The summer of 1994 will forever be an important chapter in the history of Bad Boy Records. Prior to the debut releases of Biggie, Faith Evans, Total and 112 to name a few, it was Craig Mack and his ferocious breakout single “Flava in Your Ear” that laid the cement on the label’s foundation. The Easy Mo Bee-produced single shot to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart, broke into the Top 10 of the pop charts, and set an upward trajectory for Sean Combs’ Bad Boy empire. All that said, Craig Mack’s legacy was solidified.
As the world takes a moment to mourns the sudden loss of the legendary MC today (March 13), Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has issued a statement on his late friend, calling Mack an “inspiration.”
“Craig Mack you were the first artist to release music on Bad Boy and gave us our first hit,” he wrote in a statement to REVOLT. “You always followed your heart and you had an energy that was out of this world. You believed in me and you believed in Bad Boy. I will never forget what you did for hip-hop. You inspired me, and I will continue to try to keep inspiring others. We will always love you.”
As reported earlier, Craig Mack died of heart failure at a hospital near his Walterboro, South Carolina home on Monday (March 12).
Mack got his Bad Boy start in 1993 and exploded on the scene with his debut verse on Mary J. Blige’s What’s the 411 remix album for the song “You Don’t Have to Worry.” That following summer, his legend was cemented on “Flava In Your Ear,” which earned a star-studded remix featuring label head Puff Daddy, LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, Rampage, and another trailblazing upstart by the name of Biggie Smalls. The record was also nominated for a Grammy Award.
Since news of his passing, many from the hip-hop community have showered its respects, including Questlove, Biz Markie, Erick Sermon, DJ Premier and more.
Stay tuned to REVOLT for further updates on the passing of Craig Mack.