Skip to Content

Rumors have been running rampant across celebrity gossip sites this week that MC Hammer is dead. Well, we’re pleased to report that Hammer’s time has not come.

Apparently, the rapper, whose real name is Stanley Kirk Burrell, is very much alive. His rep says someone else named Stanley Burrell died in the recent past, and rumors spread like wildfire confusing the two.

Phew! Aside from the family of the other Stanley Burrell, everyone is happy to hear this news. And have no fear – Britney Spears‘ career is still dead.

MC Hammer on the cover of his hit album, Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em.

The Hammer is best known for selling over 10 million albums in the early 1990s and forever changing the perception of rap in popular culture.

But like his contemporary, Vanilla Ice, MC Hammer soon faded from the spotlight and became a punchline, blowing more than $30 million in earnings, filing for bankruptcy and pretty much resorting to payday loans to keep the lights on.

He has since become an ordained minister and lives in Tracy, Calif., with his wife and six children. No word on whether he still wears those pants.