Ed Note: As part of VIBE’s "51 Best Albums That Never Were" package, all this week, VIBE.com will feature exclusive interviews with a select list of artists involved with the projects we highlighted.
The year was 1996 and Stanley “MC Hammer” Burrell was no longer hip hop’s biggest star. In fact, he was rapidly becoming a has-been. His 1995 effort, Inside Out, released through Giant Records and Hammer’s own imprint, Oaktown, had gone double wood, he’d lost his deal with Giant, and it seemed like no one wanted to touch the one time best seller. No one, that is, except Suge Knight. (Pause.) In a move that baffled nearly everyone, Knight signed Hammer to Death Row in 1996, plopping the former pop star in the middle of a gangsta rap roster more associated with holsters than Hammer pants. How could a label defined by 2Pac and Snoop Doggy Dogg seriously be considering a Hammer project? But Death Row was doing more than considering it, the label was naming it (Too Tight), recording it, and, at least in theory, preparing for its release. And then… pfffftttt. It all went up in smoke.
In our ongoing series of the 51 Best Albums You’ve Never Heard, VIBE.com caught up with Hammer during Super Bowl XLIII, and asked the legendary Oakland MC what die-hard fans really want to know. What happened?
VIBE: Why did Too Tight never see the light of day?
MC Hammer: Well the reality is that was what, ’96? Fourteen years ago. But it was the year that ‘Pac actually lost his life - a year of turmoil. Music became insignificant at the time. You know Death Row transitioned, Suge had got arrested at that time. So we didn’t have a chance to get the music out.
So it wasn't label woes, really?
There was just a lot going on outside of the record label. And with all of that going on we just never got around to putting the record out.
Before everything happened, what were your thoughts on how the album was progressing?
I liked it. Some of those songs are on the Internet. [There’s one], it’s me, ‘Pac, and Big Daddy Kane. It’s called “Too Late Player”. Yeah it was a hot song. You can find that on YouTube.
What else do you remember about working on the album?
I just remember how excited ‘Pac was working on the album with me. We had already done three or four things together for the album. The title track “Too Tight”, ‘Pac had laid down the concept, I came up with the track, ‘Pac had already laid down the hook and started writing verses because he wanted it to be a certain way from his perspective.
What impact did ’Pac’s death have on the music?
Life is always more important than just music. Music reflects life, but life is the actuality. Music was insignificant at the moment. My very, very close friend’s brother you know losing his life, that’s primary. I wasn’t concerned about music going forward. I was more concerned about the where’s, why’s, and how did we get where we were? How did again this tragedy end up happening? And what do we do going forward? Those were the things I was concerned with. The last thing was music.
Listen to "Too Late Playa"by MC Hammer feat. 2Pac and Big Daddy Kane
RELATED:
Comments
1.
Kellycare says:
view profile
-----Uniformeddate.com----- ? It is really a funny and interesting place to date attractive girls or hot guys. Many hottie videos and photos at this site, you can enjoy latest interesting videos or talk about hot topic with other friends.
March 10, 2009 at 2:06 am