Pumps and a Bump
| "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) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Hammer singles chronology | ||||
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"Pumps and a Bump" is a song by American rapper MC Hammer, now named as only Hammer, released in February 1994 by Giant Records as the first single from his fifth album, The Funky Headhunter (1994).[3] It was both co-written and co-produced by Hammer, and peaked at No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart and No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the final Top 40 hit of Hammer's career. "Pumps and a Bump" represented a departure from the rapper's previous pop image,[4] and contains a sample of George Clinton's 1982 single "Atomic Dog".[2]
Critical reception
[edit]Larry Flick from Billboard magazine wrote, "Preview of the forthcoming The Funky Headhunter collection (which also marks a label switch from Capitol to Giant) shows a new and improved Hammer. The bloated pomp and circumstance has been replaced by a gritty jack-swing groove and an electro-funk tone worthy of George Clinton. Track does not instantly hit you over the head, but it does crawl up your spine and sneak into your brain after a couple of spins. Once that happens, you won't be able to stop humming the melody. A smash."[5] James Hamilton from the Record Mirror Dance Update described it as a "cheerfully sexist chanting and jiggling catchy P'funk jackswinger" in his weekly dance column.[6]
Music video
[edit]The original music video for "Pumps and a Bump" 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.[7] An alternative video was filmed with Hammer fully clothed[8] and featuring an appearance by Deion Sanders, while promoted as representing a remix of the song.[9] The video was nominated for Best Choreography at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards.
Impact
[edit]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".[10] Spin magazine described the banned music video as "'Elvis on the Ed Sullivan Show' cranked to 11".[4]
Charts
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
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Year-end charts[edit]
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Certifications
[edit]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[14] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
[edit]- ^ "MC Hammer: Work with Notable Producers". 10 December 2018.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Flick, Larry (January 29, 1994). "Single Reviews: Pop" (PDF). Billboard. p. 79. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
- ^ Hamilton, James (May 14, 1994). "DJ directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 7. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
- ^ 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.