Here Comes the Hammer

"Here Comes the Hammer" is a song written and performed by MC Hammer that was first released on his 1990 album Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em. It was also released as a single, which reached #54 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top 20 on the Billboard R&B and rap charts. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award. At the time of its release, the music video accompanying the release of the single was one of the most expensive ever.

"Here Comes the Hammer"
Single by MC Hammer
from the album Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em
ReleasedDecember 1990 (1990-12)
GenreHip hop
Length5:50
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Stanley Burrell
Producer(s)MC Hammer
MC Hammer singles chronology
"Pray"
(1990)		 "Here Comes the Hammer"
(1990)		 "2 Legit 2 Quit"
(1991)

Lyrics and music

Hartford Courant critic Dawne Simon described the music of "Here Comes the Hammer" as "upbeat" but the lyrics as "egotistical chants."[1] Billboard Magazine described it as a "James Brown-inspired funk rave, replete with rapid-fire rhyming, a rousing chant at the chorus, and infectious synth line."[2] The song samples Brown's 1970 hit "Super Bad."[3]

Reception

Billboard Magazine considered "Here Comes the Hammer" to be a "winner."[2] Nonetheless, although the three previous singles from the album were Top 10 hits, "Here Comes the Hammer" stalled at #54 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4][5][6] It performed better on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts, peaking at #15 and #17, respectively.[7][8] It was nominated for a 1991 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 34th Annual Grammy Awards.[9]

"Here Comes the Hammer" was later included on Hammer's 1996 compilation album Greatest Hits.[10] It was also included on the multi-artist compilation album Original Hits: Rap & Soul in 2010.[11]

Authorship controversy

Besides utilizing James Brown's "Super Bad," at least two other authors claimed that "Here Comes the Hammer" was based on their work. The band Legend claimed that the refrain chanting "uh oh" was taken from one of their songs.[12] In addition, a musician named Kevin Abdullah sued Hammer claiming that the hook and refrain were taken from his song "Oh Oh, You Got the Shing," and that "Here Comes the Hammer" "incorporated substantial and significant portions" of "Oh Oh, You Got the Shing."[12][13] Abdullah claimed that he had once auditioned "Oh Oh, You Got the Shing" for Hammer and sent Hammer a demo tape containing it, which Hammer rejected.[12][13] Hammer eventually settled the suit for $250,000.[12]

Track listing
  1. "Here Comes The Hammer" (12" Remix)
  2. "Here Comes The Hammer" (12" Remix Instrumental)
  3. "Here Comes The Hammer (Uh-Oh Here Comes The Hammer '91)"
  4. "Here Comes The Hammer" (7" Edit)

Music video

The music video accompanying "Here Comes the Hammer" cost more than $1 million, making it one of the most expensive music videos ever made at the time.[6][14][15] The MTV version of the video was almost 9 minutes long and a 15 minute version was also available.[14][15] The plot of the video involves Hammer and his dancers getting chased through various rooms of a haunted house.[14][15] New York Daily News critic Michael Saunders criticizes the video for emphasizing the lame plot over MC Hammer's dancing.[15] Both Saunders and Entertainment Weekly critic James Farber criticize most of the expensive special effects, but Saunders does praise the effects use to create montages of Hammer dancing with James Brown, whose backing band is what Saunders believes is "the engine powering the single."[14][15]

References
  1. Simon, Dawne (July 25, 1990). "Hammer's Physical Show Can't Be Touched by Many". Hartford Courant. p. C3. Retrieved 2019-10-31 – via newspapers.com.
  2. "Single Reviews". Billboard Magazine. December 15, 1991. p. 71.
  3. Contreras, Felix (May 3, 2018). "The Hip-Hop Influence Of Jab'o Starks, James Brown's Timekeeper". NPR. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
  4. "MC Hammer Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
  5. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958.
  6. Grein, Paul (January 5, 1991). "Chart Beat". Billboard Magazine. p. 8.
  7. "MC Hammer Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
  8. "MC Hammer Chart History: Hot Rap Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
  9. "GRAMMY Award Results for M.C. Hammer". Recording Academy Grammy Awards. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
  10. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Greatest Hits". Allmusic. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
  11. Kellman, Andy. "Original Hits: Rap & Soul". Allmusic. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
  12. Weitz, Matt (February 26, 1998). "Hammered". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
  13. "Sued Over a Song". Des Moines Register. January 8, 1993. p. 2. Retrieved 2019-10-31 – via newspapers.com.
  14. Farber, James (March 8, 1991). "Racy Music Videos". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
  15. Saunders, Michael (January 22, 1991). "Hammer Video Gets Nailed". Daily News. p. 31. Retrieved 2019-10-31 – via newspapers.com.
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