MC Hammer may have been a massive star in the early 90s, but he was also a recurring punchline. The massive pants, the dancing, the copious ads—frankly, some fans and rappers found it all extremely corny. At the end of the day, hip-hop was and is a culture. So to see it go hand in hand with commercials and mainstream interests sullied its sanctity.
Consequently, Redman was one of a few rappers who parodied MC Hammer directly. On the skit “Funky Uncles” from his debut album Whut? Thee Album, the New Jersey rapper made him the butt of the joke and even brought his family into it by association.
“He ain’t s**t…Hammer ain’t doin’ nothin’ for us. He ain’t s**t. You ain’t s**t. His mama ain’t s**t. His daddy ain’t s**t. Ain’t nobody s**t,” he quipped.
Certainly, MC Hammer could’ve ignored the whole debacle or just taken it in stride. But that was never in his nature. Redman had to experience it firsthand. In a 2016 interview with DJ Vlad, he was adamant that Hammer was willing to put his hands on people. Moreover, if he didn’t do it personally, someone else in his home of the Bay Area would do it on his behalf.
Redman Recalled How Intense his Beef with MC Hammer Got
“VERY serious about beef. Y’all muthaf***as laugh and y’all joke about Hammer? No, no, no, no!! That n***a was deep with n***as! Anybody who talked s**t, come to the Bay Area, they was in for it. ‘Cause we seen it. I seen it. And, he was VERY serious about beef. ‘Oh. You gon’ talk about my dancin’ pants? I’ll see you.’ And he would whoop a n***a out,” Redman stressed.
The Muddy Waters MC recalled a specific incident on Yo! MTV Raps where MC Hammer addressed him directly. Hammer’s intensity made him regret mentioning his mother immediately.
”That n***a came up to me on the last episode they had,” Red shared. “That n***a approached me. He was like, ‘Red, I’mma tell you somethin’. You young, but I don’t allow nobody talkin’ about my mama. You understand me?!’ I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ He shook my hand. He was like, ‘You a youngin’. I like what you do. But you just know I don’t play nobody talkin’ bout my mama.’”
For context, Redman also said that before he spoke with MC Hammer personally, there was a time in Oakland when he and EPMD were going to get jumped for clowning their hometown superstar. As a result, they left town as soon as possible.
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The post The Hip-Hop Legend Who Got Into a Random Beef With MC Hammer and Immediately Regretted It: ‘He Was Very Serious About Beef!’ appeared first on VICE.
