Home Music Events Rest In Peace: Chris Kelly Of Kris Kross (August 11, 1978 – May 1, 2013)

Rest In Peace: Chris Kelly Of Kris Kross (August 11, 1978 – May 1, 2013)

by Miracle

0115-kriss-kross-grown-up-768-then-480w(Photo By Word Press)

The Hip-Hop community was unexpectedly thrown into mourning last night (5/1) as news of rapper Chris Kelly‘s (Kris Kross) death swept the internet. The rapper was rushed to Atlanta Medical Center after being found unresponsive in his home. Kelly was found around 4pm and passed away around 5:30pm. The cause of his death is unknown as police are still conducting an investigation. And no autopsy had been performed at press time. However, there is a rumor circulating. That rumor is that the death came about as a result of a drug overdose. The word is that Kelly had taken a dangerous mixture of heroin and cocaine the night prior to his death. A friend dropped him off at home in hopes that he would be able to sleep off and recover from the heavy drug use. No further details are available surrounding Kelly’s death at this time. Should anything further be made known, there will be an update. Kelly was only 34 years old at the time of his passing.

Kelly and his partner Chris Smith rose to stardom at young ages in the early 90’s as rap duo Kris Kross. Kelly was known as “Mac Daddy” and Smith was known as “Daddy Mac.” The two were discovered by the infamous Jermaine Dupri one fateful day at a shopping mall in Atlanta. They went on to take the Billboard Charts by storm with hit singles like: “Jump” and “Warm It Up.” Their debut album Totally Krossed Out reached multi-platinum status and remains their most successful LP to date. The two were also granted the honor of being a part of the late Michael Jackson‘s Dangerous World Tour. They became staples in the game for their rebellious attitudes and backwards clothing style. Earlier this year, the duo made headlines due to their reunion for the 20th anniversary celebration of once popular record label, So So Def. While their career was short lived, they definitely left their mark on the Hip-Hop world. This was proven by all of the many stars and other individuals who took to social media sites to express their sadness at Kelly’s passing. Kelly was revered by everyone from female rapper Da Brat to website editors like Michael Skolnik (Global Grind). His contributions to Hip-Hop will always be remembered and he will certainly be missed.

**My Two Cents: I like everyone else loved Kris Kross as a child. Totally Krossed Out was the first album I ever owned. I played the tape religiously until I took it to school with me as part of an “Oldies Day” costume and it was stolen. Still pissed off about that actually (lol). But in all seriousness, Kelly’s passing is very heart-breaking. I think Kris Kross did great things for the age and time period of their career and it is a shame that one half of the group is no longer with us. My heart and prayers go out to Kelly’s friends and family. On behalf of The Illixer, may he rest in paradise. -MinM

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