Although he is seen as the forefather and innovator of popular rap and dance,
due to his over-exposure at the peak of his career in the late 1980s, MC Hammer
is also considered to have sold out and become a mainstream rapper. Hammer
initially wanted to be a baseball player and was employed by the Oakland As when
he was only 11 years old. Failing to make the grade as a pro, he joined the Navy
for three years whereupon he set up a recording label with the financial help of
a few athlete friends. He released his first album, Feel My Power in 1987 which
spawned the massive dance hit ...