''Active Duty'' is the seventh studio album, and first

independent album Independent music (also commonly known as indie music or simply indie) is music that is produced independently from commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, a process that may include an autonomous, do-it-yourself approach to recording a ...

since ''

Feel My Power ''Feel My Power'' is the debut studio album by M.C. Hammer released in 1986 by Bustin’ Records. The album was produced by Felton Pilate of Con Funk Shun. ''Feel My Power'' sold over 60,000 copies, a considerable success for a small independen ...

'', by

MC Hammer Stanley Kirk Burrell (born March 30, 1962), better known by his stage name MC Hammer (or simply Hammer), is an American rapper, dancer, record producer and entrepreneur. He is known for hit songs such as "U Can't Touch This", "2 Legit 2 Quit" ...

. It was released on November 20, 2001 by his own label, World Hits Records. This is Hammer's first studio album since ''

Inside Out Inside Out may refer to: *Backwards (disambiguation) or inverse Books * '' Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd'', by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason * ''Inside Out'', Christian book by Larry Crabb * ''Inside Out'', novel by Barry Eisler ...

'' (1995), excluding his unreleased

Death Row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting Capital punishment, execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of ...

debut '' Too Tight'' (1996) and the limited release gospel

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...

Family Affair ''Family Affair'' is an American sitcom starring Brian Keith and Sebastian Cabot that aired on CBS from September 12, 1966, to March 4, 1971. The series explored the trials of well-to-do engineer and bachelor Bill Davis (Keith) as he attempte ...

'' (1998). Following the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

, Hammer released this album on his own World Hit Music Group label (the music enterprise under his Hammertime Holdings Inc. umbrella) to pay homage to the ones lost in the

terrorist attacks The following is a list of terrorist incidents that have not been carried out by a state or its forces (see state terrorism and state-sponsored terrorism). Assassinations are listed at List of assassinated people. Definitions of terrori ...

. in which the album followed that theme. One of the album's singles was "Pop Yo Collar", which was a popular "

buzzword A buzzword is a word or phrase, new or already existing, that becomes popular for a period of time. Buzzwords often derive from technical terms yet often have much of the original technical meaning removed through fashionable use, being simply used ...

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

" during this period. The album, like its predecessor, would not sell as many copies as previous projects. Hammer did however promote it on shows such as '' The View'', and produced a

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for both singles. A

patriotic Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and sense of attachment to one's country. This attachment can be a combination of many different feelings, language relating to one's own homeland, including ethnic, cultural, political or histor ...

album, originally planned to be titled ''The Autobiography Of M.C. Hammer'', portions of the proceeds were donated to 9/11 charities. Hammer shot the video for the

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...

"No Stoppin' Us (USA)" in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

on October 3, 2001, with several members of the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

, who sang in the song and danced in the music video. Present members of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

included

J.C. Watts Julius Caesar Watts Jr. (born November 18, 1957) is an American politician, clergyman, and athlete. Watts was a college football quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners and later played professionally in the Canadian Football League. He served in ...

Eddie Bernice Johnson Eddie Bernice Johnson (born December 3, 1935) is an American politician who represents Texas's in the United States House of Representatives. Johnson is a member of the Democratic Party. Elected in 1992, Johnson was the first registered nurse ...

Thomas M. Davis Thomas Milburn Davis III (born January 5, 1949) is an American lobbyist and former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives who represented Virginia's 11th congressional district in Northern Virginia. Davis was considerin ...

Earl Hilliard Earl Frederick Hilliard (born April 9, 1942) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Alabama who served as the U.S. representative for the state's 7th district. Life and career Hilliard was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and graduated f ...

Alcee Hastings Alcee Lamar Hastings ( ; September 5, 1936 – April 6, 2021) was an American politician and judge from the state of Florida. Hastings was nominated to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida by President Jimmy Cart ...

, Rep.

Diane Watson Diane Edith Watson (born November 12, 1933) is a former American politician who served as US Representative for , serving from 2003 until 2011, after first being elected in the 32nd District in a 2001 special election. She is a member of the Dem ...

(D-Calif.), Rep.

Corrine Brown Corrine Brown (born November 11, 1946) is an American former politician who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida from 1993 to 2017 and a convicted felon. She is a member of the Democratic Party. After a court-order ...

(D-Fla.) and

Jesse Jackson Jr. Jesse Louis Jackson Jr. (born March 11, 1965) is an American politician. He served as the U.S. representative from from 1995 until his resignation in 2012. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the son of activist and former presidential candi ...

The "Pop Yo Collar" music video demonstrated "The Phat Daddy Pop", "In Pop Nito", "River Pop", "Deliver The Pop" and "Pop'n It Up" dance moves, among others.

Track listing

# "No Stoppin' Us (USA)" # "Pick It Up" (featuring The Stooge Playas) # "Our Style" (featuring The Stooge Playas) # "Pop Yo Collar" (featuring Wee Wee) # "A Soldier's Letter" (featuring James Greer and Keith Martin) # "What Happened To Our Hood" (featuring James Greer) # "It's All Love" (featuring James Greer and The Stooge Playas) # "Bump This" (featuring The Stooge Playas) # "Not Like This" # "Spittin' Fire" # "Don't Be Discouraged" (introducing Pleasure) # "I Don't Care" (introducing Analise) # "Who's Holdin' It" # "Cali" (featuring The Stooge Playas) # "Night Show" (introducing James Greer) # "Where Will I Go" (featuring Chuck Get Down) # "Bay Livin'" (featuring Chuck Get Down and Conte) # "Broken Vessel ("Common Unity")" (featuring April and Toya Smith) # "Why Do You Wanna Take Mine" (featuring The Stooge Playas, XLarge and Chuck Get Down)

Samples

*"No Stoppin' Us (USA)" contains a sample of "Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody" performed by

Brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

. *"A Soldier's Letter" contains an

interpolation In the mathematical field of numerical analysis, interpolation is a type of estimation, a method of constructing (finding) new data points based on the range of a discrete set of known data points. In engineering and science, one often has a n ...

of "

Strawberry Letter 23 "Strawberry Letter 23" is a 1971 song written and composed by Shuggie Otis from his 1971 album '' Freedom Flight''. It is also widely known by the 1977 cover version recorded by the Brothers Johnson and produced by Quincy Jones. History The ...

" as performed by

The Brothers Johnson The Brothers Johnson were an American funk and R&B band consisting of American musicians and brothers George ("Lightnin' Licks") and Louis E. Johnson ("Thunder Thumbs"). They achieved their greatest success from the mid-1970s to early 1980s, ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Active Duty (Mc Hammer Album) 2001 albums MC Hammer albums Charity albums Albums produced by Keith Martin (musician)