The copyrights to MC Hammer’s catalog have been sold for a sum of $2.7 million, described as “some of the best-selling and most popular rap songs of all time.” The collection of music, including international hits “U Can’t Touch This” and “Too Legit To Quit,” was purchased by publishing company Evergreen Copyrights, which also owns the rights to songs by multi-platinum country artists Tim McGraw and George Strait."We anticipate that many songs in the MC Hammer catalog will emerge as a perfect fit for licensing in movies, television shows, and corporate advertising,” said David K. Schulhof, co-CEO of Evergreen.The sale of Hammer’s music comes after he filed for bankruptcy in 1996, citing debts of about $14 million. The trustee of the MC Hammer bankruptcy estate handled the recent acquisition. MC Hammer is often regarded as the first rap performer to attract a large mainstream audience. His 1990 album, Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em, has sold “diamond” (over ten million units) – making it one of the best-selling rap albums of all time.The only other rap albums to reach diamond sales are the Notorious BIG’s Life After Death (1997) and Outkast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003), both being double-album releases (one sale equating to two units).Hammer, who is now a minister, is reportedly working on new material these days including an album, expected to be released in next few months.
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