MC Hammer

Solo Artist

Photo: John Mathew Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0
Active 1986-present
Origin Oakland, California
Albums 8
Tracks 111
Most frequent collaborator Felton Pilate · 49 tracks
Genres Hip HopPop RapDance
Collaborator
50%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 55 of 111 tracks

Does MC Hammer write his own songs?

On the albums where credits exist, yes. He is on 54 of the 111 tracks in this catalogue, with Felton Pilate sharing 16 and Deuce Deuce 12. Three albums publish no writing credits at all.

By the Numbers

8
Studio Albums
111
Tracks Credited
50%
Self-Written
40
Years Active
60
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 55 / 111 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 111 tracks: how many MC Hammer wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

MC Hammer has a writing credit50%
15%
34%
50%
Sole author17tracks15%
Co-written38tracks34%
Outside writers56tracks50%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
MC Hammer's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 111 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)50%
Composer (music)50%
Producer98%
Performer100%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

MC Hammer's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 50%
100%
0%
46%
100%
94%
100%
0%
0%
1986Feel My Power
1988Let's Get It Started
1990Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em
1991Too Legit to Quit
1994The Funky Headhunter
1995Inside Out
2001Active Duty
2006Look Look Look
Early · 68% written
Mid · 98% written
Late · 0% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

100%
1980s
Feel My Power, Let's Get It Started
85%
1990s
Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em, Too Legit to Quit +2 more
0%
2000s
Active Duty, Look Look Look

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where MC Hammer sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

MC Hammer
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Xscape17%
Salt-N-Pepa35%
Jennifer Lopez46%
TLC59%
Destiny's Child69%
11279%
Vanilla Ice99%
50%MC Hammer
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

U Can't Touch This
Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em
Written by Big Louis Burrell, Rick James, Alonzo Miller
Outside writers
Pray
Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em
Written by Big Louis Burrell, Prince
Outside writers
Here Comes the Hammer
Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em
Written by MC Hammer, Stanley Kirk Burrell
Wrote it
2 Legit 2 Quit
Too Legit to Quit
Written by MC Hammer, Felton Pilate, James Earley, Michael Kelly, Louis K. Burrell, Stanley Kirk Burrell
Co-wrote

Discography 8 albums

The eight studio albums that have their own published track listings. Family Affair (1998), Full Blast (2004) and DanceJamtheMusic (2010) have no article of their own and no published track credits, so they are not covered here and are logged in the site TODO.

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Photo of MC HammerMC Hammer111 tracks
FP49Felton Pilate, 49 tracks JE14James Earley, 14 tracks BL13Big Louis Burrell, 13 tracks TW13The Whole 9, 13 tracks DD12Deuce Deuce, 12 tracks GB5Gerald Baillergeau, 5 tracks CT4Charles Torrell, 4 tracks P3Prince, 3 tracks TR2Teddy Riley, 2 tracks on Blackstreet's page DL2David L. Spradley, 2 tracks GM2Garry M. Shider, 2 tracks GC2George Clinton Jr., 2 tracks BR2Ben Ross, 2 tracks AB2Angel Burgess, 2 tracks TS2the San Jose Community Choir, 2 tracks RJ1Rick James, 1 track AM1Alonzo Miller, 1 track BA1Barbara Acklin, 1 track ER1Eugene Record, 1 track MG1Marvin Gaye, 1 track CS1Charles Stepney, 1 track MW1Maurice White, 1 track on Earth, Wind & Fire's page PB1Philip Bailey, 1 track on Earth, Wind & Fire's page HD1Hal Davis, 1 track DF1Don Fletcher, 1 track DP1Dean Parks, 1 track CM1Chris Moon, 1 track NW1Norman Whitfield, 1 track MK1Michael Kelly, 1 track LK1Louis K. Burrell, 1 track TT1Timmy Thomas, 1 track B1Buckholtz, 1 track TH1The High Street Bank Boys, 1 track EP1Executive producer#Music, 1 track TH1The Hines Brothers, 1 track PN1Prince Nelson, 1 track AD1Aquil Davidson, 1 track MS1Menton Smith, 1 track D1Diaz, 1 track K1Kurupt, 1 track TD1Tha Dogg Pound, 1 track SS1Sly Stone, 1 track AH1Andra Hines, 1 track DH1Duncan Hines, 1 track AG1Al Green, 1 track MH1Mabon Hodges, 1 track LB1Larry Blackmon, 1 track KK1Kevin Kendrick, 1 track TJ1Tommy Jenkins, 1 track NL1Nathan Leftnant, 1 track SL1Steven L. White, 1 track V1VMF, 1 track A1Aammen, 1 track AW1Andre Williams, 1 track LV1Luther Vandross, 1 track CB1Chuck Brown, 1 track CB1Charles Brown, 1 track WH1Walter Hawkins, 1 track ER1Eddie Robinson, 1 track TH1Tynetta Hare, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. FP Felton Pilate · JE James Earley · BL Big Louis Burrell · TW The Whole 9 · DD Deuce Deuce · GB Gerald Baillergeau

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Where credits exist, Hammer wrote or co-wrote almost everything, 54 tracks with Felton Pilate on 16 and Deuce Deuce on 12. The Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em credits also carry the writers he sampled, Rick James on "U Can't Touch This" and the Chi-Lites team on "Have You Seen Her", which is what made him famous and what got him sued. Three albums publish no writers anywhere.

Quick Facts

  • His share54 of the 111 album tracks carry his name
  • The producerFelton Pilate shares 16 tracks
  • Missing creditsThree albums publish no writers anywhere
  • DiamondPlease Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em passed 18 million units
  • American peak"Pray" reached number 2 on the Hot 100
  • Not coveredThree later albums have no published track data

Creative Fingerprint

A rapper credited beside the people he sampled, on the half of the catalogue that is documented.

The Story

MC Hammer wrote 54 of the 111 album tracks in this catalogue. The other half is missing rather than someone else's: three albums publish no writers at all.

Frequently Asked Questions MC Hammer

Does MC Hammer write his own songs?
On the albums where credits exist, yes. He is on 54 of the 111 tracks in this catalogue, with Felton Pilate sharing 16 and Deuce Deuce 12. Three albums publish no writing credits at all.
Who wrote "U Can't Touch This"?
Hammer with Rick James and Alonzo Miller, because the track is built on "Super Freak". James was added to the credit after a lawsuit.
Who wrote "Pray"?
Hammer, over Prince's "When Doves Cry", which is why Prince appears in the credits.
Who is Felton Pilate?
The producer from Con Funk Shun who worked on the early records and shares 16 writing credits.
How many albums are covered here?
Eight, between 1986 and 2006. Family Affair, Full Blast and DanceJamtheMusic have no article of their own and no published track credits, so they are not included.
Which single did best in America?
"Pray" reached number 2 on the Hot 100, "2 Legit 2 Quit" number 5 and "U Can't Touch This" number 8.
How well did the big album sell?
Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em was the first hip-hop album to earn diamond status, selling more than 18 million units.
Why do three albums have no writers listed?
Their articles publish plain track listings with no credits, and no Discogs release or MusicBrainz work relation supplies them. Those albums are marked unverified with a note.
What happened after the peak?
The Funky Headhunter in 1994 recast him as a harder West Coast act, and Inside Out the following year turned to gospel.
Was the sampling a problem?
It cost him. Rick James sued over "Super Freak" and ended up on the writing credit, which is why the album's most famous song is not his alone.

Sources

Wikipedia: MC Hammer Wikipedia: MC Hammer discography