If you’re a fan of 90’s hip hop, you probably still can’t believe that the former Bad Boy Records rapper, Craig Mack, sadly passed away on March 12 (2018), at the age of just 47 years old. According to his friend/rapper, Erik Sermon (of EPMD), Mack’s cause of death was congestive heart failure, which he reportedly had been battling for quite some time.
Reunited in Heaven. Biggie and Craig Mack #RIP #BadBoy pic.twitter.com/cDX81vIzmv
— Bill Desmarais (@DollarDollaBill) March 13, 2018
Although it’s been years since the hip hop world heard the dope rapper spit, upon hearing about his untimely passing, many fans instantly craved a sense of 90’s nostalgia in honor of Craig Mack’s memory. For the past 24 hours, many have been blasting Mack’s 1994, classic remix for “Flava In Your Ear.” That song set the tone for Bad Boy Records, because as Diddy recently pointed out, it was the label’s first hit ever. It was also the first time fans had the opportunity to hear Craig Mack, L.L. Cool J., Rampage, Busta Rhymes, and Notorious B.I.G. on one song. Speaking of Biggie, shortly following Craig Mack’s unfortunate passing, details have now re-emerged about the history he and Craig Mack had back in the day. Let’s just say that it wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be.
The United Front
In the mid 90’s, Craig Mack was oftentimes seen in interviews and shows together. Unbeknownst to most of us at that time, the so called brotherhood we thought we were witnessing, was anything but, when it came to Biggie and Mack. In fact, according to what Biggie revealed back in the day, he was only on Mack’s song and seen in public with him to put up a united front for the sake of their Bad Boy clique.
(Video) Biggie Admits He Didn’t “F— With” Craig Mack
Their dislike for each other was so prevalent, that it eventually got to a point in which Biggie outright admitted that he didn’t “fu*k with” Craig Mack in a televised interview. Don’t take our word for that though, see for yourself in the video clip below (Biggie says this at the 1:47 mark of the video)…
Why Didn’t They Get Along?
Although Biggie, nor Craig Mack, never publicly revealed the exact reasons they did not get along, there were many talks around the industry as to why that was the case. Craig Mack had a reputation for being a very outspoken, flamboyant cat back in the day. He was also known to be a tad stern whenever label CEO, Sean “Diddy” Combs, tried to persuade Mack to try certain styles of music tracks that would help elevate his career to the next level. Diddy and Mack had extensive discussions about the direction of his next project, following the hype of his Grammy nominated “Flava In Your Ear” single, but apparently, Mack wasn’t down with Diddy’s ideas at that time.
Biggie reportedly witnessed many of the issues Diddy was having with Mack and over time, he may have grown to dislike Mack’s personality. Not sure if they clashed face to face, but based on the fact that Biggie had no problem publicly saying “I don’t fu*k with” Craig Mack, it’s probably safe to assume the two emcees had some type of disagreement(s) behind the scenes.
Mack’s Life & Career After Bad Boy
By 1995, Mack reportedly got fed up with Diddy trying to elevate his music and decided to ask Diddy to release him from his contract. Diddy apparently granted Mack his wish at that time and unfortunately, that was pretty much the end of Mack’s career as we all knew it.
Even though two years after leaving Bad Boy, Mack released his second album, Operation: Get Down, on the labels, Street Life Records and Scotti Brothers Records, it didn’t have the success that his Bad Boy album garnered. It wasn’t until 2002, that we saw Mack back with his Bad Boy fam,’ only to appear on one single, Diddy’s hit song, “I Need a Girl (Part One).” By 2006, Craig Mack released another single, “Mack Tonight.”
Following that release, it wasn’t until a 2012 Youtube video surfaced (shown above), that fans ultimately learned where the brotha had disappeared to. In that video, it became apparent that Mack had become deeply devoted to his Pentecostal Christian faith as he testified to the preacher and congregation at Overcomer Ministry in Walterboro, South Carolina. Mack was seen proudly speaking into the microphone, testifying and referring to his past hip hop career as “wickedness.”
Until his last days, Craig Mack remained devoted to his religion and also resided on Overcomer Ministry’s compound in S.C.. Erick Sermon revealed, on the day of Mack’s passing, that he’d was in the middle of working on tracks for what would have been Craig Mack’s new 2018 album comeback. That proves that even though Mack’s lifestyle changed, his genuine love for music never died, just like his musical impact never will. Rest on Craig Mack.
