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rest in peace craig mack


bigted

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rest in peace craig mack, this one hurts...

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Man, this one has been weighing on me. Craig Mack truly is one of the best to do it.  Craig Mack's "Flava In Ya Ear" established Bad Boy. Without that hit, who knows what would have happened. I'm going to anger some people with this next part, but this is how I see it. Craig Mack wasn't even a Bad Boy artist. He came from the EPMD camp and his debut album was almost entirely produced by himself, his right hand man Alvin Toney, and Easy Mo Bee. Other than seeing Puffy's name as an executive producer and his adlibs on the Tumblin' Dice produced "Making Moves with Puff," Puffy did nothing for the project. Craig Mack was straight Hip-Hop and always stayed true to himself. Biggie's lyrics weren't always authentic he mellowed his style out for mainstream success.  Mack was the real deal. Next thing you know he's collaborating with Boyz II Men, TLC, BLACKstreet, SWV, Sounds of Blackness, and Missy Elliot's group Sista, after initially being featuring on a Mary J. Blige remix.  Puff definitely favored Biggie though. Biggie was likely easier to work with.

Craig Mack was unstoppable for a couple years, but he walked away from it all. He never hated Puffy, but Bad Boy's greed made it an environment that he wanted no part of. Puffy lied about his support of Craig Mack (ever see Craig's reaction in that interview where Puff says they were working on a second album?). He started working with Eric B and was going to be on Deathrow East, but when 2Pac was kill and Deathrow crumbled, he went the indie route.

While not a gritty, his second album was dope, but just didn't enjoy the success it could have since it wasn't on a big label. Coming and going at the outskirts of Bad Boy, he shined on that G-Dep "Special Delivery" remix in 2002, and then peaced out.

For years he dropped promo singles, but nothing came of it, though the third album was to be titled "Who I Be."   If you get The Mackworld Sessions, which was just released this past September, it features most of those songs.  Craig was said to be tired with the world, which is why he joined that secluded church that some people have called a cult. Erick Sermon said Craig new his days were numbered. That church he belonged to didn't leave the campus. That's why he didn't get medical treatment. It makes me wonder if that project was released just to finally get that (mostly) old music out and to support his family.

I know he was working on a documentary to tell his story. I hope it comes out so his better understood. I also can't wait to hear the work that he recently did with Erick Sermon. The song they did with Method Man and Mr. Cheeks is DOPE!

I've been playing a lot of his stuff lately.  Such a loss. Easily one of the most under rated emcees of all time.

 

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Rapper Craig Mack was on the verge of a comeback before death

“Lyrically, he was about to be something,” Erick Sermon told Billboard.

Craig Mack helped launch Sean Combs' Bad Boy

Craig Mack helped launch Sean Combs' Bad Boy Records. Photo Credit: WireImage / Johnny Nunez

By Glenn Gamboa glenn.gamboa@newsday.com @ndmusic March 20, 2018 2:38 PM

The saddest part of the death of Brentwood native Craig Mack earlier this month is that the “Flava in Ya Ear” rapper seemed poised to make a comeback.

Mack, the 47-year-old rapper who helped launch Sean Combs’ Bad Boy Records, had just appeared on “Come Thru,” the first single from Erick Sermon’s forthcoming album “Go.” Ronkonkoma’s Sermon, best known as the “E” from EPMD, says there will be more Mack appearances on the album, which he expects to release in April.

“Lyrically, he was about to be something,” Sermon told Billboard. “I can put him up with the whole hit squad. When you hear the stuff that he did, you’re going to be like, ‘Oh, why didn’t we get to hear that?’ ”

His verse on “Come Thru” backs that up. “My outrageous wild style will prove I’m the greatest,” Mack raps. “Mr. 3000, back in the majors, hit an inside curve ball 9,000 acres.”

On the day Mack died of heart failure, Sermon tweeted, “The mood over here at #DefSquad is upbeat despite the recent passing of our brother Craig . . . We playing his music.” Sermon said Mack’s contributions to “Go” are impressive. “This sounds crazzzzy!” Sermon tweeted. “God bless you Craig!”

 

https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/craig-mack-rapper-1.17543728

 

 

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Craig on TLC's So So Def Remix of "Kick Your Game"

 

Craig Mack on Boyz II Men's "Vibin'" remix with Treach, Busta Rhymes, and Method Man

Craig in a live performance with Brownstone on the Street Vibe Remix of their hit "If You Love Me," which features Mimi in her last performance with the group (not even singing the end of the song) and the member that replaced her, Kina

 

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thanks for all the insight AJ, too many people sleeping on craig mack...

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