Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story (2001)

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The meteoric rise and precipitous fall of the rap singer known as MC Hammer is chronicled in this made-for-TV biopic. The film recounts the protagonist's early days as impoverished Oakland youngster Stanley Burrell, who earned the nickname "Hammer" while serving as a batboy for the Athletics because of his close resemblance to baseball superstar Henry Aaron. After a brief career as a gospel singer and lay minister, he gained popularity on the music-video circuit. By the age of 27, MC Hammer was the biggest-selling recording artist in rap history, so famous that he even "appeared" on a weekly Saturday-morning TV cartoon series. Sadly, his good days were numbered, and by 1996 the singer (whose personal wealth had once been estimated at $30 million) was filing for bankruptcy. Through good times and bad, however, Hammer could count upon the love and support of his wife, Stephanie. Although Hammer himself was one of the producers of Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story, the film was unsparing in its depiction of the inner demons that helped to ruin his career. Romany Malco stars as the title character, backed up by the original master recordings of Hammer's biggest hits, while Tangi Miller is seen as Stephanie. Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story first aired on the VH1 cable network on December 19, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi