The true meaning behind MC Hammer’s name
For many, MC Hammer is still widely considered a gimmick hip-hop artist from the past who commercialised the genre and sold out. With his 1990 single ‘U Can’t Touch This’ receiving two Grammy awards, the culture saw his smiley, upbeat dance music as a fraudulent rip-off of the culture.
However, the Oakland-born rapper is indisputably a key part of hip-hop history, and he most definitely had a recognisable image. With his iconic inflated pants and quirky dances, he brought certain elements of hip-hop to the mainstream, but his impact was marred by some embarrassing moments.
Following his string of hits, including ‘U Can’t Touch This’, ‘2 Legit 2 Quit’, and ‘Pump It Up’, by 1991, the Bay Area icon was worth $70 million and, through his music and brand, reportedly earned $30 million every year. But, after earning three Grammy Awards, including ‘Record of the Year’, the lyricist was on a high that would soon come crashing down.
After hip-hop turned to G-funk, Death Row and Bad Boy Records in the mid-1990s, MC Hammer retired and lived a luxurious life. He purchased 17 sports cars, a private jet, two helicopters, 21 race horses, and spent an estimated $30 million in renovations on a luxurious California mansion. Nevertheless, the good times didn’t last forever, and Hammer filed for bankruptcy in 1996 with over $13 million owed in debt.
Still, after this embarrassing, highly public incident, MC Hammer had a bizarre epiphany and decided that his future wasn’t in hip-hop but in Christianity. That said, his name changed meaning with this realisation.
Hammer has since become an ordained minister but in an interview with the Christian publication Path magazine he unveiled that he liked to preach in to smaller congregations “where they don’t expect to see someone famous.” Additionally, he revealed that his initial MC meaning ‘Master of Ceremonies’ changed to ‘Man of Christ’ in the 2000s when he turned to God.
Speaking to Metro, in 2013, when asked if he is connected to God, MC Hammer responded, “Definitely. I made a song called Pray [which went to No.2 in the charts in 1990]. In fact, from the beginning of my involvement in the music business, I’ve always tried to include my faith. Someone once wrote that the MC in my name could stand for Man of Christ, as well as Master of Ceremonies.”