Freep - The Grammy-winning MC Hammer, who reigned supreme in the late '80s and early '90s after releasing a string of chart-topping hip-hop hits, including "U Can't Touch This" and "Turn This Mutha Out," is set to bring his high-energy stage show to Detroit River Days at 9:30 p.m. Saturday. Over the past couple years he reassembled his business empire while reconnecting with fans on tour. He may not rock (the mostly retired) Hammer pants on Saturday, but he says Detroit should definitely be ready for "Hammer time."
Q: How does your home in Oakland, Calif., compare to Detroit -- musically, culturally?
A: I was coming to Detroit in 1976 when I was with the Oakland A's. Willie Horton's kids traveled around the world with me. Mark (the Bird) Fidrych, Sweet Lou (Whitaker), I was close with all those old mainstream guys. I was able to spend some time with Curtis Granderson before he went to the (New York) Yankees. I have a lot of family there. Motown has always had such a rich historical culture; Detroit had such a style with dress and dance in the '70s. Most Detroiters who come out to Oakland, and vice versa -- we say the same thing: The two cities have the same identical personality. Guys from Detroit talk the same, dress the same, swagger is the same.
I was real close to taking a dump all over Hammer as the headliner at the Detroit River Days festival, but that was before he started throwing around names like Mark "The Bird" Fidrych and "Sweet" Lou Whitaker. Shit, now I'm debating whether or not it's worth it to fly back for this concert. I half expect Sparky Anderson to get up on the stage in some Hammer pants and dance his ass off during "pumps and a bump".
No comments:
Post a Comment