Kris Kross’ Chris Kelly dies

I jinxed us.

Just two days ago, I was going through some old blogs and said to myself, “thankfully, we haven’t had a major death in hip hop lately.” Wish I could take that thought back. From ajc.com:

Rapper Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly died Wednesday afternoon after being found unresponsive in his home.

The cause of death was not immediately known. An autopsy is planned for Thursday morning.

Some may consider Kris Kross a footnote in hip hop history but those of us who were around in their heyday know better. Yeah, those backward clothes were wiggdy wiggdy wack but their hits weren’t. Kelly, along with partner Chris Smith and mastermind Jermaine Dupri, dropped their debut Totally Krossed Out in 1992 and it went quadruple platinum. You can’t laugh at those numbers.

The memories of that album still resonate. “I Missed The Bus” was our middle school anthem at the bus stop. We sang it whether we missed the bus or not. “Warm It Up” set the dance floor on fire during those school functions.

And “Jump?” It’s physically impossible to listen to that song and remain still.

Video games, movie and TV roles and yeah, those backward clothes, followed. Kris Kross was a phenomenon. I even liked their 1996 comeback album, Young, Rich & Dangerous, which featured the highly underrated “Tonite’s Tha Night.”

Tonight’s the night we honor a big part of our childhood. Kelly was just 34 years old, barely a year older than me. It hits pretty hard and is a reminder to never take life for granted.

Thanks for making middle school fun, Mac Daddy.