Kris Kross

Kris Kross was a 1990s chart-topping platinum-certified American rap duo comprised of Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly and Chris “Daddy Mac” Smith.

One day in 1990, pre-teens Smith & Kelly were at an Atlanta mall trying to get an autograph from the short-lived trio Silk Tymes Leather when producer Jermaine Dupri was impressed with the boys' look, so he exchanged phone numbers with them. Dupri then spent two years writing music for the group, teaching them to rap, and trying to land them a record deal.

After being turned down several times, eventually Ruffhouse Records signed the duo after hearing “Lil Boys In Da Hood” because they liked the unique perspective of young rappers talking about the ghetto and gang violence.

In early 1992, Ruffhouse released Kris Kross' first single “Jump” to immediate global success. The track leapt to #1 on the Hot 100 and stayed there for eight weeks. It also hit #1 in four more countries and reached the top 10 in four others. Their debut album Totally Krossed Out also hit #1 in the US and would go 4x platinum.

The group’s second single “Warm It Up” reached the top 40 in eight countries. Two more singles from their debut album would find scattered chart success.

Kris Kross released two more albums over the next few years with moderate success. Both reached the top 20 in the US, and each spawned another top 20 hit on the Hot 100. Songs were written for a fourth album but it was never released. Instead the group split up with Kelly pursuing a career in music production and Smith studying business, later forming the companies Urbane Muse and One Life Entertainment.

In January 2013, the boys reunited to perform at a celebration marking 20 years in the business for Dupri’s record label So So Def. Sadly, four months later on Wednesday, May 1, 2013, Chris Kelly was found unresponsive in his Atlanta home and pronounced dead around 5 pm on the south campus of the Atlanta Medical Center; he was 34 years old.