It's Hammer Time' again

By BARRY A. JECKELL

Billboard.com

NEW YORK - Rapper/producer MC Hammer (real name: Stanley Burrell) is aiming to make a comeback through the WorldHit Music Group. Launched Wednesday (Aug. 1) as the entertainment arm of the entertainer's Hammertime Holdings Inc., WorldHit has plans to release four albums in the fourth quarter of this year. The label will dabble in R&B, pop, hip-hop, and alternative music genres. The initial artist roster features Pleasure, the Stooge Players, Analise, James Greer, Chuck Get Down, and MC Hammer himself. Due in November, Hammer's ``The AutoBiography of MC Hammer'' will feature all of the above artists.

``I have been able to meet and work with artists who are not generally known in the music business,'' Hammer said in a statement. ``They offer a lot of talent and excitement. I intend to put them on the charts.''

A supporting DVD featuring unreleased videos, profiles of MC Hammer and the label's artists, as well as dance instructions by Hammer, is also planned. The release of the album and DVD will coincide with the Viacom-produced film ``The MC Hammer Story,'' currently in production.

MC Hammer scored big with his 1990 sophomore Capitol album, ``Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em,'' which topped The Billboard 200 for an astounding 21 weeks. The next year's follow-up, ``Too Legit to Quit,'' peaked at No. 2 on the chart. The artist's last release to chart was 1995's ``Inside Out'' (Giant), which debuted at No. 119.

In the years since, a lavish lifestyle and poor business decisions forced Hammer to file for bankruptcy protection, according to his somewhat outdated official Web site. The artist ``doesn't hide behind any false excuses nor does he hang his head in shame. That's all behind him now,'' the site reads. ``He is focused on God, his family and his new ventures.'' The site also features clips of his 1998 self-released album ``Family Affair.''