| "Pumps and a Bump" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Single cover | ||||
| Single by Hammer | ||||
| from the album The Funky Headhunter | ||||
| Released | February 28, 1994 | |||
| Recorded | 1993 | |||
| Genre | West Coast hip hop [1] | |||
| Length | 5:05 | |||
| Label | Giant | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Hammer, Gerald Baillergeau [2] | |||
| Hammer singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Pumps and a Bump" is a song by American rapper MC Hammer from his fifth album, The Funky Headhunter (1994). [3] The single peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart and No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the final Top 40 hit of Hammer's career.
Release and reception
"Pumps and a Bump" was the first single off The Funky Headhunter, which represented a departure from Hammer's previous pop image. [4] The track contains a sample of George Clinton's 1982 single " Atomic Dog". [2]
The original music video featured Hammer wearing nothing but a Speedo and dancing suggestively alongside numerous swimsuit-clad women, which resulted in it being banned from MTV as it was considered too graphic. [5] An alternative video was filmed with Hammer fully clothed [6] and featuring an appearance by Deion Sanders, while promoted as representing a remix of the song. [7]
The video was nominated for Best Choreography at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards.
Impact
In 2010, American Idol contestant Larry Platt performed his own song titled " Pants on the Ground", which Entertainment Weekly claimed sounded similar to "Pumps and a Bump". [8] Spin magazine described the banned music video as "' Elvis on the Ed Sullivan Show' cranked to 11". [4]
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States ( RIAA) [12] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ https://hiphopnewsjournal.com/mc-hammer-work-with-notable-producers/
- ^ a b ""Pumps and a Bump"". Discogs. 1994.
- ^ "The Funky Headhunter - MC Hammer". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
- ^ a b Staff (August 15, 2013). "A DECADE IN RAP CENSORSHIP (1990-1999)". Spin. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
- ^ Sanchez, Karissa (June 27, 2013). "25. Hammer's animal skin Speedo - The Worst Hip-Hop Fashion Fails of All Time". Complex. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
- ^ Holmes, Dave (June 12, 2014). "Dave Holmes Hits the Summer Songs of 1994". Vulture. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
- ^ Billboard (April 16, 1994), p. 48.
- ^ Slezak, Michael (January 14, 2010). "'American Idol' recap: Devil Went Down to Georgia". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 31, 2010.
- ^ " Hammer – Pumps & A Bump". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). April 30, 1994. p. 8. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
- ^ "The Year in Music: Hot 100 Single Sales". Billboard. December 24, 1994. p. YE-30. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
- ^ "American single certifications – Hammer – Bumps and a Bump". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 26, 2022.