Hammer    was    born   in   Oakland,
California.  His real name is Stanley
Kirk  Burnel.   His greatest hero and
his  idol  was,  who  else than James
Brown.   He  started  composing  very
early.     He   even   made   a   few
commercials  songs.   Here's  one  of
them:
      "Coke adds life
       And Coke adds smile

       'Cos what is life
       If you don't smile awhile"

Hammer's first love was baseball.  He
went  to baseball games of local team
"Oakland  Athletics" and  even became
some kind of a team mascot.  He still
wears  a  ring  - a gift from players
when they won National championships.
The  players  gave  him  the nickname
"Little Hammer" and that name he took
as   a  rap-name.   They  called  him
"Little  Hammer"  because  he  looked
like  a  club  star  "Hammerin' Hank"
Aaron.    Hammer's  ambition  was  to
became  a  baseball  player,  but  he
never  did  it.   Instead  of that he
joined American Navy, but after three
years   he   left.    He   founded  a
religious  rap  group called The Holy
Ghost  Boys.   Today,  Hammer  is the
greatest  rapper  of  all.His  second
album  called  "Please  Hammer  don't
hurt'em"  is  sold in over 20 million
copies.

The  weirdest thing in Hammer's music
is  that  it's mostly "borrowed" from
other  musicians.  There are 10 songs
on  the "Please Hammer..." album, but
only few of them are really Hammer's.
Music  of  "U  can't  touch  this" is
"borrowed"    from    Rick    James's
"Superfreak",    then    "Help    the
Children"     is     Marvin    Gaye's
"Mercy,Mercy  Me",then a lot of music
from Prince's "When the doves cry" is
taken  for  the  rap  "Pray".  Hammer
turns  an ordinary rap concert into a
real  show-  business  with  lots  of
beautiful dancers, great costumes and
of  course  tricks.  His album is for
"All   men   and   women   who   want
life, love, peace and equality".

Today,  Hammer is a big company.  His
production  company "Bustin' Records"
is  now under supervision of "Capitol
Records",  and  they just got a first
big hit- Joey B.  Ellis's "Go for it"
from  the  "Rocky 5".  Hammer employs
over  eighty  people,and  he  has  an
office   in   Oakland.    In   nearby
Freemont  he  has a recording studio,
dance  hall,boutique and a gymnasium.
But, he doesn't spend much time here,
because    there's   not   too   much
free-time.  Last year, only in United
States,  he  had  about 200 concerts,
and  he  was  on  the road almost 365
days.

Hammer's  travelling-show "contains":
10    singers,   18   dancers,   plus
musicians,  security  -  all  in all,
about 60 people is around him.

About  the  critic,  that  he leads a
"military  camp"  he  says:   "I like
that  kind  of criticism, 'cause that
means  that  I  care about my people.
Some  of  my singers and dancers have
only   18   years,and   I  took  over
responsibility  for  them  from their
parents.If"military  camp" means that
they  can't  cruise  around the town,
and get boozed, then it's true.  They
have to stay in their rooms and rest,
because  every  evening  we have very
exhausting  concerts, and everyone of
us  needs  rest.   Yes,  we sometimes
punish  people.  If we have to travel
by  plane,  we  pay  for it $4000 per
each  person,  and  one  man is late,
that  cost  us  $100000.  And I think
that  it's alright to punish that man
with $100."

Hammer  is  honorable,  kind and good
man.   And,  like it or not, he won't
give up his style...

      SENTINEL/PLS