1990Released
4:17

Did You Know?

Interesting facts and trivia about U Can't Touch This. By Songfacts®.

The music is based on "Super Freak" by Rick James. That song was a hit in 1981, so many younger listeners did not know the beat was sampled. In a strange irony, Hammer got a huge boost from MTV, who put the video in heavy rotation. In 1981, however, they refused to play "Super Freak," as they didn't play videos by black artists with any regularity. Maybe if Rick James wore parachute pants and pulled off the "Chinese Typewriter" dance move, he would have gotten some respect from the network.

Hammer was a bat boy for the Oakland A's baseball team, and got the name "Hammer" because he looked like baseball legend Hank Aaron, who was known as "Hammerin' Hank." Some members of The A's helped finance Hammer's rap career, and he emerged from the West Coast rap scene in the late '80s, representing Oakland. His first album, Feel My Power, was released on his independent label in 1987 and got the attention of Capitol Records, which gave him a $750,000 advance to sign. His first Capitol album, Let's Get It Started, was released in 1988 and produced a minor hit with "Turn This Mutha Out." "U Can't Touch This" was released in January 1990 a month ahead of his third album, Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em. The song took him in a new direction, incorporating many elements of dance music and costing him some credibility in the rap community. It was a massive pop hit, and Hammer appeared on MTV and a variety of talk shows performing in ridiculously baggy pants that became his trademark along with his distinctive dance moves. A 60-date tour followed with lots of backup dancers and hangers on, many of whom were old friends happy to share in his financial success (although some complained of underpayment and harsh working conditions - Hammer imposed a strict curfew and levied fines for mistakes). The tour was bloated and expensive, and when Hammer's star faded, there was no money left. He dropped the "MC" and tried to reinvent himself as more of a gangsta rapper, but he has lost credibility in the rap world and no longer appealed to that audience. He became a bit of a joke as listeners realized that it didn't take much talent to take a hit song from years ago and rap over the beat (think Vanilla Ice). In 2005, Hammer made some appearances where he was willing to poke fun at himself, including a reality TV show and a commercial where he performs this song in front of a mansion that gets repossessed 15 minutes later when his luck runs out. He also performed on the MTV video music awards that year.

Rick James tried to keep rappers from sampling his music, turning down any requests. According to James, his lawyers authorized the "Super Freak" sample without his permission; he heard about it when a friend told him about "U Can't Touch This" and the song came on the radio they were listening to in the car. James said he was irate, but somewhat appeased when he found out how much money it was making for him. Still, he claimed he wouldn't have done the deal if he was asked. James had another beef as well: he wanted to be listed as a songwriter on "U Can't Touch This," and sued MC Hammer for credit. The case was settled out of court, with James getting listed as a co-writer on the track along with Hammer and Alonzo Miller, a disc jockey who wrote some lyrics on "Super Freak."

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Song Analysis

Key, BPM (tempo) and time signature of U Can't Touch This.
BKey
MinorMode
4/4Time Signature
133BPM

Album

The album U Can't Touch This is released on.

Released By

The record label that has released U Can't Touch This.
EMI/EMI Records (USA)
© 1990 Capitol Records, LLC
℗ 1990 Capitol Records, LLC

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