Kris Kross was an American
hip hop duo that consisted of Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith.
Kris Kross was the youngest hip-hop duo to gain success, with gold and platinum albums at 12 and 13 years old. The duo was discovered by
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ.
Early life
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...
in 1991 and hit worldwide status the following year with their smash hit debut single, "
Jump
Jumping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory.
Jump or Jumping also may refer to:
Places
* Jump, Kentucky or Jump S ...
", which topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for eight weeks and was certified double platinum as a single. They went on to release three studio albums, with their debut album ''
Totally Krossed Out'' topping the US ''Billboard'' 200, and their following albums, ''
Da Bomb'' and ''
Young, Rich & Dangerous'' making it into the Top 20. The duo were also noted for their signature fashion style of wearing their clothes backwards.
Chris Kelly died of a drug overdose on May 1, 2013. He has been referenced on the albums or songs of
Eminem,
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
,
2Pac
Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...
,
Method Man
Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of ...
, and many more.
History
The friendship of
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
natives, James Christopher Kelly (August 11, 1978 – May 1, 2013)
and Christopher Smith (born January 10, 1979), began in first grade. The duo was discovered at Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta in 1991 by then-19-year-old
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ.
Early life
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...
.
''Totally Krossed Out,'' 1992
Along with Dupri, the two signed a deal with
Ruffhouse Records
Ruffhouse Records is an American record label founded in 1989 by Chris Schwartz and Joe Nicolo as a joint venture with Columbia Records. In 1999, Schwartz and Nicolo closed the label, and Schwartz and Kevon Glickman continued with RuffNation ...
and recorded their debut album ''
Totally Krossed Out'' (1992). Entirely produced by Dupri, ''Totally Krossed Out'' was released March 31 that year and sold four million copies in the U.S. It included the hit single "
Jump
Jumping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory.
Jump or Jumping also may refer to:
Places
* Jump, Kentucky or Jump S ...
", which became the first rap song to top the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 for eight weeks.
The music videos from the album also experienced major success. The video for "Jump", directed by filmmaker Rich Murray, went to No. 1 on
MTV and sold over 100,000 copies as a VHS video single. The video for their follow-up single, "
Warm It Up
"Warm It Up" is the second single released from Kris Kross' debut album, ''Totally Krossed Out''. Produced and written by Jermaine Dupri, "Warm It Up" was released as the follow-up to the duo's multi-platinum chart topping hit, "Jump" on June 4, ...
", also directed by Murray, won a ''Billboard'' video award for "Best New Artist", and got to No. 14 the same year as "Jump". Writes ''The New York Daily News Jim Farber: "Together, that was enough to propel the duo's debut album, ''Totally Krossed Out'', to multi-platinum status."
Michael Jackson tour and additional media projects (1992–1998)
The duo landed a spot on
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
's 1992 European
Dangerous World Tour
The Dangerous World Tour was the second world concert tour by American singer Michael Jackson to promote his eighth studio album '' Dangerous.'' The tour was sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. All profits were donated to various charities including Jack ...
as well as a
cameo appearance
A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...
on Jackson's music video for his 1992 single "
Jam
Jam is a type of fruit preserve.
Jam or Jammed may also refer to:
Other common meanings
* A firearm malfunction
* Block signals
** Radio jamming
** Radar jamming and deception
** Mobile phone jammer
** Echolocation jamming
Arts and ente ...
". Additionally, they made appearances in the music videos for
Run-D.M.C.
Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of ...
's "
Down with the King" (1993) and
TLC
TLC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Television
* ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2
* TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network
** TLC (Asia), an A ...
's "
Hat 2 da Back
"Hat 2 da Back" is a song by American girl group TLC from their debut studio album, '' Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip'' (1992). It was released as the album's fourth and final single. The song contains samples of "Big Ole Butt" by LL Cool J and "Wha ...
" (1992), and they were featured in an episode of ''
A Different World
''A Different World'' is an American sitcom (and a spin-off of '' The Cosby Show'') television series that aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987 to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) a ...
'' and as the closing musical act on the May 29, 1992, episode of ''
In Living Color
''In Living Color'' is an American sketch comedy television series that originally ran on Fox from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Keenen Ivory Wayans created, wrote and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in ...
''.
A video game starring the pair, titled ''
Kris Kross: Make My Video'', was released in 1992 on the
Sega CD
The Sega CD, released as the in most regions outside North America and Brazil, is a CD-ROM accessory for the Sega Genesis produced by Sega as part of the fourth generation of video game consoles. It was released on December 12, 1991, in Japan ...
system. It consisted of the players editing together the group's music videos for a few of their hit songs—using portions of the original music videos,
stock footage, and general video animation effects. Players were prompted before each editing session to make sure to have certain footage compiled into the video. It was ranked 18th on ''
Electronic Gaming Monthly
''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews.
History
The m ...
s list of the "20 Worst Games of All Time". Kris Kross made a
cameo appearance
A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...
in
Ted Demme
Edward Kern Demme ( ; October 26, 1963 – January 13, 2002) was an American director, producer, and actor.
Early life
Demme was born in New York City, the son of Gail (née Kern) and Frederick Rogers Demme. He grew up in Rockville Centre, New ...
's film ''
Who's the Man?
''Who's the Man?'' is a 1993 thriller buddy comedy film directed by Ted Demme in his feature film directing debut. The film stars '' Yo! MTV Raps'' hosts Doctor Dré and Ed Lover as its two main protagonists and features cameo appearances fro ...
'' (1993), which starred rapper
Ed Lover and radio personality
Doctor Dré
André "Doctor Dré" Brown (born December 5, 1963) is an American rapper, radio personality and former MTV VJ.
Early life
André Brown was born and raised in Westbury, New York, on Long Island. Career
In the early 1980s, Doctor Dré was a DJ ...
of ''
Yo! MTV Raps
''Yo! MTV Raps'' is an American two-hour television music video program, which first aired on MTV Europe from 1987 to mid-90s and on MTV US from August 1988 to August 1995. The American version of the program (created by Ted Demme and Peter Doug ...
'' fame.
Kris Kross were also part of the promotional campaign for
Sprite in 1993 of which they recorded an exclusive rap, a promotional photoshoot and commercial for the brand.
''Da Bomb'' (1993)
The duo's second album, ''
Da Bomb'' (1993), was
certified platinum
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
and spawned the hits "Alright" featuring
Super Cat
William Anthony Maragh (born 25 June 1963),Huey, Steve " Super Cat Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 18 July 2010 also known as Super Cat, is a Jamaican deejay who achieved widespread popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s dancehall mo ...
, "I'm Real", and "Da Bomb" featuring
Da Brat
Shawntae Harris-Dupart (born April 14, 1974), better known by her stage name Da Brat, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, she began her career in 1992, the year she signed with So So Def Records. Her debut album '' Fun ...
, whom Smith had discovered. Most of their songs had been directed at rivals
Da Youngstas
Da Youngsta's is an American rap group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great ...
,
Illegal
Illegal, or unlawful, typically describes something that is explicitly prohibited by law, or is otherwise forbidden by a state or other governing body.
Illegal may also refer to:
Law
* Violation of law
* Crime, the practice of breaking the ...
, and
Another Bad Creation.
''Young, Rich & Dangerous'' (1996)
A third album, ''
Young, Rich & Dangerous'', was released in early 1996 and was
certified gold
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
. It spawned the two hits "
Tonite's tha Night" and "
Live and Die for Hip Hop".
Education
Both members of Kris Kross went to
Woodward Academy
Woodward Academy (also known as Woodward or WA) is an independent, co-educational college-preparatory school for pre-kindergarten to 12th grade on two campuses located in College Park and Johns Creek, Georgia, United States, within the Atlanta ...
in
College Park, Georgia
College Park is a city in Fulton and Clayton counties, Georgia, United States, adjacent to the southern boundary of the city of Atlanta. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,930. Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport is part ...
. Kelly studied mix-engineering, and founded C Connection Records. Smith studied marketing and business management and founded One Life Entertainment, Inc.
Final show
Kris Kross' last performance was in their hometown at the
Fox Theatre for
So So Def
So So Def Recordings is an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and owned by producer Jermaine Dupri, specializing in Southern hip hop, R&B and bass music. So So Def has managed artists such as Bow Wow, Kris Kross, T ...
's 20th Anniversary concert in 2013.
Death of Chris Kelly
On April 29, 2013, Chris Kelly was found unconscious in his Atlanta home and taken to the hospital. Two days later, on May 1, he was pronounced dead around 5 p.m. on the south campus of the
Atlanta Medical Center; he was 34 years old. Apparently one day before his death, he filmed himself rapping in his home. According to the police report documents, Kelly had been brought home to recover from his drug use, as he had done several times in the past. His uncle told police that Kelly "had an extensive history of drug abuse."
The following day, Dupri
tweeted
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
a "letter to fans", in which he referred to Kelly as "a son that I never had", and praised Kelly as an artist. Chris Smith wrote, "Chris Kelly was my Best Friend. He was like a brother. I love him and will miss him dearly. Our friendship began as little boys in first grade. We grew up together. It was a blessing to achieve the success, travel the world and entertain Kris Kross fans all around the world with my best friend. It is what we wanted to do and what brought us happiness. I will always cherish the memories of the C-Connection."
Numerous other artists and fans publicly acknowledged Kelly's death, some citing Kris Kross or Kelly as their inspiration or their reason for entering the music industry. On July 1, a toxicology report was released stating that Kelly died from a drug overdose. According to the Fulton County Medical Examiner Office, the toxicology screening showed that Kelly had a mixture of drugs in his system, including
heroin and cocaine. Kelly is buried at the Westview Cemetery in Atlanta.
Discography
Studio albums
Remix albums
Compilation albums
Singles
References
External links
Billboard Magazine: Kris KrossChris "Mac Daddy" Kelly at Find A Grave
{{Authority control
1990 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
1998 disestablishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
African-American musical groups
American musical duos
Columbia Records artists
Hip hop duos
Musical groups disestablished in 1998
Musical groups established in 1990
Musical groups from Atlanta
Ruffhouse Records artists
Southern hip hop groups