Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Still the biggest-selling rap album of all time at ten million copies (though the Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill is gaining rapidly), Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em proved that rap music was no longer just a specialty niche genre, but had the crossover potential to be a commercial juggernaut. But in an art form so conscious of preserving its integrity, this wasn't the way to go about it -- at least not from a creative standpoint. Hammer builds the majority of the songs here on obvious samples from easily recognizable soul and funk hits of the past, relying on the original hooks without twisting them into anything new (or, by implication, his own). That approach confirmed the worst fears of hip-hop purists about how the music might hit the mainstream. Taken on its own terms, Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em is a pretty slick -- if unsubtle -- pop confection. Hammer certainly has good taste in source material, if nothing else; the hits "U Can't Touch This" and "Pray" crib from Rick James' "Super Freak" and Prince's "When Doves Cry," respectively, and the ballad "Have You Seen Her" is a flat-out cover of the Chi-Lites' hit (with some updated lyrics). Other tracks sample Marvin Gaye, Earth, Wind & Fire, and the Jackson 5. Throughout the record, choruses are repeated ad infinitum for maximum memorability, which either makes it irresistible or irritating, depending on your taste. Hammer has improved as a rapper -- his delivery is often more subtle, and he even attempts a little bit of verbal flash here and there. He still isn't technically on a par with the average MC of the time -- he's a little too stiff, flowing awkwardly around the beat. Of course, his simple style also makes him easy to understand, and coupled with the highly danceable production and a great set of borrowed hooks, it's easy to see why Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em was so popular -- and why it now functions chiefly as a nostalgia piece.
© Steve Huey /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From kr133.33/month
James Earley, Producer, Co-Producer - M.C. Hammer, Producer, Executive Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - JAMES BROWN, Composer - Felton Pilate II, Producer, Co-Producer - Scott Folks, Producer, Executive Producer - Louis K. Burrell, Producer, Executive Producer
(C) 1990 Capitol Records, Inc. ℗ 1990 Capitol Records
Alonzo Miller, ComposerLyricist - Felton Pilate, Producer, Co-Producer - M.C. Hammer, Producer, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Rick James, ComposerLyricist - James Early, Producer, Co-Producer
(C) 1990 Capitol Records, Inc. ℗ 1990 Capitol Records, LLC
Eugene Record, Composer - James Earley, Producer, Co-Producer - Barbara Acklin, Composer - M.C. Hammer, Author, Producer, MainArtist - Felton Pilate II, Producer, Co-Producer - Scott Folks, Producer, Executive Producer - Louis K. Burrell, Producer, Executive Producer - Felton C Pilate II, Producer, Co-Producer
(C) 1990 Capitol Records, Inc. ℗ 1990 Capitol Records, LLC
James Earley, Producer, Co-Producer - M.C. Hammer, Composer, Producer, Executive Producer, MainArtist - Felton Pilate II, Producer, Co-Producer - Scott Folks, Producer, Executive Producer - Louis K. Burrell, Producer, Executive Producer - Felton C Pilate II, Producer, Co-Producer
(C) 1990 Capitol Records, Inc. ℗ 1990 Capitol Records, LLC
James Earley, Producer, Co-Producer - M.C. Hammer, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Marvin Gaye, ComposerLyricist - Felton Pilate II, Producer, Co-Producer - Scott Folks, Producer, Executive Producer - Louis K. Burrell, Producer, Executive Producer - Felton C Pilate II, Producer, Co-Producer
(C) 1990 Capitol Records, Inc. ℗ 1990 Capitol Records, LLC
Winston Bailey, Composer - James Earley, Producer, Co-Producer - M.C. Hammer, Producer, MainArtist - White, Composer - Felton Pilate II, Producer, Co-Producer - Scott Folks, Producer, Executive Producer - Louis K. Burrell, Producer, Executive Producer - Stepney, Composer
(C) 1990 Capitol Records, Inc. ℗ 1990 Capitol Records, LLC
James Earley, Producer, Co-Producer - D. Fletcher, ComposerLyricist - M.C. Hammer, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Felton Pilate II, Producer, Co-Producer - Scott Folks, Producer, Executive Producer - Louis K. Burrell, Producer, Executive Producer - J. DAVIS, ComposerLyricist - W. Parks, ComposerLyricist
(C) 1990 Capitol Records, Inc. ℗ 1990 Capitol Records, LLC
Felton Pilate, Producer, Co-Producer - M.C. Hammer, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Prince, ComposerLyricist - Scott Folks, Producer, Executive Producer - Louis K. Burrell, Producer, Executive Producer
(C) 1990 Capitol Records, Inc. ℗ 1990 Capitol Records
James Earley, Producer, Co-Producer - M.C. Hammer, Composer, Producer, MainArtist - Felton Pilate II, Producer, Co-Producer - Scott Folks, Producer, Executive Producer - Louis K. Burrell, Producer, Executive Producer
(C) 1990 Capitol Records, Inc. ℗ 1990 Capitol Records, LLC
James Earley, Producer, Co-Producer - M.C. Hammer, Composer, Producer, MainArtist - Prince, Composer - Felton Pilate II, Producer, Co-Producer - Scott Folks, Producer, Executive Producer - Louis K. Burrell, Producer, Executive Producer - Moon, Composer
(C) 1990 Capitol Records, Inc. ℗ 1990 Capitol Records, LLC
James Earley, Producer, Co-Producer - M.C. Hammer, Composer, Producer, MainArtist - Felton Pilate II, Producer, Co-Producer - Scott Folks, Producer, Executive Producer - Louis K. Burrell, Producer, Executive Producer - Felton C Pilate II, Producer, Co-Producer
(C) 1990 Capitol Records, Inc. ℗ 1990 Capitol Records, LLC
James Earley, Producer, Co-Producer - M.C. Hammer, Composer, Producer, MainArtist - Felton Pilate II, Producer, Co-Producer - Scott Folks, Producer, Executive Producer - Louis K. Burrell, Producer, Executive Producer
(C) 1990 Capitol Records, Inc. ℗ 1990 Capitol Records, LLC
James Earley, Producer, Co-Producer - M.C. Hammer, Composer, Producer, MainArtist - Felton Pilate II, Producer, Co-Producer - Scott Folks, Producer, Executive Producer - Louis K. Burrell, Producer, Executive Producer
(C) 1990 Capitol Records, Inc. ℗ 1990 Capitol Records, LLC
Album review
Still the biggest-selling rap album of all time at ten million copies (though the Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill is gaining rapidly), Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em proved that rap music was no longer just a specialty niche genre, but had the crossover potential to be a commercial juggernaut. But in an art form so conscious of preserving its integrity, this wasn't the way to go about it -- at least not from a creative standpoint. Hammer builds the majority of the songs here on obvious samples from easily recognizable soul and funk hits of the past, relying on the original hooks without twisting them into anything new (or, by implication, his own). That approach confirmed the worst fears of hip-hop purists about how the music might hit the mainstream. Taken on its own terms, Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em is a pretty slick -- if unsubtle -- pop confection. Hammer certainly has good taste in source material, if nothing else; the hits "U Can't Touch This" and "Pray" crib from Rick James' "Super Freak" and Prince's "When Doves Cry," respectively, and the ballad "Have You Seen Her" is a flat-out cover of the Chi-Lites' hit (with some updated lyrics). Other tracks sample Marvin Gaye, Earth, Wind & Fire, and the Jackson 5. Throughout the record, choruses are repeated ad infinitum for maximum memorability, which either makes it irresistible or irritating, depending on your taste. Hammer has improved as a rapper -- his delivery is often more subtle, and he even attempts a little bit of verbal flash here and there. He still isn't technically on a par with the average MC of the time -- he's a little too stiff, flowing awkwardly around the beat. Of course, his simple style also makes him easy to understand, and coupled with the highly danceable production and a great set of borrowed hooks, it's easy to see why Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em was so popular -- and why it now functions chiefly as a nostalgia piece.
© Steve Huey /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 13 track(s)
- Total length: 00:59:28
- Main artists: M.C. Hammer
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: EMI - EMI Records (USA)
- Genre: Pop/Rock Pop
© 1990 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1990 Capitol Records, LLC
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.