MC Hammer’s song “U Can’t Touch This” was released in 1990, soaring to the top of the charts. The album, “Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em” sold more than 10 million copies due to this song. Over two decades later, “U Can’t Touch This” is still played in pubs and clubs around the world, and has become a classic party anthem that has been remixed dozens of times by DJs and musicians.
The music video for “U Can’t Touch This” shows examples of typical 90s fashions. For women, spandex was in, as were frizzy, animated hairstyles. Neon colors were used as highlights on black fabrics, and accessories were over-sized and either brightly colored or polished to a high sheen. Men of the 90s briefly enjoyed Aladdin-style pants that flared out around the thighs, paired with a tailored waist-length jacket. Some of these 90s fashions are reappearing in the form of tight leggings and bright colors set against a solid background of either black or white. Even the dance styles shown in MC Hammer’s videos are making a comeback in the form of the dubstep shuffle, hardstyle and jumpstyle. MC Hammer and other musicians of his time are the roots for modern music styles and fashions, inspiring the current generation to reinvent popular moves and clothing from the past.
