Music Video
The music video (directed by Rupert Wainwright) for the song begins with an impatient crowd waiting for MC Hammer to perform, while Hammer has a lengthy conversation with James Brown, who calls Hammer "Godson" and enlists him to get the glove of Michael Jackson. Brown endows Hammer with several blasts of energy, before sending Hammer off to perform. The performance is high budget and laden with impressive pyrotechnics. The video ends with a purported Jackson (seen only from behind) having seen the performance and conceding Hammer to be the superior dancer, while doing the "2 Legit 2 Quit" hand gesture. Hammer personally spoke with Jackson on the phone about the video, with Jackson giving his approval of it.
The song's music video features several athletes. These athletes can be seen in the following order: José Canseco, Isiah Thomas, Kirby Puckett, Jerry Rice, Rickey Henderson, Deion Sanders, Andre Rison, Chris Mullin, Roger Clemens, Roger Craig, Ronnie Lott, Lynette Woodard, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, David Robinson, and former Atlanta Falcons coach Jerry Glanville. The extended full-length version of the video also has James Belushi within it.
The video was number 5 in MAX music's World's Worst Ever Video countdown and number 1 in its Forgotten Video Clips countdown in 2008. It was also voted number 24 on MTV's all-time "25 Lame" countdown in 1999. However, it has been ranked as one of the most expensive videos ever produced, and a viewer's favorite by VH1.
A hand gesture became popular as a result of the title song and video which was also shown in the "Addams Groove" movie video and on MTV. It involved forming the number two for "Too", an L for "Legit", and a "cut" motion for "Quit" with the hand and fingers (as seen in the video).
Read more about this topic: Too Legit To Quit (song)
Famous quotes containing the words music and/or video:
“As I define it, rock & roll is dead. The attitude isn’t dead, but the music is no longer vital. It doesn’t have the same meaning. The attitude, though, is still very much alive—and it still informs other kinds of music.”
—David Byrne (b. 1952)
“It is among the ranks of school-age children, those six- to twelve-year-olds who once avidly filled their free moments with childhood play, that the greatest change is evident. In the place of traditional, sometimes ancient childhood games that were still popular a generation ago, in the place of fantasy and make- believe play . . . today’s children have substituted television viewing and, most recently, video games.”
—Marie Winn (20th century)