Kris Kross

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Kris Kross
Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith and Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly, circa 1993.
Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith and Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly, circa 1993.
Background information
Origin Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Genre(s) Hip Hop
Years active 1992–1996
2007-present
Label(s) Ruffhouse/Columbia Records
Associated acts Da Brat
Jermaine Dupri
Website http://www.legacyrecordings.com/Kris-Kross.aspx
Former members
Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly
Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith

Kris Kross was a teenage rap duo of the early 1990s. The duo is most famous for their 1992 hit "Jump," and their fashion styling—consisting of wearing their clothes backwards.

Contents

[edit] History

Kris Kross, consisted of Atlanta, Georgia natives: Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly (born August 11, 1978), and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith (born January 10, 1979). Childhood friends, Kelly and Smith were discovered in 1991, at the age of twelve, by Jermaine Dupri at an Atlanta shopping mall. Dupri thought the two "looked like a rap group," and proceeded to groom them as such.

Their Dupri-produced debut album, Totally Krossed Out, was released in 1992; selling four million copies in the US. It included the hit single "Jump," which topped the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart for eight weeks. In the interim, the duo landed a spot on Michael Jackson's European tour that year, as well as a cameo appearance on Jackson's "Jam" music video. In addition to this, they also made appearances in the music videos for Run DMC's "Down With the King" and Dj Nab's "Live megamix." They were also featured in episodes A Different World and In Living Color.

In 1992, a video game directed by Denis Dyack was released starring the pair titled Kris Kross: Make My Video. It was released on the Sega CD system, and consisted of the player editing together the group's music videos to 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 edit 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".[1]

Kris Kross made a cameo appearance in Ted Demme's 1993 film Who's the Man?, which starred Ed Lover and Doctor Dré of Yo! MTV Raps fame. The movie earned modest box office success, but remains a cult favorite amongst rap enthusiasts for cameos of dozens of rap/hip-hop stars.

Their second album entitled Da Bomb, released in 1993 featured a more hardcore ambiance than their first. Although it was certified platinum, and spawned the hit "Alright," the album failed to match their earlier success. A third album, Young, Rich and Dangerous, was released in early 1996 and was certified gold. Following its run, the duo virtually disappeared from the public eye.

As of 2007, the group has reunited, currently working with Jermaine Dupri.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Year Album Chart Positions Certification
US 200 US R&B
1992 Totally Krossed Out 1 1 4× Multi-Platinum
1993 Da Bomb 13 2 Platinum
1996 Young, Rich & Dangerous 15 2 Gold

[edit] Compilations

Year Album
1996 Best of Kris Kross Remixed '92 '94 '96
1998 Gonna Make U Jump

[edit] Singles

Year Single Chart Positions RIAA Album
US Hot 100 US Rap US Hip Hop US Dance UK
1992 "Jump" 1 1 2 13 2 5x Platinum Totally Krossed Out
1993 "Warm It Up" 13 1 3 23 16 Gold
"I Missed the Bus" 63 17 29 — — -
"It's a Shame" — 11 55 — 31 -
"Alright" 19 1 8 40 — Gold Da Bomb
"I'm Real" 84 8 45 — — -
1994 "Da Bomb" — 25 74 — — -
1995 "Tonite's tha Night" 12 1 6 — — Gold Young, Rich, & Dangerous
1996 "Live and Die for Hip Hop" 72 11 36 — — -

[edit] References

  1. ^ Seanbaby.com - EGM's Crapstravaganza: The 20 Worst Games of All Time

[edit] External links