MC Hammer

The ultimate Behind the Music subject: Because his success owes more to hard work and showmanship than to originality, Hammer (who called himself MC Hammer on his first two albums) was frequently reviled as a sellout and a fake in the hip-hop community. The fact is, he didn't do anything musically that Puff Daddy hasn't: His music beds not only borrow from obvious sources -- Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" for "Let's Get Started," Rick James' "Super-freak" for "U Can't Touch This," James Brown's "Superbad" for "Here Comes the Hammer" -- but often act as straight-up covers, like Please Hammer's embarrassing remake of the Chi-Lites' "Have You Seen Her." Like Puffy, Hammer understands the value of a strong beat (particularly on Let's Get It Started) and knows how to wring every ounce of energy from a dance groove. The relentless criticism took its toll, as Too Legit to Quit finds the rapper avoiding sample-based grooves and hedging his bets by moving toward a more explicit R&B sound, an approach that works passably on "This Is the Way We Roll" and the album's title tune, but fizzles elsewhere. On the gangsta'd-out Funky Headhunter, Hammer tries to play catch-up with Snoop and Dre, to bad effect; Inside Out finds him totally at sea. Greatest Hits shows that he might have been better off persevering with his original shameless good-timey sound. – (J.D. CONSIDINE/NATHAN BRACKETT).

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide