Kris Krosswere an Americanhip hopduo, composed of rappers Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith, formed by record producerJermaine 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 his record labelSo So Def Recordings.
| Kris Kross | |
|---|---|
 Smith (left) and Kelly in 1996 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Atlanta, Georgia,U.S. |
| Genres | Southern hip hop |
| Years active |
|
| Labels | |
| Producer(s) | Jermaine Dupri |
| Past members |
|
The duo saw national recognition the following year with their 1992 debut single, "Jump",which remained atop theBillboardHot 100 for eight weeks and received double platinum certification by theRecording Industry Association of America(RIAA). They went on to release three studio albums; their debut,Totally Krossed Out(1992) peaked atop the USBillboard200, while their second and third,Da Bomb(1993) andYoung, 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]
History
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The friendship ofAtlanta, Georgianatives 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-oldJermaine 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'sSo So Deflabel.
1992:Totally Krossed Out
editAlong with Dupri, the two signed a deal withRuffhouse Recordsand recorded their debut albumTotally Krossed Out.Entirely produced by Dupri,Totally Krossed Outwas released on March 31, 1992, and sold four million copies in the U.S. It included the hit single "Jump",which topped theBillboardHot 100and 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 onMTVand 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 aBillboardvideo award for "Best New Artist",[citation needed]and got to No. 14 the same year as "Jump".[8]WritesThe 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
editThe duo landed a spot onMichael Jackson's 1992 EuropeanDangerous World Touras well as acameo appearanceon Jackson's music video for his 1992 single "Jam".Additionally, they made appearances in the music videos forRun-D.M.C.'s "Down with the King"(1993) andTLC's "Hat 2 da Back"(1992), and they were featured in an episode ofA Different Worldand as the closing musical act on the May 29, 1992, episode ofIn Living Color.[9][10][11]
A video game starring the pair, titledKris Kross: Make My Video,was released in 1992 on theSega CDsystem. 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 onElectronic Gaming Monthly's list of the "20 Worst Games of All Time".[12]Kris Kross made acameo appearanceinTed Demme's filmWho's the Man?(1993), which starred rapperEd Loverand radio personalityDoctor DréofYo! MTV Rapsfame.[13]
Kris Kross were also part of the promotional campaign forSpritein 1993 of which they recorded an exclusive rap, a promotional photoshoot, and a commercial for the brand.[14][15][16]
1993:Da Bomb
editThe duo's second album,Da Bomb(1993), wascertified platinumand spawned the hits "Alright" featuringSuper Cat,"I'm Real", and "Da Bomb" featuringDa Brat,whom Smith had discovered. Most of their songs had been directed at rivalsDa Youngstas,Illegal,andAnother Bad Creation.[17]
1996:Young, Rich & Dangerous
editA third album,Young, Rich & Dangerous,was released in early 1996 and wascertified gold.It spawned the two hits "Tonite's tha Night"and"Live and Die for Hip Hop".[18]
Education
editBoth members of Kris Kross went toWoodward AcademyinCollege 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
editKris Kross' last performance was in their hometown at theFox TheatreforSo So Def's 20th Anniversary concert on February 23, 2013.[21]
Death of Chris Kelly
editOn 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 theAtlanta 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 Dupritweeteda "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, includingheroin and cocaine.[28]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Year | Album detail | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [29] |
US R&B [30] |
AUS [31] |
AUT [32] |
SWE [33] |
UK [34] | ||||
| 1992 | Totally Krossed Out
|
1 | 1 | 7 | 33 | 30 | 31 | ||
| 1993 | Da Bomb
|
13 | 2 | 133 | — | — | — | ||
| 1996 | Young, Rich & Dangerous
|
15 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Remix albums
edit| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1996 | Best of Kris Kross Remixed '92 '94 '96
|
Compilation albums
edit| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1998 | Gonna Make U Jump
|
Singles
edit| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) |
Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [39] |
AUS [31] |
BEL (Fl) [40] |
CAN [41] |
FRA [42] |
IRE [43] |
NZ [44] |
SWI [45] |
SWE [46] |
UK [34] | |||||
| 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"(withSuper Cat) | 19 | 97 | — | — | — | — | 8 | — | — | 47 |
|
Da Bomb | |
| "I'm Real" | 84 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1994 | "Da Bomb"(withDa Brat) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1995 | "Tonite's tha Night" | 12 | 123 | — | — | — | — | 11 | 48 | — | — |
|
Young, Rich, & Dangerous | |
| 1996 | "Live and Die for Hip Hop" | 72 | — | — | — | — | — | 30 | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||||||||
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Kris Kross | Best New Artist | Nominated |
| 1993 | "Jump" | Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group | Nominated |
References
edit- ^"Kris Kross rapper Chris Kelly died of drugs overdose".BBC News.July 2, 2013.RetrievedMay 1,2021.
- ^Caramanica, Jon (May 2, 2013)."Chris Kelly, of Hip-Hop Duo Kris Kross, Dies at 34".The New York Times.RetrievedAugust 7,2022.
- ^"Chris Kelly: Rapper (1978–2013)".Biography.com.Archivedfrom the original on August 18, 2019.RetrievedFebruary 1,2020.
- ^"UPI Almanac for Friday, Jan. 10, 2020".United Press International.January 10, 2020.Archivedfrom the original on January 15, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 1,2020.
…rapper Chris Smith in 1979 (age 41)
- ^Betts, Stephen (May 3, 2013)."Kris Kross' Chris Smith Mourns Death of Chris Kelly".Rolling Stone.RetrievedFebruary 23,2016.
- ^"Jermaine Dupri On The Real Story Behind Turning Kris Kross Into Stars | GRAMMY.com".www.grammy.com.RetrievedJanuary 5,2024.
- ^abJim Farber (May 2, 2013)."Chris Kelly dead at 34: Jermaine Dupri calls Kris Kross rapper 'the son I never had'".New York Daily News.
- ^Billboard.October 17, 1992. p. 79.RetrievedOctober 31,2017.
- ^"Run DMC ft Pete Rock & CL Smooth" Down With The King "(1993)".hiphopgoldenage.com.RetrievedOctober 31,2017.
- ^"Season 6, Episode 11 The Original Teacher".tvguide.com.RetrievedOctober 31,2017.
- ^Spradley, Jermaine (May 2, 2013)."Jump, Jump: Kris Kross' Amazing 'In Living Color' Performance".huffingtonpost.com.RetrievedOctober 31,2017.
- ^"EGM's Crapstravaganza: The 20 Worst Games of All Time".Seanbaby.com.RetrievedOctober 13,2017.
- ^"Who's the Man? (1993) Full Cast & Crew".IMDB.com.RetrievedOctober 31,2017.
- ^Klingman, Jeff (May 2, 2013)."Was the Kriss Kross Sprite Ad the Catchiest Rap Jingle of All Time?".L Magazine.RetrievedAugust 6,2021.
- ^"The Best Hip-Hop and R&B Soda Commercials of the 90s The Best Hip-Hop and R&B Soda Commercials of the 90s".RetrievedAugust 6,2021.
- ^"'Totally Krossed Out' Forever: Remembering Chris Kelly ".ebony.com. May 2, 2013.RetrievedAugust 6,2021.
- ^Perrone, Pierre."Chris Kelly: Rapper who hit the charts with the '90s duo Kriss Kross".independent.co.uk.RetrievedOctober 31,2017.
- ^Huey, Steve (January 9, 1996)."Young, Rich & Dangerous – About Kris Kross".itunes.apple.com.RetrievedOctober 31,2017.
- ^Grossberg, Josh (May 2, 2013)."Chris Kelly Death: Kris Kross' Chris Smith Mourns His" Best Friend "and" Brother "".eonline.com.RetrievedOctober 31,2017.
- ^"ONE LIFE ENTERTAINMENT, INC. Company Information".georgia-register.com.Archived fromthe originalon November 7, 2017.RetrievedOctober 31,2017.
- ^"Kris Kross Is Back for the '90s Reunion You Didn't Even Know You Wanted—But You Do Now, Jump! Jump!".E! Online. January 16, 2013.RetrievedMay 3,2013.
- ^Nudd, Tim (May 2, 2013)."Chris Kelly's Mother: My Son Was the 'Life of the Party'".People.
...found unresponsive in his home on Monday...
- ^Fleeman, Mike."Chris Kelly's Death: Kris Kross Member Died of Overdose".People.Archived fromthe originalon May 5, 2013.RetrievedFebruary 23,2016.
- ^Staff (May 1, 2013)."UPDATE: Kris Kross Rapper, Chris 'Mac Daddy' Kelly, Dead At 34 From Suspected Drug Overdose [VIDEO]".NewsOne for Black America.
- ^Fleeman, Mike (May 2, 2013)."Chris Kelly Used Cocaine and Heroin Before Death".People.Archived fromthe originalon May 5, 2013.
- ^"Chris Kelly".The Daily Telegraph.London, UK. May 12, 2013.Archivedfrom the original on January 12, 2022.
- ^Grossberg, Josh (May 2, 2013). "Chris Kelly Death: Kris Kross' Chris Smith Mourns His 'Best Friend' and 'Brother'".E! News ". May 2, 2013.
- ^Duke, Alan (July 3, 2013)."Kris Kross' Chris Kelly died from overdose, autopsy says".CNN.
- ^"Kris Kross Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200".Billboard.RetrievedSeptember 18,2010.
- ^"Kris Kross Album & Song Chart History – R&B/Hip-Hop Albums".Billboard.RetrievedSeptember 18,2010.
- ^abAustralian (ARIA Chart) peaks:
- Top 50 peaks:"australian-charts.com – Kris Kross in Australian Charts".Hung Medien.RetrievedApril 2,2016.
- Top 100 peaks:Ryan, Gavin (2011).Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010.Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- All:"Kriss Kross ARIA chart history, received from ARIA in December 2024".ARIA.RetrievedDecember 29,2024– via Imgur.com.N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
- ^"austriancharts.at – Austria Top 40".austriancharts.at.RetrievedSeptember 19,2010.
- ^"swedishcharts.com – Swedish charts portal".swedishcharts.com.RetrievedSeptember 19,2010.
- ^ab"Official Charts – Kris Kross".The Official UK Charts Company.RetrievedApril 2,2016.
- ^abRyan, Gavin (2011).Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010.Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ^ab"Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Gold & Platinum".Canadian Recording Industry Association.Archived fromthe originalon October 19, 2010.RetrievedSeptember 19,2010.
- ^abc"RIAA – Gold & Platinum – September 19, 2010: Kris Kross certified singles".Recording Industry Association of America.RetrievedSeptember 19,2010.
- ^Light, Alan, ed. (1999).The Vibe History of Hip Hop.New York: Three Rivers Press. p. 132.ISBN0-609-80503-7.
- ^"Kris Kross Album & Song Chart History – Hot 100".Billboard.RetrievedSeptember 18,2010.
- ^"ultratop.be – Belgian charts portal".ultratop.be.RetrievedSeptember 19,2010.
- ^"Results – RPM – Library and Archives Canada".Collectionscanada.gc.ca.Archived fromthe originalon March 5, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 23,2016.
- ^"lescharts.com – French charts portal".lescharts.com.RetrievedSeptember 19,2010.
- ^"irishcharts.ie – Irish charts portal".irishcharts.ie. Archived fromthe originalon July 21, 2011.RetrievedSeptember 19,2010.
- ^"charts.nz – New Zealand charts portal".charts.nz.RetrievedSeptember 19,2010.
- ^"swisscharts.com– Swiss charts portal".swisscharts.com.RetrievedSeptember 19,2010.
- ^"swedishcharts.com – Swedish charts portal".swedishcharts.com.RetrievedSeptember 19,2010.
- ^abcd"RIAA – Gold & Platinum – September 19, 2010: Kris Kross certified singles".Recording Industry Association of America.Archived fromthe originalon August 26, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 19,2010.
- ^"British single certifications – Kris Kross – Jump".British Phonographic Industry.RetrievedMay 28,2023.
- ^"French single certifications – Kris Kross – Jump".SNEP.RetrievedMay 28,2023.
- ^"All GRAMMY Awards and Nominations for Kris Kross".Grammy.com.RetrievedJune 11,2023.
