MC Hammer's 'Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em' Makes History as First Rap Album to Top Charts

When you think of MC Hammer, your mind probably first goes to the dance moves or parachute pants, or perhaps the catchiness of his signature hit, 1990's "U Can't Touch This." But did you know that Hammer, real name Stanley Kirk Burrell, made rap history with Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em, the album that delivered that aforementioned breakthrough song.

Released in February 1990, Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em was MC Hammer's third studio album. After experiencing some initial success with his first two records, Hammer kicked the door down with No. 3, and in the process, helped paved the way for hip-hop to own the 1990s.

Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em makes chart history

On June 9, 1990, thirty-six years ago today, Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming the first rap album to hit No. 1 on the pop charts. It would remain in that top spot for a record-breaking 21 consecutive weeks, the longest run by a black male artist since Michael Jackson's Thriller seven years earlier.

The album would also sit at No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for 29 weeks and win multiple Grammy awards. Hammer won Best Rap Solo Performance and Best R&B Song for "U Can't Touch This," and Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em took home Best Music Video, Long Form for the film accompanying the album.

Lastly, Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em also took home five awards at the 1991 American Music Awards, including Favorite Soul/R&B Album, Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album and Favorite Pop/Rock Album.

Critically, the album didn't win overwhelming praise, but there's no denying the commercial impact it had.

Hammer Time left its mark

If you had to name the top rappers from the 1990s, MC Hammer very likely doesn't make your list.

However, there's no denying his resume of achievement and role in pushing hip-hop into the mainstream to help set up commercial success for those that followed him in the genre.

"With his largely expletive-free, pop-rap hybrid, MC Hammer carved a unique niche for himself. For those that found Public Enemy's polemical rhetoric too heavy, NWA's uncompromising diatribes too nihilistic, and De La Soul's lysergic rhymes and beats too trippy, Hammer's music seemed a perfectly balanced and accessible blend of rap, R&B, and pop," wrote Charles Waring for UDiscoverMusic. "He continued to score hit singles and albums well into the late 90s, but Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em remains his coming of age, and a creative and commercial pinnacle."

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 2:12 PM.