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American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor, Stanley Kirk 'MC Hammer' Burrell's has an estimated net worth of $1.5 million. Best known for his swift rise to fame before filing bankruptcy.
Born Stanley Kirk Burrell in Oakland, CA, on March 30, 1962. A member of a strongly religious family, he landed a job as a bat/ball boy for the Oakland Athletics baseball team, where he entertained fans by dancing during breaks in the game, and earned the nickname "Hammer" for his resemblance to all-time home run leader "Hammerin'" Hank Aaron. An aspiring ballplayer himself, he failed to catch on with a professional organization following high school, and enlisted in the Navy for three years. He became interested in hip-hop upon returning to civilian life, and began performing in local clubs; with the financial help of several Athletics players, he also started his own record label, Bust It, and recorded a couple of popular local singles.
Hammer's talents as a dancer and showman far exceeded his technique as an MC. In the late 1980s until the mid-1990s, MC had greatest commercial success and popularity. His second album, Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em, become the best-selling rap album of all time. He is also the first rap artist to achieve Diamond Status for an album. He is currently an ordained preacher and has been a TV show host and a dance competition judge. IN 2008, he helped create the dance website, Dance Jam. He is also CEO of his own record label and executive producer of his own reality show called Hammertime which aired on the A&E Network during the summer of 2009. He has sold more than 50 million records worldwide.
Earnings & Financial Data
Date |
Category |
Description |
Amount |
---|---|---|---|
2005 |
Royalties |
Value of music catalog sold to the music company Evergreen/BMG |
$3,000,000 |
2005 |
Record Sales |
Estimated earnings from sales of his album Look Look Look (300 thousand copies) |
$306,000 |
1997 |
Sale of Asset |
Amount received after selling his famous 11,000 square foot mansion in the Fremont, California hills |
$5,300,000 |
1990 |
Record Sales |
Estimated earnings from sales of his album Too Legit to Quit (5 million copies) |
$5,500,000 |
1989 |
Record Sales |
Estimated earnings from sales of his album Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em (14.5 million copies) |
$14,700,000 |
1987 |
Record Sales |
Estimated earnings from sales of his album Let's Get It Started along with a re-issued version of Feel My Power plus additional tracks (2 million copies) |
$2,200,000 |
1987 |
Earnings |
Advance payment received after signing a contract with Capitol Records |
$1,750,000 |
1986 |
Record Sales |
Estimated earnings from sales of his album Feel My Power (60 thousand copies) |
$64,000 |