It peaked at number one for twenty-one weeks on the US Billboard 200, becoming the first rap recording from a solo artist to top the pop chart, and was the best-selling album of 1990.

[4][5][6][7] Six official singles were released to promote the album, including the smash hit "U Can't Touch This" which reached the top 10 at the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number one in Australia, Netherlands, New Zealand and Sweden, and number 3 on the UK Singles Chart.

[9] Not satisfied with the platinum success, Hammer chose to deviate from the standard rap format in his next album.

[11] According to Guinness World Records, the album cost just $10,000 to produce, roughly the same budget as Hammer's independent debut.

[12] Capitol marketed the album by sending free cassette singles and a personalized letter to 100,000 children, most of whom were Black or Hispanic.

Following the album's success, Hammer toured extensively in Europe, including a sold-out concert at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.

Hammer experienced critical backlash over the repetitive nature of his lyrics, his clean-cut image and his perceived over-reliance on hooks from other artists for the basis of his singles.

Oakland hip-hop group Digital Underground mocked him in the CD insert of their Sex Packets album by placing his picture with the other members and referring to him as an unknown derelict.

However, LL Cool J would later compliment and commend Hammer's talents on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop, which aired in 2008.

[22] It remained a total of 21 weeks at the top of US Billboard 200,[23][24] the longest run by a male black artist since Michael Jackson's Thriller.

Most of the singles released from the album proved to be successful on radio and television, with "U Can't Touch This", "Pray", "Have You Seen Her", "Here Comes the Hammer" and UK exclusive "Yo!!

In May 1991, Hammer received an award for sales of more than 1 million units of the album in EMI Music Worldwide's international territories of Japan, SE Asia, Australasia, Africa and Latin America.

Abdullah had filed a US$16 million lawsuit against Hammer for copyright infringement for his song entitled "Oh-Oh, You Got the Shing".

[88] It stars Hammer as a rapper who returns to his old neighborhood and defeats an illegal drug trade dealer who is using kids to traffic his product.