MC Hammer: Enduring appeal of 'U Can't Touch This' is 'real blessing'

Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Rapper MC Hammer is marking the 30th anniversary of his seminal hit, "U Can't Touch This," and the musician and dancer said he attributes the track's longevity to the mere fact that "it's easy for people to connect with."

Hammer, 56, whose real name is Stanley Burrell, is marking the anniversary by starring in a Super Bowl commercial for Cheetos that prominently features the music. He told UPI in a recent interview he didn't even consider when he released the tune in 1990 that it would become ingrained in pop culture.

"I didn't have any idea," he said. "My goal was to make a fun, celebratory song that celebrated hope, good times, dancing and fun. The fact that it has resonated for 30 years is a real blessing."

Hammer said the song is "easy to connect with," in large part because of the bass line sampled from Rick James' "Super Freak."

"That bass line is a fantastic bass line. I recreated it to tell a story of great times, and I think the melodies that we added to it really connect with the human spirit," he said.

The Cheetos spot features the aforementioned bass line along with Hammer popping up to exclaim "You can't touch this" every time a man is asked to assist with a task, but can't due to Cheeto dust -- officially known as Cheetle by the company -- covering his fingers.

A teaser for the ad, released online this week, imagines a scenario in which having his fingers covered in Cheetle inspired Hammer to write the song at his piano.

"Cheetos approached me and said, 'Hey, listen. We know it's the 30th anniversary of 'U Can't Touch This' and we think it would be great to celebrate that anniversary together, and we have some ideas,'" Hammer recalled. "I said, 'This could be a lot of fun.'"

Hammer said he plans to follow up his return to the spotlight by releasing new music. Tracks titled "She Said," "Look for my Beloved" and "Cali Baby" are due out in the spring and summer, with more songs to follow.

"The vault is loaded right now. There's at least 100 songs in the vault, if not more," he said.

The performer said he also is developing "a Netflix-type series" that would adopt an anthology format, with each episode based on the theme of one of his songs.

Hammer has also been working on multiple philanthropic ventures, the "crown jewel" of which he said is The Last Mile, a program that teaches prison inmates how to code and helps them get jobs upon release.

"In the last quarter, we had three graduates from our program get jobs in Silicon Valley, and they started off at $125,000 a year right out of prison," he said.

The performer said that in addition to any other projects that arise, he plans to keep writing and recording music for the rest of his life.

"Melody heals the human spirit. If your body's not feeling good, you can play a certain song, and it will literally make you feel better. That's factual. So I'm going to continue to feel good. I want to be able to have an intimate relationship with the creation process and creating music, so I'll do that as long as I'm here."