Ten years ago today, May 1, 2013, Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly passed away at the age of 34. Kelly, who was one-half of the 1990s rap duo Kriss Kross, suffered from a drug overdose two days before his death, and eventually died at the hospital. The subsequent toxicology report revealed both heroin and cocaine in his system.
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Looking beyond a decade ago and more into the inception and execution of Kriss Kross, Kelly was an integral part of hip-hop’s radio presence in the ’90s. Alongside Chris “Daddy Mac” Smith, his childhood friend and the group’s other half, Kelly put out one of the most successful singles of the decade.
Kriss Kross’ Cultural Impact
When their debut single “Jump” was released in February 1992, Kelly and Smith instantaneously put the world on notice. Rocking their patented backward pants look in the song’s music video, the duo was unlike anything hip-hop had seen before.
With its infectious chorus, “Jump” skyrocketed to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, sitting atop the chart for eight straight weeks. Eventually, the debut album that the single was helping promote, titled Totally Krossed Out, would reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 as well.
The Mac Dad’ll make ya (Jump jump)
The Daddy Mac’ll make ya (Jump jump)
Kris Kross’ll make ya (Jump jump)
Topping every chart, fellow stars in hip-hop, pop, and R&B began to take notice. Still pre-teens at the time, Kriss Kross was able to land cameos in music videos from Michael Jackson, TLC, and Run-D.M.C. Additionally, Jackson would bring the duo along for the European leg of his 1992 Dangerous World Tour, where they would serve as opening acts.
Although the years following 1992 would see a decline for Kriss Kross, with underwhelming album releases and an eventual split, their influence still remained. In fact, following Kelly’s passing, hip-hop icon LL Cool J dedicated his song “Jump On It,” the fourteenth song from his 2013 album, Authentic, to Kelly.
“R.I.P Chris Kelly. This song is now officially dedicated to you. May GOD embrace your soul & lift up your family,” Cool J tweeted.
Nicki Minaj also gave Kelly his flowers via Twitter post-death.
The Aftermath of Chris Kelly’s Death
Before LL Cool J and Minaj gave their two cents, the two most important people in Kelly’s career made passionate remarks. Once Kelly was officially pronounced dead, Chris Smith, who was much more than just the other member of Kriss Kross to him, released a statement. A lifelong companion to Kelly, Smith’s first public words after his friend’s passing could not have been more poignant and heartfelt.
“Chris Kelly was my Best Friend,” he wrote. “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.”
Shortly after came a statement from Jermaine Dupri, who discovered Kriss Kross at a mall in Atlanta in 1991 while they were performing for shoppers. Signees to Dupri’s Ruffhouse Records, Kriss Kross’ success was one of the highlights of Dupri’s career. When putting out a statement following Kelly’s death, Dupri spoke about how special Kelly was beyond just his artistry.
“To the world Chris was MacDaddy but to me, he was a son I never had,” he said. “As much as you may think I taught him, he taught me. God has blessed me to be in the presence of so many naturally talented people, and Chris was one… To millions of fans worldwide, he was the trendsetting, backwards pants-wearing one-half of Kris Kross who loved making music. But to us, he was just Chris —the kind, generous and fun-loving life of the party.”
Photo by Michel Linssen/Redferns
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