I've been in a foul posting mood today, as evidenced by my little flamebomb that was my previous post here, so I think it's time to channel my energies more positively, into an entry most readers can enjoy.
I'm in the mood to wax nostalgic about "The Hammer" in his last video before he truly went commercial, bringing rap squarely into the mainstream, along with Pepsi and "hammer pants."
But this was just before all that. If my memory serves, it was 1989, and that was the year MTV first recognized rap music as a category for its awards – after it begrudgingly and after many accusations of racism, finally allowed rap videos to be played on the network.
Yet, the only two in the real running were "Parents Just Don't Understand" and "Turn This Mutha Out," and I remember sitting there watching the MTV Movie awards in complete and utter disbelief when The Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff won.
I don't have anything against the two, but come on. That video was silly, shot on a studio soundstage, and was cool and all; but "Mutha" was shot on location in Oakland, had cinematic direction, period costume, and significant, significant elements of pure style:
"Whatchu gon' do 'bout that...'Hammer?'
I'm gon' turn this...mutha...out."
And then the lights and music descends, the funky James Brown beats come in, hammer's on a raised stage with backup, dancing his Oakland ass off. Come ON.
I was so shocked, I literally tossed and turned in bed that night. I still remember that clearly; I was at my friend Keri's house with a few friends, eating popcorn and downing Coke before my entire night got turned on end.
The Fresh Prince? I knew that all them judges who made the awards was white. At the time, rap music was still very much considered a "black art", with the notable exceptions of The Beastie Boys and 3rd Bass, who have always received ready acceptance by the general rap community. That Vanilla Ice business, though...wow. That was embarrassing for everyone in 1990, when his ship started sinking.
But for those of you who only know Hammer from his "U Can't Touch This" days on, I submit the following for your consideration. Note the not-so-subtle jab taken at Too Short, who'd been on Hammer's case incessantly for being...not him? Not a gangster? Not using cusswords? I like Too Short for when I'm in the pimpin' mood – meant figuratively, of course – but overall, Hammer could move crowds.
That shit was tight back in the day. Hella tight.
So you can't remember The Hammer just for some of the silliness that happened later. I will even forgive him "Pumps and a Bump", which I was thankfully initially spared from seeing, as I was living in Korea from 1994-1996, but was THE only rap song any Korean disco would play – until of course, when that was joined by Seo Taiji and the Boys' "Come Back Home" in 1995, making up two of the four songs that would come out in the "rap set" of any Korean night club at the time:
- "Pumps and a Bump"
- "Tap the Bottle"
- "Come Back Home"
- "The Rump Shaker"
Obviously, I wrote the list in decreasing order of funkiness and danceability; I hate that "Rump Shaker" song. I really, really do.
And in doing the research for this post, who knew The Hammer has a blog? Worrrrrd.
We gotta remember that Hammer's only sin was being the first to go commercial when the rest of the rap world was pooh-poohing it; now, with 50-Cent and many others so busy promoting themselves through sponsors, brand marketing, and even self-absorbed biopics, everyone's castigation of The Hammer looks somewhat naive and mean-hearted.
Yeah, he spent his money weird and shook his thang a little much for a self-proclaimed Christian rapper in "Pumps," but he was working it to the last, and still is, apparently.
At least his Behind-the-Music "dark time" story was simply being a little too lavish with spending, and financially permissive with the entourage. In my book, that still a whole lot better than snorting a bowlful of Coke and wrapping your T-Bird around a tree.
I've loved The Hammer since my friend Sanders from boarding school introduced his hometown favorite to me on wax in 1987, when I moved into the dorm for boarding school.
And when I graduated from college and found myself a stranger in a strange land's forgotten island, Chejudo, his was one of three songs that kept me happy on the dance floor, before rap was big.
We should remember that he did the same for a lot of folks in America before rap was big. I can forgive the man his "thong song."
This is how we should remember his legacy, people. He was always the man who could "get it started," and who never claimed to be a master rapper – Too Short, take note – but a master MC. Which he was, dude.
For me, it's always Hammertime.
