Kris Kross were an American hip hop duo, composed of rappers Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith, formed by record producer Jermaine Dupri. They were the youngest hip-hop group to gain commercial success, with several charting releases by the ages of 12 and 13 years old, respectively. Smith and Kelly were discovered by Dupri in 1991, to whom they signed as the first act on the record label So So Def Recordings, and saw national recognition the following year with their 1992 debut single, "Jump", which remained atop the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). They went on to release three studio albums; their debut, Totally Krossed Out (1992) peaked atop the US Billboard 200, while their second and third, Da Bomb (1993) and Young, Rich & Dangerous (1996), both entered the top 20. The duo were also noted for their signature fashion style of backwards-clad attire.
Kelly died of a drug overdose on May 1, 2013.[1]
The friendship of Atlanta, Georgia natives James Christopher Kelly (August 11, 1978 – May 1, 2013)[2][3] and Christopher Smith (born January 10, 1979),[4] began in first grade.[5] The duo was discovered at Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta in 1990 by then-18-year-old Jermaine Dupri. According to Dupri, Kelly and Smith were not pursuing a record deal and were not rappers or musicians when he met them.[6] He was impressed with their style, and Kris Kross became the first artists signed to Dupri's So So Def label.
1992: Totally Krossed Out
Along with Dupri, the two signed a deal with Ruffhouse Records and recorded their debut album Totally Krossed Out. Entirely produced by Dupri, Totally Krossed Out was released on March 31, 1992, and sold four million copies in the U.S. It included the hit single "Jump", which topped the Billboard Hot 100 and held that position for eight weeks.[7]
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", also directed by Murray, won a Billboard video award for "Best New Artist",[citation needed] and got to No. 14 the same year as "Jump".[8] 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."[7]
1992–1996: Michael Jackson tour and additional media projects
A video game starring the pair, titled Kris Kross: Make My Video, was released in 1992 on the Sega CD 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's list of the "20 Worst Games of All Time".[12] Kris Kross made a cameo appearance in Ted Demme's film Who's the Man? (1993), which starred rapper Ed Lover and radio personality Doctor Dré of Yo! MTV Raps fame.[13]
Kris Kross were also part of the promotional campaign for Sprite in 1993 of which they recorded an exclusive rap, a promotional photoshoot, and a commercial for the brand.[14][15][16]
Both members of Kris Kross went to Woodward Academy in College Park, Georgia. Kelly studied mix-engineering, and founded C Connection Records.[19] Smith studied marketing and business management and founded One Life Entertainment, Inc.[20]
Final show
Kris Kross' last performance was in their hometown at the Fox Theatre for So So Def's 20th Anniversary concert on February 23, 2013.[21]
Death of Chris Kelly
On April 29, 2013, Chris Kelly was found unconscious in his Atlanta home and taken to the hospital.[22] 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 he was found unconscious, he filmed himself rapping in his home.[23][24] 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."[25][26]
The following day, Producer Jermaine Dupri tweeted 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."[27]
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.[28]
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