Hammer: "too legit to quit": the fight for a new image and a $20 million home - M.C. Hammer - Cover Story

Ebony, March, 1992 by Lynn Norment

ON a recent sunny afternoon, the quiet calm at East oakland's Brookdale Recreation Center is disturbed when a group of former paticipants stop by to visit their favorite childhood hangout.

Accompanied by an entourage of homeboys, Hammer, now the superstar entertainer, enlivens the modest facility as he shakes hands, slaps shoulders, plays Ping-Pong, signs autographs and reminisces with friends and parents of youngsters from his old neighborhood.

Outside, he mingles comfortably with the crowd that has gathered. The good-natured, much-loved celebrity playfully pinches a woman's arm. "Act like you don't know me or somethin'!" he says, leaning down to Kiss her. Several boys tug on the sleeve of his purple suede, double-breasted suit. "Hey, Hammer, can we have an autograph?" He gladly obliges, and warns them to "be good."

"Stan was a good kid, real easy going, not a troublemaker," says Dapbne Gammage, Brookdale's director who prefers Hammer's given name. "He is important to these children, not because he's a musical star, but because he grew tip here. "

Just who is this man called Hammer?

Millionaire rapper, Grammy Award-winning singer, dancer and songwriter, shrewd businessman, high-profile role model?

Yes, the former Oakland As, batboy is all of the above, plus much more.

But Hammer, born Stanley Kirk Burrell 29 years ago, is also a proud father who adores his 4-year-old daughter, a concerned philanthropist who employs dozens from his Oakland, Calif, community, a promising actor who has signed a multimillion dollar movie deal, and proud family man who is budding a $20 million home in Fremont, Calif

Multitalented and multifaceted, Hammer is indeed "too legit to quit," as he proclaims in the title of his multi-platinum third album. With its release, Hammer announced to the world that he has dropped the M C (street lingo for rapper), for even his harshest critics ac-knowledge that the man is more than just another rapper.

Yet he, more than any other recording artist, has introduced rap to millions of music fans who otherwise express disdain for the pervasive, street-inspired music genre. And just when you thought that James Brown and Michael Jackson had demonstrated the ultimate in innovative dance moves, along comes Hammer with his own frenzied flavor of fancy footwork that inspires even the most agile to chant "Go Hammer, Go Hammer."

To top off his incredible rise to stardom, Hammer also has his own Saturday morning cartoon series, Hammer-man. And giant toy maker Mattel is marketing the Hammer doll, complete with boombox or cassette.

Spending a day math Hammer in his beloved Oaktown provides an up-close and personal look at the compelling entertainer who has startled the record industry by selling 20 million records and dominating the pop charts. What is most evident, other than the fact that the man is talented, intelligent and personable, is that he is concerned about the plight of Blacks at home and elsewhere.

As you can see here in my old neighborhood, this is a very depressing situation," Hammer says, as he points out the apartment building on Fairfax where he once lived math his mother and five siblings. "The outlook isn't good. That's why I try to say things in my records to encourage and provoke some thought and hopefully get some changes going. My songs talk directly to the people who are being affected by economic depression and oppression, and those people who are in positions to help. I can't forget what it was like growing up here. "

When asked about his upbringing, Hammer says: "Yes, we were poor, but we really didn't know it. my mother was making about $12,000 a year with six kids, and that's not too rich."

Louis Burrell, Hammer's brother and CEO/president of Hammer's Bust It operations (recording, artist management, film and production companies), says all four of the Burrell brothers worked various jobs as youngsters to "help out our mom," who relied on public assistance to supplement income from her low-paying jobs. "I was just telling Hammer today how embarrassed I was to be seen with food stamps," recalls Burrell. "Some people become dependent on them and lose pride and self-esteem. But they were unacceptable for us, and that motivated Hammer and myself to want to do more and get out.

But Hammer has done more than just get out. In addition to his numerous charities, he is the proud employer of some 200 people (payroll of $6.5 million), many of them from his old neighborhood. With him this day are six young men who grew up with Hammer and now work for him. By the end of the day, Hammer had hired yet another homeboy whom he had encountered at the recreation center. "I've been trying to get him off the streets for months," he says."Today we made it solid."

He emphasizes that if "more of us would put something back into our neighborhoods" by starting businesses and providing jobs, "we could buy more of us out of poverty."

Hammer is humble when asked how he was able to overcome his circumstances and find success. "It was simply a blessing ... the grace of God," says the former Christian rap artist who is a member of an apostolic church. He also gives credit to his mother, "good teachers," and the Oakland A's for opportunities "to travel and see things outside my neighborhood" when he was a youngster.