Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em (1990)

 

Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em is the third studio album by American rapper MC Hammer, released on February 12, 1990^[1] by Capitol Records and EMI Records. Produced, recorded and mixed by Felton Pilate and James Earley, the album was made on a small budget of around $10,000 and recorded on a modified tour bus between May 1988 and November 1989.

Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em received lukewarm reviews from critics, yet received five nominations at the 1991 Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, becoming the first hip hop record to be nominated in this category, as well as winning five awards at the 1991 American Music Awards. The album is considered Hammer's mainstream breakthrough and a commercial juggernaut. It peaked at number one for twenty-one weeks on the US Billboard 200, becoming the first rap recording to top the pop chart, and was the best-selling album of 1990. It was the first hip hop album to be certified diamond in the US,^[2][3] was certified platinum in several countries, and was one of the best-selling hip hop albums worldwide, selling more than 18 million units to date.^[4][5][6][7]

Six official singles were released to promote the album, including the smash hit "U Can't Touch This" which reached the top 10 at the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number one in Australia, Netherlands, New Zealand and Sweden, and number 3 on the UK Singles Chart. Following the album's success, Hammer embarked on the Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em World Tour, which stretched from 1990 to 1991 with 144 dates, grossing over $32 million.

 

Hammer's previous album, Let's Get It Started, had sold over 1.5 million units in the United States by the end of 1989.^[9] Not satisfied with the platinum success, Hammer chose to deviate from the standard rap format in his next album. Though some purists^[who?] criticized him for being more of a dancer than a rapper, Hammer defended his style: "People were ready for something different from the traditional rap style. The fact that the record has reached this level indicates the genre is growing."

While on tour in the summer of 1988, Hammer started to record his third studio album on a modified tour bus. After spending part of his advance from Capitol Records on $50,000 worth of equipment for the back of the tour bus, he used his free time on the road to record his next album.^[10] It was produced, recorded and mixed by Felton Pilate and James Earley on the bus in 1989.^[11] According to Guinness World Records, the album cost just $10,000 to produce, roughly the same budget as Hammer's independent debut.^[12] Capitol marketed the album by sending free cassette singles and a personalized letter to 100,000 children, most of whom were Black or Hispanic. The letter, signed by Hammer, asked young people to phone MTV and request his video.