Monday, May 16, 2016

Musical Interlude: 2 Legit 2 Quit (1991)

These days, MC Hammer is shillin' for 3M (the commercial will be up soon), but 25 years ago, he was at the peak of his powers on the pop & R & B charts.

"2 Legit 2 Quit" was the title tune from his 1991 album, his 3rd, and the first without the "MC" appellation. Hammer premiered the video on MTV's Rockline, making his 2nd appearance on the show that year (he was also the first guest, and presented hostess Martha Quinn with a pair of his signature parachute pants) in September. The video was elaborate and equal parts conceptual and performance, something along the lines of, say for example, Michael Jackson.

The following video clocks in at just over 10 minutes, and features quick cameos by a number of athletes of the day, including:

Jose Canseco and Rickey Henderson (Oakland A's)
Isaiah Thomas (Detroit Pistons)
Chris Mullin (Golden State Warriors, now the coach at St. John's University).
Lynette Woodard (Harlem Globetrotters)
Deion Sanders, Andre Rison, and Jerry Glanville (Atlanta Falcons)
Jerry Rice (San Francisco 49ers)
Roger Craig & Ronnie Lott (then with the LA Raiders)
David Robinson (San Antonio Spurs)
Wayne Gretzky (Los Angeles Kings, I believe, at that time; Gretzky would also appear in Nickelback's video for "Rockstar" 16 years later)
Roger Clemens (Boston Red Sox)
Dallas Cowboys & Atlanta Falcons cheerleaders

A longer version of the video also includes Mark & Donnie Wahlberg, Tony Danza, James Belushi, and more.

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