Kris Kross

History

The friendship of Atlanta, Georgia, natives James Christopher Kelly (August 11, 1978 – May 1, 2013) and Christopher Smith (born January 10, 1979), began in first grade. The duo was discovered at Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta in 1990 by then-18-year-old Jermaine Dupri. According to Dupri, Kelly and Smith were not pursuing a record deal and were not rappers or musicians when he met them. He was impressed with their style, and Kris Kross became the first artists signed to Dupri's So So Def label.

1992: ''Totally Krossed Out''

Along with Dupri, the two signed a deal with Ruffhouse Records and recorded their debut album Totally Krossed Out. Entirely produced by Dupri, Totally Krossed Out was released on March 31, 1992, and sold four million copies in the U.S. It included the hit single "Jump", which topped the Billboard Hot 100 and held that position for eight weeks.

The music videos from the album also experienced major success. The video for "Jump", directed by filmmaker Rich Murray, went to No. 1 on MTV and sold over 100,000 copies as a VHS video single. The video for their follow-up single, "Warm It Up", also directed by Murray, won a Billboard video award for "Best New Artist", and got to No. 14 the same year as "Jump". Writes *The New York Daily News''' Jim Farber: "Together, that was enough to propel the duo's debut album, *Totally Krossed Out'', to multi-platinum status."

1992–1993: Michael Jackson tour and additional media projects

The duo landed a spot on Michael Jackson's 1992 European Dangerous World Tour as well as a cameo appearance on Jackson's music video for his 1992 single "Jam". Additionally, they made appearances in the music videos for Run-D.M.C.'s "Down with the King" (1993) and TLC's "Hat 2 da Back" (1992), and they were featured in an episode of A Different World and as the closing musical act on the May 29, 1992, episode of In Living Color.

A video game starring the pair, titled Kris Kross: Make My Video, was released in 1992 on the Sega CD system. It consisted of the players editing together the group's music videos for 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 editing session to make sure to have certain footage compiled into the video. It was ranked 18th on *Electronic Gaming Monthly'''s list of the "20 Worst Games of All Time". Kris Kross made a cameo appearance in Ted Demme's film Who's the Man? (1993), which starred rapper Ed Lover and radio personality Doctor Dré of *Yo! MTV Raps'' fame.

Kris Kross were also part of the promotional campaign for Sprite in 1993 of which they recorded an exclusive rap, a promotional photoshoot, and a commercial for the brand.

1993: ''Da Bomb''

The duo's second album, Da Bomb (1993), was certified platinum and spawned the hits "Alright" featuring Super Cat, "I'm Real", and "Da Bomb" featuring Da Brat, whom Smith had discovered. Most of their songs had been directed at rivals Da Youngstas.

1996: ''Young, Rich & Dangerous''

A third album, Young, Rich & Dangerous, was released in early 1996 and was certified gold. It spawned the two hits "Tonite's tha Night" and "Live and Die for Hip Hop".

Education

Both members of Kris Kross went to Woodward Academy in College Park, Georgia. Kelly studied mix-engineering, and founded C Connection Records. Smith studied marketing and business management and founded One Life Entertainment, Inc.

2013: Final show

Kris Kross' last performance was in their hometown at the Fox Theatre for So So Def's 20th Anniversary concert on February 23, 2013.

Death of Chris Kelly

On April 29, 2013, Chris Kelly was found unconscious in his Atlanta home and taken to the hospital. Two days later, on May 1, he was pronounced dead around 5 p.m. on the south campus of the Atlanta Medical Center; he was 34 years old. Apparently one day before he was found unconscious, he filmed himself rapping in his home. According to the police report documents, Kelly had been brought home to recover from his drug use, as he had done several times in the past. His uncle told police that Kelly "had an extensive history of drug abuse."

The following day, producer Jermaine Dupri tweeted a "letter to fans", in which he referred to Kelly as "a son that I never had", and praised Kelly as an artist. Chris Smith wrote, "Chris Kelly was my Best Friend. 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."

Numerous other artists and fans publicly acknowledged Kelly's death, some citing Kris Kross or Kelly as their inspiration or their reason for entering the music industry. On July 1, a toxicology report was released stating that Kelly died from a drug overdose. According to the Fulton County Medical Examiner Office, the toxicology screening showed that Kelly had a mixture of drugs in his system, including heroin and cocaine.

Discography

Studio albums

Remix albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

References

References

1. (July 2, 2013). "Kris Kross rapper Chris Kelly died of drugs overdose". BBC News.
2. Caramanica, Jon. (May 2, 2013). "Chris Kelly, of Hip-Hop Duo Kris Kross, Dies at 34". The New York Times.
3. "Chris Kelly: Rapper (1978–2013)". [[Biography.com]].
4. (January 10, 2020). "UPI Almanac for Friday, Jan. 10, 2020". [[United Press International]].
5. Betts, Stephen. (May 3, 2013). "Kris Kross' Chris Smith Mourns Death of Chris Kelly".
6. "Jermaine Dupri On The Real Story Behind Turning Kris Kross Into Stars {{!}} GRAMMY.com".
7. Jim Farber. (May 2, 2013). "Chris Kelly dead at 34: Jermaine Dupri calls Kris Kross rapper 'the son I never had'". New York Daily News.
8. (October 17, 1992). "Billboard".
9. "Run DMC ft Pete Rock & CL Smooth "Down With The King" (1993)".
10. "Season 6, Episode 11 The Original Teacher".
11. (May 2, 2013). "Jump, Jump: Kris Kross' Amazing 'In Living Color' Performance".
12. "EGM's Crapstravaganza: The 20 Worst Games of All Time". Seanbaby.com.
13. "Who's the Man? (1993) Full Cast & Crew".
14. (May 2, 2013 }}{{Dead link). "Was the Kriss Kross Sprite Ad the Catchiest Rap Jingle of All Time?". L Magazine.
15. "The Best Hip-Hop and R&B Soda Commercials of the 90s The Best Hip-Hop and R&B Soda Commercials of the 90s".
16. (May 2, 2013). "'Totally Krossed Out' Forever: Remembering Chris Kelly". ebony.com.
17. "Chris Kelly: Rapper who hit the charts with the '90s duo Kriss Kross".
18. (January 9, 1996). "Young, Rich & Dangerous – About Kris Kross".
19. (May 2, 2013). "Chris Kelly Death: Kris Kross' Chris Smith Mourns His "Best Friend" and "Brother"".
20. "ONE LIFE ENTERTAINMENT, INC. Company Information".
21. (January 16, 2013). "Kris Kross Is Back for the '90s Reunion You Didn't Even Know You Wanted—But You Do Now, Jump! Jump!". E! Online.
22. Nudd, Tim. (May 2, 2013). "Chris Kelly's Mother: My Son Was the 'Life of the Party'".
23. Fleeman, Mike. "Chris Kelly's Death: Kris Kross Member Died of Overdose".
24. Staff. (May 1, 2013). "UPDATE: Kris Kross Rapper, Chris 'Mac Daddy' Kelly, Dead At 34 From Suspected Drug Overdose [VIDEO]". NewsOne for Black America.
25. Fleeman, Mike. (May 2, 2013). "Chris Kelly Used Cocaine and Heroin Before Death".
26. (May 12, 2013). "Chris Kelly". The Daily Telegraph.
27. Grossberg, Josh (May 2, 2013). "[https://www.eonline.com/news/414005/chris-kelly-death-kris-kross-chris-smith-mourns-his-best-friend-and-brother%20care%20about%20this Chris Kelly Death: Kris Kross' Chris Smith Mourns His 'Best Friend' and 'Brother']". ''E! News''. May 2, 2013.
28. Duke, Alan (July 3, 2013). [http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/03/showbiz/chris-kelly-autopsy/ "Kris Kross' Chris Kelly died from overdose, autopsy says"]. [[CNN]].
29. "Kris Kross Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200". [[Billboard (magazine).
30. "Kris Kross Album & Song Chart History – R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard.
31. "austriancharts.at – Austria Top 40". austriancharts.at.
32. "swedishcharts.com – Swedish charts portal". swedishcharts.com.
33. "Official Charts – Kris Kross". [[Official Charts Company.
34. "Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Gold & Platinum". [[Canadian Recording Industry Association]].
35. "RIAA – Gold & Platinum – September 19, 2010: Kris Kross certified singles". [[Recording Industry Association of America]].
36. (1999). "The Vibe History of Hip Hop". Three Rivers Press.
37. "Kris Kross Album & Song Chart History – Hot 100".
38. "ultratop.be – Belgian charts portal". ultratop.be.
39. "Results – RPM – Library and Archives Canada".
40. "lescharts.com – French charts portal". lescharts.com.
41. "irishcharts.ie – Irish charts portal". irishcharts.ie.
42. "charts.nz – New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz.
43. "swisscharts.com– Swiss charts portal". swisscharts.com.
44. "swedishcharts.com – Swedish charts portal". swedishcharts.com.
45. "RIAA – Gold & Platinum – September 19, 2010: Kris Kross certified singles". [[Recording Industry Association of America]].
46. Ryan, Gavin. (2011). "Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010". Moonlight Publishing.
47. "British single certifications – Kris Kross – Jump". [[British Phonographic Industry]].
48. "French single certifications – Kris Kross – Jump". [[SNEP]].
49. "All GRAMMY Awards and Nominations for Kris Kross". Grammy.com.