Question 1

Does MC Hammer write his own songs?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 2

Who wrote "U Can't Touch This"?

Accepted Answer

Hammer with Rick James and Alonzo Miller, because the track is built on "Super Freak". James was added to the credit after a lawsuit.

Question 3

Who wrote "Pray"?

Accepted Answer

Hammer, over Prince's "When Doves Cry", which is why Prince appears in the credits.

Question 4

Who is Felton Pilate?

Accepted Answer

The producer from Con Funk Shun who worked on the early records and shares 16 writing credits.

Question 5

How many albums are covered here?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 6

Which single did best in America?

Accepted Answer

"Pray" reached number 2 on the Hot 100, "2 Legit 2 Quit" number 5 and "U Can't Touch This" number 8.

Question 7

How well did the big album sell?

Accepted Answer

Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em was the first hip-hop album to earn diamond status, selling more than 18 million units.

Question 8

Why do three albums have no writers listed?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 9

What happened after the peak?

Accepted Answer

The Funky Headhunter in 1994 recast him as a harder West Coast act, and Inside Out the following year turned to gospel.

Question 10

Was the sampling a problem?

Accepted Answer

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.