Kris Kross

This article is about the hip-hop duo. For the other American singer-songwriter, see Christopher Cross.
Kris Kross

Kris Kross (Smith on left; Kelly at right) in 1996
Background information
Origin Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genres Hip hop
Years active 1991–2001
2013 (reunion)
Labels
Associated acts
Past members Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith
Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly (deceased)

Kris Kross was an American hip hop group formed in the early 1990s, consisting of James Christopher "Mac Daddy" or "Miggida Miggida Mac" Kelly (August 11, 1978 – May 1, 2013) and Christopher "Daddy Mac" Smith (born January 10, 1979). The duo hit worldwide status with the smash 1992 "Jump", which was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and certified double platinum as a single. The duo followed up with many more platinum, gold singles and albums such as "Warm It Up", "Tonight's tha Night" and "Young, Rich & Dangerous". Kris Kross was also noted for their fashion style, which consisted of wearing their clothing backwards. James Christopher Kelly and Christopher Smith's friendship began in first grade. The duo was discovered at an Atlanta shopping mall in 1991 by then 19-year-old Jermaine Dupri.

History

Cover art for Totally Krossed Out, the debut album of Kris Kross. Kelly on the left, Smith on the right.

Atlanta natives James Christopher Kelly (August 11, 1978 – May 1, 2013)[1] and Christopher Smith's (born January 10, 1979) friendship began in first grade.[2] The duo was discovered at an Atlanta shopping mall in 1991 by then 19-year-old Jermaine Dupri.[3][4]

Totally Krossed Out

Along with Dupri, they signed a deal with Ruffhouse Records 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", which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks, "becoming the first rap song to have achieved so long a run at the top. No other rap song had led the chart for that length of time."[5]

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", 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, 'Totally Krossed Out,' to multi-platinum status."[5]

Michael Jackson tour and additional media projects, 1992–1998

The duo landed a spot on Michael Jackson's 1992 European Dangerous World Tour, as well as a cameo appearance on Jackson's "Jam" music video (1991). Additionally, they made appearances in the music videos for Run-D.M.C.'s "Down with the King" (1993) and TLC's "Hat 2 Da Back" (1992), and they were featured in an episode of A Different World and as the closing musical act on the May 29, 1992 episode of In Living Color.

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 player's 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. The game was released only in the United States to poor sales figures and dismal reviews. It was ranked 18th on Electronic Gaming Monthly's list of the "20 Worst Games of All Time".[6]

Kris Kross made a cameo appearance in Ted Demme's film Who's the Man? (1993), which starred Ed Lover and Doctor Dré of Yo! MTV Raps fame.

Da Bomb (1993)

Their second album, Da Bomb (1993), was certified platinum and spawned the hits "Alright" featuring Super Cat, "I'm Real", and "Da Bomb" featuring Da Brat whom Smith discovered. Most of their songs had been directed at rivals Da Youngstas, Illegal, and Another Bad Creation.

Young, Rich & Dangerous

A third album, Young, Rich & Dangerous, was released in early 1996 and was certified gold. It spawned the two hits "Tonite's tha Night" and "Live and Die for Hip Hop".

Judgement Records, fourth album and first hiatus

Judgement Records is a record label, started by Joe Nicolo in 1999 after Ruffhouse Records was dissolved. Kris Kross followed Nicolo to his new label and recorded their 25 tracked fourth album in 2000-2001. The album was never released.

Education

Kelly studied 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's 20th Anniversary concert in 2013.[7]

Legacy

Kris Kross was the youngest rap duo to gain success, with gold and platinum albums, at 11 and 12 years old. Kris Kross has been referenced on the albums or songs of Dr. Dre, 2Pac, Method Man and many more.

Chris Kelly's death

On May 1, 2013, Chris Kelly was found unconscious in his Atlanta home. He was pronounced dead around 5 p.m. on the south campus of the Atlanta Medical Center; he was 34 years old.[8][9][10] 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."[11][12] The following day, Dupri tweeted a "letter to fans," in which he referred to Kelly as "a son I never had", and praised Kelly as an artist. Numerous other artists and fans publicly acknowledged Kelly's death, some of them citing Kris Kross or Kelly as their inspiration (e.g., Ludacris)[13] or as an entré into the music industry (e.g., Kandi Burruss).[14] 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 shows that Kelly had a mixture of drugs in his system, including cocaine and heroin.[15]

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album detail Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
US
[16]		 US R&B
[17]		 AUS
[18]		 AUT
[19]		 SWE
[20]		 UK
[21]
1992 Totally Krossed Out 1 1 7 33 30 31
1993 Da Bomb
  • Second studio album
  • Release date: August 3, 1993
  • Label: Ruffhouse/Columbia Records
 13 2 — — — —
1996 Young, Rich & Dangerous
  • Third studio album
  • Release date: January 9, 1996
  • Label: Ruffhouse/Columbia Records
 15 2 — — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Remix albums

Year Album details
1996 Best of Kris Kross Remixed '92 '94 '96
  • First remix album
  • Release date: November 26, 1996
  • Label: Ruffhouse/Columbia Records

Compilation albums

Year Album details
1998 Gonna Make U Jump
  • First compilation album
  • Release date: April 28, 1998
  • Label: Ruffhouse/Columbia Records

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)		 Album
US
[25]		 AUS
[18]		 BEL
(Vl)
[26]		 CAN
[27]		 FRA
[28]		 IRE
[29]		 NZ
[30]		 SUI
[31]		 SWE
[32]		 UK
[21]
1992 "Jump" 1 1 3 11 5 1 1 1 2 2 Totally Krossed Out
"Warm It Up" 13 21 21 — 44 16 3 34 34 16
"I Missed the Bus" 63 95 — — — — 28 — — 57
"It's a Shame" — — 35 — — 27 19 — — 31
1993 "Alright" 19 97 — — — — 8 — — 47 Da Bomb
"I'm Real" 84 — — — — — — — — —
1994 "Da Bomb" (with Da Brat) — — — — — — — — — —
1995 "Tonite's tha Night" 12 — — — — — 11 48 — — Young, Rich, & Dangerous
1996 "Live and Die for Hip Hop" 72 — — — — — 30 — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

References

  1. ↑ "Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly (1978 - 2013) - Find A Grave Photos". Findagrave.com. 2013-10-22. Retrieved 2016-02-23.
  2. ↑ Betts, Stephen (2013-05-03). "Kris Kross' Chris Smith Mourns Death of Chris Kelly". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2016-02-23.
  3. ↑ Archived September 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ↑ The Billboard book of number 1 hits – Google Books. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
  5. 1 2 Jim Farber (May 2, 2013). "Chris Kelly dead at 34: Jermaine Dupri calls Kris Kross rapper ‘the son I never had’". New York Daily News.
  6. ↑ "EGM's Crapstravaganza: The 20 Worst Games of All Time". Seanbaby.com. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
  7. ↑ "Kris Kross Is Back for the '90s Reunion You Didn't Even Know You Wanted—But You Do Now, Jump! Jump!". E! Online. 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  8. ↑ Fleeman, Mike. "Chris Kelly's Death: Kris Kross Member Died of Overdose". People.com. Retrieved 2016-02-23.
  9. ↑ "OVERDOSE SUSPECTED IN DEATH OF KRIS KROSS RAPPER". Associated Press. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  10. ↑ NewsOne Staff (May 1, 2013). "UPDATE: Kris Kross Rapper, Chris 'Mac Daddy' Kelly, Dead At 34 From Suspected Drug Overdose [VIDEO]". NewsOne For Black America.
  11. ↑ Mike Fleeman (May 2, 2013). "Chris Kelly Used Cocaine and Heroin Before Death". People.
  12. ↑ "Chris Kelly". The Daily Telegraph (London). May 12, 2013.
  13. ↑ Bethonie Butler (May 2, 2013). "Chris Kelly of Kris Kross dies: A look at his enduring place in hip-hop". Washington Post.
  14. ↑ Jerry L. Barrow, Senior Editor (May 2, 2013). "Kandi Burruss Remembers Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO]". The Urban Daily.
  15. ↑ Duke, Alan (July 3, 2013). "Kris Kross' Chris Kelly died from overdose, autopsy says". CNN.
  16. ↑ "Kris Kross Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  17. ↑ "Kris Kross Album & Song Chart History – R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  18. 1 2 Australian (ARIA Chart) peaks:
  19. ↑ "austriancharts.at – Austria Top 40". austriancharts.at. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
  20. ↑ "swedishcharts.com – Swedish charts portal". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
  21. 1 2 "Official Charts – Kris Kross". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  22. 1 2 Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  23. 1 2 "Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Gold & Platinum". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
  24. 1 2 3 "RIAA – Gold & Platinum – September 19, 2010: Kris Kross certified singles". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
  25. ↑ "Kris Kross Album & Song Chart History – Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  26. ↑ "ultratop.be – Belgian charts portal". ultratop.be. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
  27. ↑ "Results - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-02-23.
  28. ↑ "lescharts.com – French charts portal". lescharts.com. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
  29. ↑ "irishcharts.ie – Irish charts portal". irishcharts.ie. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
  30. ↑ "charts.org.nz – New Zealand charts portal". charts.org.nz. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
  31. ↑ "swisscharts.com– Swiss charts portal". swisscharts.com. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
  32. ↑ "swedishcharts.com – Swedish charts portal". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
  33. 1 2 3 4 "RIAA – Gold & Platinum – September 19, 2010: Kris Kross certified singles". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 19, 2010.

External links

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