Okay so I grew up around Hammer's time but was never a die-hard fan. (Okay maybe I went through my period of it but anyways..)

I've heard that someoen said they viewed MC Hammer as the "Michael Jackson of rap music." (In his hey-day at least..)

So I was curious why? Was it because of the dancing? I remember hearing something about him challenging Mike to a dance contest?

Or was it because of the outfits? Or was he really innovative for rap musicians music videos? (Like Michael was with Thriller)

I know this might seem silly to ask but I'm curious..thanks..

I'd say the dancing/videos. Hammer was king of overblown video spectacles that were directly influenced by Jacko. They both were fond of the "throw 3 million dollars at a clip and see what turned out" form of making vids.

Don't believe me? Check out "Black or White" and "2 Legit 2 Quit"... both born out of the same school of thought...