The former MC Hammer resurfaced with a new musical identity and rap approach on this 1994 album. Getting help from new-school producers and debuting a video on The Arsenio Hall Show, Hammer's sound was leaner, his rapping tougher and more fluid, and his subject matter harder and less humorous. The results seemed to have worked; Funky Headhunter peaked at number two on the R&B list, went gold, and remained in the Top 30 midway through the year.