Insert Hammer album or song title-related joke here ___________________________MC Hammer tabs new dance site
MC Hammer
Please Hammer, don't hurt 'em. MC Hammer, he of the massive pants, inimitable dance moves, smash hits and woeful financial problems, has transformed himself into a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, according to the Associated Press. Hammer, whose real name is Stanley Burrell, announced this week his new career as co-founder and chief strategy officer of Menlo Park-based DanceJam.com.
The Web site, scheduled to debut in mid-January, will try to upstage YouTube and become the Internet's hub for sharing and watching dance videos. If the business pans out, DanceJam could help Hammer compensate for losing his fortune when he went bankrupt in 1996 with nearly $14 million in debts.
Drawing upon the popularity of reality shows like Dancing With The Stars, DanceJam will stage head-to-head competitions where contestants submit videos that will be judged by viewers. The site also will provide demonstrations and information about a wide variety of dances, ranging from the Boogaloo to the Krump.
The company has stockpiled about 100 gigabytes of video to help launch DanceJam. The most watched video in YouTube's 2 1/2-year history is about dancing. The 6-minute clip, a facetious tribute called "Evolution of Dance," includes about 25 seconds alluding to some of the moves that Hammer made famous back when he was still wearing colorful parachute pants as he sang "U Can't Touch This."
