Stanley Kirk Burrell (born March 30, 1962), better known by his stage name MC Hammer (or simply Hammer), is an American rapper, actor, TV personality, entrepreneur, celebrity spokesperson, and ordained preacher. Known for hit songs such as "U Can't Touch This", "2 Legit 2 Quit", and "Pumps and a Bump", flashy dance movements, extravagant choreography, and his eponymous Hammer pants. A multi-award winner, Hammer is considered a "forefather" and pioneering innovator of pop rap (incorporating elements of freestyle music), and is the first hip hop artist to achieve diamond status with his album Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em. BET ranked Hammer as the No. 7 "Best Dancer of All Time". Vibe's "The Best Rapper Ever Tournament" declared him the 17th favorite of all-time during the first round. He continues to perform concerts at music venues and appears in television advertisements, along with participating in social media and ministry/outreach functions. Along with a Mattel doll and other merchandise, Hammer starred in a Saturday-morning cartoon called Hammerman in 1991. He became an ordained preacher during the late 1990s and hosted M.C. Hammer and Friends, a Christian ministry program on TBN. Hammer was also a dance judge on Dance Fever in 2003, was the co-creator of the dance website DanceJam.com, and was executive producer of his own reality show titled Hammertime (which aired on the A&E Network during the summer of 2009).
