As a result, Hammer has created and produced his own acts/music including Ho Frat Hoo!,[18] Oaktown's 3.5.7, Special Generation, Analise, DRS, B Angie B,[19] Gentry Kozia[20][21] and Oakland Fight Club.

[7] Hammer, who played second base in high school, dreamed of being a professional baseball player but did not make the final cut at a San Francisco Giants tryout.

He served with PATRON (Patrol Squadron) FOUR SEVEN (VP-47) of NAS Moffett Field in Mountain View, California, as a petty officer third class aviation storekeeper (AK3), until his honorable discharge.

[48] Before Hammer's successful music career and "rags-to-riches-to-rags-and-back saga",[49] Burrell formed a Christian rap group with singer and musician Jon Gibson known as the Holy Ghost Boy(s).

[80] Largely on the strength of tireless street marketing by Hammer and his wife, in addition to continuous radio play, it achieved considerable popularity at dance clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area.

[88] Follow-up successes included a cover of the Chi-Lites' "Have You Seen Her" and "Pray" (a beat sampled from Prince's "When Doves Cry" and Faith No More's "We Care a Lot"),[89] which was his biggest hit in the US, peaking at No.

Oakland hip-hop group Digital Underground criticized him in the CD insert of their Sex Packets album, by placing Hammer's picture in it and referring to him as an unknown derelict.

He told an amusing story about a phone call he received from "MJ", regarding the portion of the "2 Legit 2 Quit" video that included a fake Jackson, giving his approval and inclusion of it.

Additionally, Hammer launched a new enterprise, called Roll Wit It Entertainment & Sports Management, with clients such as Evander Holyfield, Deion Sanders and Reggie Brooks.

"[108] The video to the album's first single, "Pumps and a Bump", was banned from heavy rotation on MTV with censors claiming that the depiction of Hammer in Speedos (and with what appeared to be an erection) was too graphic.

On December 20, 1994, Deion Sanders released Prime Time, a rap album on Hammer's Bust It Records label which featured the minor hit "Must Be the Money".

Present members of the United States House of Representatives included J. C. Watts, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Thomas M. Davis, Earl Hilliard, Alcee Hastings, Rep. Diane Watson (D-Calif.), Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.) and Jesse Jackson Jr. After leaving Capitol Records and EMI for the second time in his career, Hammer decided to move his Oaktown imprint to an independent distributor and released his ninth studio album, Full Blast (which was completed in late 2003 and released as a complete album in early 2004).

However, a manuscript for an inspirational book called Enemies of the Father: Messages from the Heart on Being a Family Man (addressing the situation of African American men), for which Hammer received advance money to write, was never submitted in 2003.

[174] Hammer appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in February 2011 to discuss his tech-media-mogul status, as well as his creation, demonstration and consulting of social applications/sites/media (such as having an involvement with the Internet since 1994 including YouTube and Twitter), and devices such as iPad and ZAGGmate by Zagg.

[195][196][197][198] Despite his financial status being publicly attacked, after meeting at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas in April 2001, Hammer (credited as a producer)[92] provided the much-needed funding to filmmaker Justin Lin for Better Luck Tomorrow (2002).

While adding his own techniques, Hammer adopted styles from James Brown and Nicholas Brothers such as the splits, as well as feverishly choreographed dance routines including leaps and slides.

[218] Hammer's showmanship and elaborate stage choreography (involving fifteen dancers, twelve backup singers, seven live musicians and two disc jockeys), gave him a powerful visual appeal.

[242] In addition to excessive spending while supporting friends and family,[243] Hammer ultimately became over $13 million in debt[244]—due to dwindling album sales, unpaid loans, a large payroll, and a lavish lifestyle.

[119][256][257] During an interview by WKQI-FM (95.5) for the promotion of his "Pioneers Of Hip Hop 2009" gig at the Fox Theatre in Detroit (which featured 2 Live Crew, Naughty by Nature, Too Short, Biz Markie and Roxanne Shanté), Hammer was asked about his finances by the Mojo in the Morning host.

"After asking Hammer who the registered owner was, he became very argumentative and refused to answer the officer's questions," police spokesman Herb Walters typed in an e-mail to CNN.

[267][268][269][270] In 1984, Burrell began attending Bible studies, joined a street ministry, and formed a gospel rap group with Jon Gibson known as the Holy Ghost Boy(s).

His awareness of this can be found in a film he wrote and starred in called Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie (1990), in which he also plays the charismatic preacher character named "Reverend Pressure".

[280][281] Hammer continued to preach while still making music, running a social media business and television show, and devotes time to prison and youth ministries.

Hit singles and videos like "U Can't Touch This" and "Too Legit To Quit" created a template of lavish performance values that many rap artists still follow today".

There he discussed his relationship with Vanilla Ice, his stint on The Surreal Life, his show Hammertime, his family, his mansion, about him being in shape, his positive financial status and other "colorful topics" (subliminal jokes) regarding his baggy pants.

Hammer was followed by related musicians such as Will Smith, DC Talk, BB Jay, Diddy (aka "Puffy" or "Puff Daddy"), Young MC, B Angie B, M.C.

Brains, MC Breed, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, C+C Music Factory, Mystikal, Bell Biv DeVoe, Kris Kross, Ho Frat Hoo!,[306][307] and Oaktown's 357.

"[67] Notable feuds and beefs Hammer had with other rappers included: LL Cool J,[309][310] Vanilla Ice,[311][312][313] Too Short,[314] Redman,[315][316] 3rd Bass,[317][318][319] Jay-Z,[320][321] Eminem,[322][323] A Tribe Called Quest,[324][325] and Run-DMC.

[327] He has won three Grammy Awards (one with Rick James and Alonzo Miller) for Best Rhythm and Blues Song (1990), Best Rap Solo (1990) and Best Music Video: Long Form (1990) taken from Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie.

[334] Hammer (along with Alyssa Milano and others) was a member of panel judges for the Real-Time Academy of Short Form Arts & Sciences at the Second Annual Shorty Awards on January 5, 2010.