Inside Out is the sixth studio album by American rapper MC Hammer (fifth excluding his independent debut). It was released via Giant Records and Reprise Records on September 12, 1995. After the slight decrease in popularity and sales of his previous album, The Funky Headhunter (which was certified platinum as opposed to multi-platinum like his older albums), Hammer returned to his previous pop rap image.
Inside Out featured emotionally-driven gospel dance tracks. The album spawned two singles: "Sultry Funk" and "Goin' Up Yonder". "Nothing But Love (A Song for Eazy)" was dedicated to Eazy-E, who had died in 1995. In contrast to his prior albums, the singles did not go as far as previous releases.
The album peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, but only reached number 119 on the Billboard 200, causing Giant Records to drop Hammer and his Oaktown Records subsidiary from the label. The album received positive reviews.
Critical reception
AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine felt that Hammer was "unsure of himself throughout the album, attempting to gain some street credibility and a mass audience simultaneously." He concluded that, "[T]he result is a record that has a few good isolated moments, but never delivers a knockout punch, let alone a memorable hook or groove."
- "If You Want Me to Stay" by Sly and the Family Stone
Personnel
Adapted from the liner notes of Inside Out.