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From giddy to gangsta, please Hammer, don't hurt your image

By Eugene Bowen
Daily Arts Writer

With the fairly recent release of his fifth album, "M.C. Hammer V: Inside Out", the man for whom, four years ago, it was always "Hammer Time" is struggling to regain even a hint of the popularity he had back in the day when blacks didn't hate him and whites cared. There's no time like the present to analyze what caused the Hammer Kingdom to crumble, and to determine if his once-almighty dynasty can ever be rebuilt.

It's happened to many a rap star, but not as badly as with M.C. Hammer. He came out in 1988 with "Let's Get It Started" and gained many props from the black community with such party favorites as the title track and "Turn This Mutha Out." The rest of the nation jumped on the boat.

The extra duckets "white dollars" put in Hammer's pockets after singles like "U Can't Touch This" and "Pray" hit airwaves seemed to change him. He forgot those who propelled him to success; he forgot that if it weren't for black patronage, white interest would never have come. But blacks remembered.

When "Too Legit to Quit" came out in 1992, blacks avoided it like the plague; they slammed the CD and ridiculed him. Whites followed suit, and M.C. Hammer was left virtually fan-less. The fact that "Too Legit to Quit" bombed so terribly following his multi-platinum "Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em" attests to the concerted African American ire directed at him.

Sensing it was time for him to "go back to his roots," Hammer, a child of Oakland, released "The Funky Headhunter," a much more "gangsta" release than his previous ones.

But Hammer, gangsta?! Don't make me laugh. Too late -- everyone already was.

Make no mistake, blacks were already determined to break him, and even if Hammer had released the best album in the history of music, the black community would have found some way to discredit him. On a positive note, "It's All Good" replaced "Whoop! There It Is" as the urban theme of 1994. But M.C. Hammer filled "The Funky Headhunter" with play-tough selections, thereby pissing off rap lovers and adding Crisco to the proverbial fire that was being made to cook him in ... not so proverbially. Trumpeting his return as the return of a different man, Hammer-haters mocked his fakeness with evident glee.

But M.C. Hammer had (and still has) one thing going for him. Homebody can dance. He was never much of a rapper, but his ability to cut a little rug, coupled with his songs' very dance-friendly music, kept his head above water. At a point when most performers would have been dumped by their label without a second thought, Giant Records picked up M.C. Hammer hoping against hope that he had a miracle in his pocket.

Perhaps he does: Pity. What if Hammer comes back so humbled that black people feel especially sorry for him? What if, through his music, Hammer basically promises to never sell out again? Could this persuade the black community to bestow its greatest gift for fallen performers -- another chance -- to M.C. Hammer?

Probably not, but it's worth a shot. That is what "V" is all about. He touts this release as a musical delve into himself. What we supposedly get is neither giddy nor gangsta -- it's Hammer, the true Hammer, in all his moods. Hammer sees himself as someone who has "gone through the experiences of betrayal and life's ups and downs, but who likes to have fun and, at the same time, be a prayerful and a spiritual person with a lot of concern for society." This is how he speaks to us on this, his fifth album.

M.C. Hammer still can't rap, though. His signature dance songs on "V," like "Luv-N-Happiness," "Sultry Funk" and "Bustin' Loose," have live beats and decent background shouts and chants. Yet the moment Hammer opens his mouth ... many more times than not the whole song nearly crumbles. Back in the day people were so caught in Hammer's musical vibe that they kindly overlooked his lyrical shortcomings. Hammer better not be expecting that same kindness again. Without question, M.C. Hammer's poor skills on the mic are the Achilles' heel that he has a snowball's chance in hell of overcoming.

Returning to his pre-"Funky Headhunter" days, Hammer places two praise-da-Lawd songs on his album. The San Jose Community Choir contributes background vocals to both, "Goin' Up Yonder" and "He Keeps Doing Great Things for Me." M.C. Hammer also keeps up the positive flow with songs like "Everything Is Alright" and "A Brighter Day." He even raps "Nothing But Love," a dedication to the late Eazy-E -- another guy whose rapping wasn't all that.

In "V," Hammer completely avoids repeating dopish attempts at sounding hardcore; he's much safer repeating his old-school song methods. Yet this album is truly much deeper than his previous ones. Similar to what 2PAC did last year, Hammer has changed; the energy of that change can be felt in his music.

Even reading his song titles you can see how hard M.C. Hammer is trying to regain the public's love, which, once you get a taste of, you feel naked without. "I Hope Things Change," "Keep On," "Everything Is Alright," "A Brighter Day" -- makes you wonder whether he's singing these songs for us or for himself.

If Hammer's looking for sympathy, he's gotten it from me. "V" is not a bad CD, and it does have a few songs worthy of ... respect (did I say that?). But since realism makes for better sarcasm, I remain a realist. I feel this album is very personal; this makes it M.C. Hammer's greatest work. Yet it will still not have the general appeal of his previous works. I predict that blacks will continue to forsake Hammer, and whites will continue to follow suit. Sure, they will be denying themselves an interesting glimpse at Hammer, but they won't care.

Hammer once said of "V": "It focuses on lifting your spirit, on bringing joy and good times that'll make you feel good ... Put this record on, and it takes you to a better place, especially if things aren't going right."

Advice for Hammer: Practice what you preach. Find your solace in your songs, because if you're still expecting it from former fans you have a long wait ahead. The lack of adoration you will continue to receive shouldn't shape your self-consciousness. You let fans' enthusiasm change you into someone you weren't, and you lost everything because of it. Don't allow their apathy or your shame to push you deeper into a pit of despair from which you may never emerge.