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15,000 People CAN Touch This

The Oakland A’s are hosting a MC Hammer Bobblehead night!  Yes, the Oakland born rapper who helped pave the way for Bay Area rap and the Hyphy movement will be honored at the Coliseum this summer and the first 15,000 people will receive a limited edition MC Hammer Bobblehead.

Stanley Burrell (MC Hammer) was born and raised in East Oakland by his mother and eight siblings in a small 3 bedroom housing project apartment.  Growing up poor and trying to help support his family, the 11 year old Stanley would sell baseballs and dance with a beatbox in the Coliseum parking lot before and after games…and occasionally use the money to go watch his favorite team the A’s play.  When the A’s Owner at that time, Charles Finley, noticed a large crowd hovering in a circle in the parking lot, he wandering over to see everyone cheering on the young Stanley dancing to his beatbox and doing the splits.  Finley hired Stanley and his brother, Louis, the next day as the A’s batboy and clubhouse assistant.

When Finley was unable to attend home games, he would have Stanley phone him updates during the game from the clubhouse so he would know what was going on behind the scenes.  During that time, Reggie Jackson took credit for Stanley’s notorious nickname: “Hell, our chief executive, Charles Finley, communicated with a 13 year old kid.  I nicknamed him ‘Hammer,’ because he looked like Hank Aaron.”

The other half of “Hammer’s” nickname “MC,” came from being a “Master of Ceremonies” which he used when he performed on the road at dance clubs while traveling on the A’s road trips.  Before going on to a music career, Hammer first tried to pursue his first love, baseball.  He was an excellent second baseman in high school and made it till the final cut at a San Francisco Giants tryout until being released.

The rest is history… MC Hammer went on to be become one of the most influential Bay Area rappers of all time with hits such as “U Can’t Touch This” and “Too Legit to Quit.”  In 1996, he was $13 million in debt and filed for bankruptcy after unpaid loans, living too luxuriously, and receiving horrible financial advice (from his business manager and former A’s co-worker, brother Louis).

Hammer has successfully bounced back from bankruptcy as a producer and still very involved in the dance industry.  In his prime, Hammer actually insured his legs for somewhere in the 1-2 million dollar range and BET recently rank him “7th best dancer of all time.”   He currently resides on a 2-acre lot in Tracy, Ca with his wife of 25 years, Stephanie, and 5 children.

 

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