''The Funky Headhunter'' is the fifth studio album by

Hammer A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as w ...

, released on March 1, 1994, via

Giant Records In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: '' gigas'', cognate giga-) are beings of human-like appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''giant'' is first attested in 1297 fr ...

and

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...

. The album at the time was hailed as Hammer's comeback album. As with some earlier songs such as "Crime Story" (from the album ''

Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em ''Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em'' is the third studio album by American rapper MC Hammer, released on February 12, 1990 by Capitol Records and EMI Records. The album was produced, recorded and mixed by Felton Pilate and James Earley. The album ...

''), the content and reality about "street life" remained somewhat the same, but the sound was different, resulting in Hammer losing favor with fans. Nonetheless, the record was eventually

certified platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

Album history

Hammer debuted the album and video for "

Pumps and a Bump "Pumps and a Bump" is a song by Hammer from his 1994 album ''The Funky Headhunter''. The single peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart and No. 26 on the Hot 100, making it the final Top 40 hit of Hammer's career. Release and recep ...

" two months before its release on ''

The Arsenio Hall Show ''The Arsenio Hall Show'' is an American syndicated late-night talk show created by and starring comedian Arsenio Hall. There have been two different incarnations of ''The Arsenio Hall Show''. The original series premiered on January 3, 1989, ...

'' and finally released it in March. Talk show host

Arsenio Hall Arsenio Hall (born February 12, 1956) is an American comedian, actor and talk show host. He hosted the late-night talk show, ''The Arsenio Hall Show'', from 1989 until 1994, and again from 2013 to 2014. He has appeared in ''Martial Law'', ''Comi ...

said to Hammer, "Women in the audience want to know, what's in your speedos in the 'Pumps and a Bump' video?" A clip from the video was then shown, to much approval from the audience. Hammer didn't give a direct answer but instead laughed. Arsenio then said, "I guess that's why they call you 'Hammer.' It ain't got nothin' to do with

Hank Aaron Henry Louis Aaron (February 5, 1934 – January 22, 2021), nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1954 through 1976. One of the gre ...

" (which refers to the fact that Hammer was nicknamed after Aaron). "Pumps and a Bump" proved to be a controversial track on this album, somewhat affecting Hammer's image. However, the single peaked at number three on the US Rap charts. It was banned from heavy rotation on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

with censors claiming that the depiction of Hammer in

Speedo Speedo International Limited is a distributor of swimwear and swim-related accessories based in Nottingham, England, known for its swim briefs. The company has roots in Australia but is no longer based there. Founded in Sydney in 1914 by Al ...

s (and with what appeared to be an erection) was too graphic. This led to an alternative video being filmed (with Hammer fully clothed) that was directed by

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...

native Craig S. Brooks. "It's All Good", produced by The Whole 9, was the second single released on this album, and peaked on the record charts as follows: US number 46,

US R&B The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

number 14, US Rap number 3 and UK number 52. This album peaked at number two on the

R&B charts The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

and remained in the Top 30 midway through the year. The album eventually reached number 12 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart The album managed to become

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

writer

Ron Wynn Ron Wynn is a music critic, author, and AllMusic editor. Wynn was the editor of the first edition of '' The All Music Guide to Jazz'' (1994), and from 1993 to 1994 served as the jazz and rap editor of the ''All Music Guide''. Wynn is the former e ...

said about the album overall: "Hammer's sound was leaner, his rapping tougher and more fluid, and his subject matter harder and less humorous." In a review for ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...

'', contributor Charles Aaron called it "one of the most stunning curios of pop marketing hubris ever perpetrated", criticizing Hammer's half-hearted attempts at dissing other rappers, and the tracks for utilizing the overused G-funk sound and lacking lyrical substance or even "a nifty turn of phrase."

Track listing

Information taken from

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Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

and

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

Samples

Break 'Em Off Somethin' Proper * "So Ruff, So Tuff" by

Roger Troutman Roger Troutman (November 29, 1951 – April 25, 1999), also known as Roger, was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and the founder of the band Zapp who helped spearhead the funk movement and heavily influenc ...

* "

Stay Stay may refer to: Places * Stay, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the US Law * Stay of execution, a ruling to temporarily suspend the enforcement of a court judgment * Stay of proceedings, a ruling halting further legal process in a tri ...

" by

Jodeci Jodeci ( ) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Dalvin DeGrate, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci (singer), K-Ci, and K-Ci and JoJo, JoJo. Formed in 1989 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci's members began their mu ...

* "

Check the Rhime "Check the Rhime" is the first single from A Tribe Called Quest's second album ''The Low End Theory''. The song was written by group members Phife Dawg, Q-Tip, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. It was recorded at the legendary Greene St. Recording stud ...

" by

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip

Don't Fight the Feelin' * "Person to Person" by

Average White Band The Average White Band (also known as AWB) are a Scottish funk and R&B band that had a series of soul and disco hits between 1974 and 1980. They are best known for their million-selling instrumental track " Pick Up the Pieces", and their album ...

Don't Stop * "

Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.) "Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.)" is a song by jazz trumpeter Tom Browne (trumpeter), Tom Browne. The single—a memoir of the Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens where Browne was born and raised—is from his s ...

" by Tom Browne * "Der Kommissar" by Falco * "

Atomic Dog "Atomic Dog" is a song by George Clinton from his 1982 album '' Computer Games''. The track was released as a single in December 1982 and became the P-Funk collective's last to reach #1 on the U.S. R&B Chart. The single failed to chart on the ...

" by George Clinton * "

La Di Da Di "La Di Da Di" is a song performed by Doug E. Fresh, who provides the beatboxed instrumental, and MC Ricky D (later known as Slick Rick), who performs the vocals. It was originally released in 1985 as the B-side to " The Show". The song has since ...

" by

Doug E. Fresh Doug E. Fresh (born September 17, 1966) is a Barbados-born American rapper, record producer, and beatboxer, also known as the "Human Beat Box". The pioneer of 20th-century American beatboxing, Fresh is able to accurately imitate drum machines an ...

It's All Good * "

Dusic "Dusic" is a song by Brick, issued as the lead single from the band's eponymous second album. The song was the band's final hit single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at No. 18 in 1977. MC Hammer sampled the song for his hit "It's All Go ...

" 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 ...

* "Hobo Scratch" by

Malcolm McLaren Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren (22 January 1946 – 8 April 2010) was an English impresario, visual artist, singer, songwriter, musician, clothes designer and boutique owner, notable for combining these activities in an inventive and provoc ...

Oaktown * "

More Bounce to the Ounce "More Bounce to the Ounce" is the debut single by American funk band Zapp. It is the opening track on their eponymous debut album and serves as the album's first single. The song was written, arranged, composed and produced by Roger Troutman; ...

" by Zapp * "

Get It Up "Get It Up" is the debut single by the Time, from their 1981 self-titled debut album. Like most of the album, the song was recorded in Prince's home studio in April 1981, and was produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince with Morris ...

" by The Time Pumps and a Bump * "Atomic Dog" by George Clinton Somethin' for the O.G.'s * "Atomic Dog" by George Clinton

Personnel

Adapted from the liner notes of ''The Funky Headhunter''. * Wilton Rabb – guitar (tracks 8, 11–14) * Ben Ross – bass (track 14) * Eddy Schreyer – mastering (Future Disc, Los Angeles) * Nancie Stern, Mary-Jo Braun – sample clearance assistance (Music Resources) * Kevin Design Hosmann – art direction * Michael Miller – photography * Madame Mack Style – stylist

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Funky Headhunter, The 1994 albums MC Hammer albums Giant Records (Warner) albums RCA Records albums G-funk albums Hardcore hip hop albums Albums produced by Teddy Riley