Active Duty (2001)

 

Active Duty is the seventh studio album, and first independent album since Feel My Power, by American rapper MC Hammer. It was released on November 20, 2001 by his own label, World Hits Records.^[1][2] This is Hammer's first studio album since Inside Out (1995), excluding his unreleased Death Row debut Too Tight (1996) and the limited release gospel double album Family Affair (1998).

Following the September 11 attacks, Hammer released this album on his own World Hit Music Group label (the music enterprise under his Hammertime Holdings Inc. umbrella) to pay homage to the ones lost in the terrorist attacks.^[3] in which the album followed that theme. One of the album's singles was "Pop Yo Collar", which was a popular "buzzword/catchphrase" during this period.

The album, like its predecessor, would not sell as many copies as previous projects. Hammer did however promote it on shows such as The View, and produced a music video for both singles.^[4][5]

A patriotic album, originally planned to be titled The Autobiography Of M.C. Hammer, portions of the proceeds were donated to 9/11 charities.^[6][7] Hammer shot the video for the anthem "No Stoppin' Us (USA)" in Washington, D.C., on October 3, 2001, with several members of the United States Congress, who sang in the song and danced in the music video. Present members of the United States House of Representatives included J.C. Watts, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Thomas M. Davis, Earl Hilliard, Alcee Hastings, Rep. Diane Watson (D-Calif.), Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.) and Jesse Jackson Jr.^[8]

The "Pop Yo Collar" music video demonstrated "The Phat Daddy Pop", "In Pop Nito", "River Pop", "Deliver The Pop" and "Pop'n It Up" dance moves, among others.