"Hammertime" for reality TV

MC Hammer won't go away. Although he hasn't had a hit record in ages, the dancer/rapper continues to find ways to creep into the public consciousness. Hammer a.k.a Stanley Burrell was last seen during the Super Bowl telling us how easy it is to turn our golden household items into cash money. Aside from his work in commercials, which often trades on his riches-to-rags life story, he's also been a role player on reality shows. Now, it's time for the Oakland rapper to take center stage. "Hammertime," a reality show about the dancer and his family, is being produced by A&E and will premiere later this year.

The show will feature Hammer, his wife and their brood: daughter Akieba, 21, nephew Jamarius, 18, daughter Sarah, 15, Stanley Jr, 13, aka Boobie, nephew Meschek, 12, Jeremiah, 10, and 3-year old Samuel.

"Each week we'll open our home to viewers to showcase the hectic pace of our lives and our eclectic family ..." said MC Hammer.

"Hammertime" is produced by 3 Ball Productions Inc., the people responsible for the reality shows "Biggest Loser" and "Beauty and the Gee." J.D Roth, Todd Nelson and MC Hammer are executive producers. Executive Producers for A&E are Robert Sharenow, Scott Lonker and former Wavelength cameraman Stephen Harris.

MTV remembers what the "M" was for

The Pharcyde |MTV Music

MTV recently soft launched MTVMusic.com, which gives users access to a sizable portion of the network's video vault. This isn't as revolutionary as it would've been before sites like youtube took hold, but with copyright holders becoming more vigilant, this may become the only place you can search for a Prince's "America" video and actually find it. And be reasonably certain that it will still be there a week from now.

The site is easy to navigate and has over 20,000 videos. Most of the big names are there, which have become hard to find on video-sharing sites, regularly perused by the copyright police. I haven't had the time to thoroughly search for rarer rap clips, but I'm sure the archive will be expanding soon. So until I can see some Yomo & Maulkie or Yaggfu Front clips, I'll reminisce with videos like this from The Pharcyde.

BET's Rap City: Is it Really a Wrap?

BET recently announced that its long-running video program, "Rap City," would end next month. After almost decade on the air, the show never rose above mediocrity, although it often dipped below the mark. While the news of this mercy killing didn't warm my heart, I am concerned by what I heard from an industry insider today.

The bad news: Rap City might come back. Sources say the cancellation is a publicity stunt to generate nostalgia and interest in the program. Viewers might see a renewed version of the show back on the air in a matter of months. 

BET has attempted to reinvent itself in recent years. The cancelled "Uncut," a video show that aired uncensored videos and hired Reginald Hudlin to create some original programs for the network known for reruns and rap videos. BET might not be living up to its potential, but it's certainly not the joke it once was. Bringing back a dated and flawed franchise like Rap City would be a step backward. 

I hope it's just rumor. I hope Rap City is shut down for good and the network has moved on. Maybe, but I wouldn't BET on it.