A critical backlash began over the repetitive nature of his lyrics, his clean-cut image, and his perceived over-reliance on sampling others' entire
hooks for the basis of his singles—criticisms also directed to his contemporary,
Vanilla Ice. He was mocked in music videos by
3rd Bass (including a
rap battle with
MC Serch),
The D.O.C., DJ Debranz, and
Ice Cube.
Oakland hip-hop group
Digital Underground criticized him in the CD insert of their
Sex Packets album by placing Hammer's picture in it and referring to him as an unknown
derelict.
Q Tip criticized him in "Check the Rhyme," asking, "What you say Hammer? Proper. Rap is not pop, if you call it that then stop."
LL Cool J dissed him in "To tha Break of Dawn" (from the
Mama Said Knock You Out album), calling Hammer an "amateur, swinging a Hammer from a bodybag [his pants]," and saying, "My old gym teacher ain't supposed to rap.", though this could have been seen as a response to Hammer calling him out in "Let's Get it Started", when he was mentioned along with
Run DMC and
Doug E Fresh as rappers that Hammer claimed to be better than. (LL Cool J would later compliment and commend Hammer's abilities/talents on
VH-1's
100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop, which aired in 2008). However,
Ice-T came to his defense on his 1991 album
O.G. Original Gangster: "A special shout out to my man M.C. Hammer: a lot of people dis you, man, but they just jealous." Ice-T later explained that he had nothing against people who were
pop-rap from the start, as Hammer had been, but only against
emceeswho switch from being hardcore or dirty to being pop-rap so that they can sell more records.