RAMA, Ont. - The Hamma came down at Rama on Saturday night.
That would be late ‘80s rap innovator MC Hammer of U Can’t Touch This and Too Legit To Quit fame - and more recently his A&E reality show, Hammertime - who performed a fun, funny and funky show in front of 2,000 people at Casino Rama.
Sadly, he left his harem pants at home but not the attitude.
Now a 48-year-old longtime married father of five, Hammer still brought the bravado and sexual vibe in concert as he opened with Let’s Get It Started - decked out in a black tux, sunglasses, and blue bandana - backed by six female dancers and four male dancers.
“What’s going on?” said Hammer, who stared out into the audience after the first song with a mighty serious look on his face.
“Y’all feeling alright? I am ... I am MC Hammer. And I’m glad to be here tonight. We came to have a good time. And it’s going to come hard and it’s going to come fast. You know Hammertime some real moving time so you gotta be ready for it.”
Fasten your seat belts in other words.
From there, Hammer began chatting up “all the beautiful women” in the audience, singing the praises of their stiletto shoes in Pumps and a Bump and even handing out red roses to those who gathered at the front for Have You Seen Her.
Serious dance moves and a walking stick followed during Turn This Mutha out and Hammer and his dance crew even ventured out into the audience at one point and invoked a higher power during Pray. (He became a preacher during the late’ 90s after declaring bankruptcy in 1996.)
Whenever he wanted his dancers to leave the stage, Hammer barked a command that sounded something like: “Detox! Divorce! Deep Force or Detroit!”
Whatever he was saying, it worked.
And he dedicated Keep On to the late Tupac Shakur and Luther Vandross, made fun of his nephew before Too Legit To Quit - “ham, ham, a natural hammer,” he quipped - and showed off even more funky dance maneouvers, and invited about 100 people up on stage to “help him” during U Can’t Touch This.
Unfortunately, none of the fans could hold a candle to him in terms of his lightning fast feet and slick, smooth shoulder movements.
As he says in the song’s famous catchphrase: “Stop! Hammertime!”
But that didn’t stop the audience members from remaining gathered around him on stage for the next song too, Here Comes The Hammer.
Hammer also promised a new album this summer, offering up a new song, They’re Going Ham On It, as the 80-minute-long concert came to a close.