]" in front of a mansion representative of his former house with a monogram H on the gable. Then there is silence and a screen card saying "Fifteen Minutes Later" appears with a view of Hammer sadly sitting on the curb in front of the same house as a crane removes the monogram H and tow trucks pull away sports cars that were parked in front. After a large "Foreclosed" sign appears, the [[voice-over]] said "Life comes at you fast. Be ready with Nationwide!"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opr3uHOdA10| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/Opr3uHOdA10| archive-date=2021-10-30|title=Nationwide – MC Hammer Commercial| date=April 25, 2015|publisher=[[YouTube]]|access-date=October 10, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/itll-be-hammer-time-05-nationwide-insurance-75680/|title=It'll Be Hammer Time In '05 For Nationwide Insurancek|website=Adweek.com|date=October 25, 2004 |access-date=October 10, 2019}}</ref>

In 2006, Hammer's music catalog was sold to the music company [[BMG Rights Management|Evergreen/BMG]] for nearly $3 million. Evergreen explained that the collection was "some of the best-selling and most popular rap songs of all time". Speaking for [[David Schulhof#Evergreen Copyrights|Evergreen Copyrights]], [[David Schulhof]] stated the songs "will emerge as a perfect fit for licensing in movies, television shows, and corporate advertising".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://new.music.yahoo.com/mc-hammer/news/mc-hammer-sells-back-catalog--34343748 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715154342/http://new.music.yahoo.com/mc-hammer/news/mc-hammer-sells-back-catalog--34343748 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 15, 2012 |title=MC Hammer News – Yahoo! Music |website=New.music.yahoo.com |date=July 21, 2006 |access-date=March 31, 2010 }}</ref> According to [[VH1]], "Hammer was on the money. Hit singles and videos like "U Can't Touch This" and "Too Legit To Quit" created a template of lavish performance values that many rap artists still follow today".

In March 2009, [[Ellen DeGeneres]] made plans for Hammer to be on her show (''[[The Ellen DeGeneres Show]]'') after he contacted her via Twitter.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://twitter.com/mchammer|title = MC Hammer|publisher = twitter.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = https://twitter.com/TheEllenShow|title = The Ellen Show|publisher = twitter.com}}</ref> Hammer continued to give media interviews, such as being a guest on ''[[Chelsea Lately]]'' on June 16, 2009. There he discussed his relationship with [[Vanilla Ice]], his stint on ''[[The Surreal Life#Season 1|The Surreal Life]]'', his show ''[[Hammertime]]'', his family, his mansion, about him being in shape, his positive financial status and other "colorful topics" ([[subliminal message|subliminal jokes]]) regarding his baggy pants.<ref>[http://www.hollyhoodhdtv.com/video/mc-hammer-tells-chelsea-he] {{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/mc-hammer/credits/165636 |title=MC Hammer Credits |work=TV Guide |access-date=March 31, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/on/shows/chelsea/ |title=Chelsea Lately – Starring Chelsea Handler |publisher=E! Online |date=March 26, 2010 |access-date=March 31, 2010}}</ref>

In 2010, [[Rick Ross]] released "MC Hammer" from the ''[[Teflon Don (album)|Teflon Don]]'' album which [[Teflon Don (album)#Track listing|samples]] Hammer's "[[2 Legit 2 Quit]]". To celebrate Hammer's 50th birthday, [[San Francisco]] game maker [[Zynga]] offered up some recent player's ''[[Draw Something]]'' drawings from his fans.<ref>{{cite web|last=Budman |first=Scott |url=http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Hammer-Time--The-Oakland-MC-Draws-on-His-50th-145239525.html |title=Zynga Shares MC Hammer Drawings |publisher=NBC Bay Area |date=March 30, 2012 |access-date=December 17, 2012}}</ref> Other sources/services offered "props" on behalf of his special occasion and to show appreciation for his memorable persona/gimmicks used during the peak of his career.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://glosho.la|title=Jun88🎖️Trang Chủ Jun888 Đăng Nhập Jun88.com Chính Thức 2025|accessdate=March 30, 2025}}</ref><ref name="bestweekever.tv">{{cite web |last=Olson |first=Lauren |url=http://www.bestweekever.tv/2012-03-30/the-ultimate-mc-hammer-50th-birthday-gif-wall/ |title=The Ultimate MC Hammer 50th Birthday GIF Wall – {{pipe}} VH1 Celebrity |website=Bestweekever.tv |date=March 30, 2012 |access-date=December 17, 2012 |archive-date=May 3, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503225021/http://www.bestweekever.tv/2012-03-30/the-ultimate-mc-hammer-50th-birthday-gif-wall |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2012, [[Slaughterhouse (group)|Slaughterhouse]] released a [[Slaughterhouse discography#Singles|single]] called "Hammer Dance", along with a [[Slaughterhouse discography#Music videos|video]]. "Hammer Dance" was the [[Welcome to: Our House#Singles|lead single]] from the ''[[Welcome to: Our House]]'' album. During the [[2013 Oakland Athletics season]], the "2 Legit 2 Quit" music video played on the [[Diamond Vision]] in between innings, usually during the middle of the 8th inning. The video featured prominent players from the [[San Francisco Bay Area]]'s sports championships, such as former [[A's]] players [[Jose Canseco]] and [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|hall of fame inductee]] [[Rickey Henderson]]. Hammer appeared in a [[Cheetos]] commercial during the [[Super Bowl]] in 2020, the 30th anniversary of "U Can't Touch This".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/martyswant/2020/01/29/mc-hammers-super-bowl-ad-for-the-new-cheetos-popcorn-celebrates-30-years-of-cant-touch-this/|title=MC Hammer's Super Bowl Ad For The New Cheetos Popcorn Celebrates 30 Years Of 'Can't Touch This'|first=Marty|last=Swant|website=Forbes.com|access-date=April 11, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/mc-hammer-interview-cheetos-super-bowl-2020-commercial-8549479/|title=MC Hammer Says Cheetos Super Bowl Commercial Was No-Brainer: 'I Guarantee it Will Put a Smile On Your Face'|first=Gil|last=Kaufman|website=Billboard.com|date=January 31, 2020|access-date=April 11, 2022}}</ref>

In January 2024, a storage unit was sold at auction containing what the buyer of the storage unit reported as 30 master tapes containing at least 14 unreleased tracks recorded during Hammer's time at Death Row Records. The former Death Row Records producer of these tapes, Craig Williams, stated that he believes the tapes are authentic. It is unclear what will become of these songs or who legally owns these recordings.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.kron4.com/news/california-storage-unit-buyers-come-across-belongings-that-may-have-ties-to-mc-hammer-others/ | title=California storage unit buyers come across belongings that may have ties to MC Hammer, others | date=January 30, 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://news.yahoo.com/former-record-producer-chimes-possible-135557435.html | title=Former record producer chimes in on possible MC Hammer masters found | date=January 31, 2024 }}</ref>