MC Hammer, the rapper who went from boom to bust in the wake of a chart-topping album and a lavish, yet costly, road show, will release a new album, "Family Affair," next month on his own Oaktown 3.5.7. label.

According to "Billboard," the sound of the new record, Hammer's first since 1995's "V Inside Out," features a funky, hip-hop feel to it, but is deeply rooted in Hammer's spirituality. The rapper had a hit in 1990 with the religiously-themed "Pray," a song which sampled Prince's "When Doves Cry.

Hammer is also developing a soundtrack for the film, "Return to Glory: The Powerful Stirring of the Black Man," and the rapper hopes to enlist some R&B and gospel performers to contribute material for the project.

After the release of "Family Affair," Hammer plans to embark on a tour of the U.S. and the Caribbean in June.