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"It's M.C. Hammer. I don't know when I should call you back," said the message on the answering machine. "Maybe I'll call you back in an hour. What time is it? I don't know. Every time I'm asked I just say, `Hammer time.' "
These days, M.C. Hammer has trouble keeping track of numbers, whether it's the time of day or the amount of money he earned yesterday. For the record: His "Please Hammer Don't Hurt `Em" has been the biggest-selling album of the year, with more than 5 million copies. The record has been No. 1 on Billboard's pop album chart for four months and No. 1 on the black-music list for 17 weeks. His single "U Can't Touch This" was a chart-topper and the biggest song of the summer. His "Have You Seen Her" just peaked at No. 4. His long-form video ranks No. 4 on the sales charts.
Clearly, it is Hammer Time.
"I'm surprised, overwhelmed and grateful," said Hammer, whose 60-city U.S. tour will arrive at Met Center Sunday.
Hammer has also signed endorsement deals with Pepsi and British Knights, makers of clothing and sneakers. He will be the subject of a forthcoming episode of TV's "Amen" and his own TV special is set for April. A theatrical movie is in the works, and Hammer now has his own record label.
Not bad for a 27-year-old former Oakland A's batboy who, at one point, opted for the Navy instead of a life of drug-dealing.
Why is M.C. Hammer so popular?
"No. 1: God has blessed me to be successful," Hammer said by phone this week from Omaha. "No. 2: People are buying more than just my record; they're buying an attitude that says, `It's OK to be different, it's OK to be yourself, it's all right to have a good time but we're certainly aware of the problems of the world, as far as helping children and the need...