As quickly as Hammer rose to the top of the music world, he just as rapidly fell from its pinnacle. Just six years after the success of his landmark album, Hammer filed for bankruptcy. In court he claimed assets of $9.6 million against debts that neared $14 million.
At the height of his spending, Hammer employed 40 people, bought a $30 million home (later sold), and owned at least 17 cars as well as several racehorses. His list of creditors included football star Deion Sanders, who had loaned him $500,000.
Recent Years
As hip-hop evolved as a music form, Hammer tried to keep up. Throughout the 1990s and the first decade of the 2000s, Hammer continued to write and record music. In all he's released more than 10 albums during his long career, but nothing has ever matched the celebrity and sales that greeted his records in the early 1990s.
In recent years the businessman in Hammer has put him in the middle of a number of different business opportunities, from fashion to tech to mixed martial arts. In addition, he's appeared in several different commercials and television shows.
In February of 2013 Hammer was arrested at a shopping center in northern California. The arrest followed a verbal altercation with a police officer who had pulled him over in a car that wasn't registered in his name. A few weeks later, the charges against Hammer were dropped.
Since 1985 Hammer has been married to Stephanie Fuller. The couple has five children together. The family lives in Tracy, California.