The Immortals: Craig Mack

by Ran Britt

May 10, 1971 - March 12, 2018

Puff Daddy and Craig Mack

Biggie Smalls and Craig Mack

Craig Mack, Puff Daddy and Biggie Smalls

Busta Rhymes, Biggie Smalls, Craig Mack, Rampage 

and LL Cool J on the set of "Flava in Ya Ear (Remix)"

Biggie Smalls, Ed Lover, Puff Daddy and Craig Mack

Saafir, Craig Mack, The D.O.C. and Biggie Smalls

Craig Mack, Faith Evans and Biggie Smalls

Craig Mack and Big Mike

Craig Mack and Eric B.

Craig Mack and Pharrell Williams

Craig Mack and Das EFX

Redman and Craig Mack

Patra, Craig Mack and Aaliyah

Puff Daddy, Craig Mack and Fab 5 Freddy

Project: Funk da World

Operation: Get Down

Craig Jamieson Mack was born on May 10, 1970 in Trenton, New Jersey.  However, he grew up in Brentwood, New York.

Growing up, Mack was often teased for his appearance and even had objects thrown at him by bullies. As a result, he had few friends. 

Mack developed a passion for hip-hop at nine-years-old, inspired by cousins who performed during holiday visits. He attended local "park jams" as well. Mack began writing rap lyrics at 12-years-old. He met future EPMD co-founder Erick Sermon when the two were in junior high school. In 1982, Mack engaged in a rap battle against Sermon at a basement party -- which he lost -- due to his use of a beat-boxer while Sermon was backed by a DJ. It was Sermon's first battle. When the two were in 10th grade, the pair routinely listened to mix shows hosted by radio personalities John "Mr. Magic" Rivas and Frederick "Kool DJ Red Alert" Crute at Sermon's grandmother's home on weekends. The songs that the two heard together for the first time during this period include: "Public Enemy #1"; "Eric B. is President" and "Nobody Beats the Biz". Mack, Sermon and Parrish Smith (the other future co-founder of EPMD) often rapped together in Mack's high school cafeteria. Mack was inspired by Long Island rapper Marcel "Biz Markie" Hall, who faced some of the same struggles that he did. 

In 1988, Mack released the song "Get Retarded/Just Rhymin'" using the stage name MC EZ (part of the group MC EZ & Troup) on EPMD's label, Sleeping Bag Records. 

Troup consisted of DJ Diamond and Teddy Lee.

Though he graduated from his alma mater, Brentwood Ross High School, Mack had no interest in attending college. Believing that rap music was a dead end after he'd spent the proceeds from "Get Retarded", Mack's parents kicked him out of their home and he subsequently lived in a friend's car and some nearby woods for about 45 days. Mack then supported himself by working various jobs such as cashier and warehouse worker. 

Desperate to make it, Mack accompanied Sermon and Smith on the 1990-1992 Hit Squad tour as a roadie, tasked with carrying bags for rappers Reggie "Redman" Noble and Kevin "K-Solo" Madison and cleaning the tour bus. His duties also included setting up and breaking down their DJ's turntables. EPMD routinely used Mack's underground song "Zoom, Zoom, Zoom" as their intro music when they began shows on the tour. During the tour, Mack would often battle aspiring rappers in hotel lobbies, winning every time. Mack socialized with the members of rap group Das EFX, often smoking marijuana in the staircases of the various hotels in which they found themselves. One night, when Mack failed to show for a weed cipher, the duo found him on the roof of their hotel honing his raps. When asked why he was on the roof, Mack explained that he was too loud to practice in his room. 

Following the tour, Mack and his manager, Antar Le Gendre, wrote letters to several record companies, including Def Jam and East West, in a vain attempt to get his demo tape heard and secure a record deal. The demo included Mack's 1994 hit "Get Down", albeit with a different backing track. Because producer Alvin Toney had diffused a brewing gang conflict into which rapper Dwight "Heavy D." Myers found himself being dragged during a tour stop (a New York street gang, the Gangster Killers, had adopted his song "You Can't See What I Can See" as their theme song, earning Myers the emnity of a rival gang), Myers cousin, Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, felt indebted to Toney and repaid him by agreeing to meet Mack. After Toney introduced Mack to Combs outside of Manhattan nightclub Meccca, the new label-owner told him he'd sign him on the condition that he freestyle on-the-spot to a song by R&B singer Mary J. Blige.  

After securing a deal on Combs' then-fledgling label, Bad Boy Records, Mack appeared on the 1993 remix to Blige's song "You Don't Have to Worry".

In 1994, Combs embarked on a marketing campaign to generate buzz for his label, his new signees, and himself, which included: a promotional cassette featuring six of Mack's songs on side A and seven of his label-mate Christopher "Biggie Smalls" Wallace's song on side B; and a Billboard magazine ad featuring Combs sitting between the two holding a "B.I.G. Mack" hamburger box in a fast-food restaurant with menus for Mack's album (Project: Funk da World) and Wallace's album (Ready to Die). 

Mack's first solo release for Bad Boy was "Flava in Ya Ear", produced by Osten "Easy Mo Bee" Harvey. Mack wrote the lyrics while watching an episode of the animated television series "The Jetsons" and incorporated one of the characters, Uniblab, into the song. The song's music video was directed by Craig Henry at Queens' New York Hall of Science. The song's remix featured Mack's label-mate Christopher "Biggie Smalls" Wallace, James Todd "LL Cool J" Smith, Trevor "Busta Rhymes" Smith and Roger "Rampage" McNair. The accompanying music video for the "Flava in Ya Ear" remix was directed by music video legend Harold "Hype" Williams. Besides Mack, Combs and the guest rappers, the clip for the song's remix also featured a slew of hip-hop luminaries, including: Das EFX; Michael "Mic Geronimo" McDermon; Irving "Irv Gotti" Lorenzo; Craig "Doodlebug" Irving (of Digable Planets); and Keisha Spivey of R&B group Total. The remix, in fact, served to revive the careers of both LL Cool J and Busta Rhymes. Though Mack was initially reluctant to record "Flava in Ya Ear", the song, which provided the then-fledgling label with its first hit, sold 1 million copies. Mack's follow-up single, "Get Down", sold 500,000 copies. Mack's debut album, Project: Funk da World, which also sold 500,000 copies, hit stores on September 20, 1994, one week after the release of Wallace's debut, Ready to Die. 

Eschewing the glamorous life associated with many successful rappers, Mack's indulgences included playing pool at Brentwood's Mr. Cue Billiards, playing video games and driving race cars.

Mack spent much of 1995 providing guest verses for R&B songs. He was featured on the remix of R&B quartet Blackstreet's collaboration with SWV, "Tonight's the Night". He also appeared on Veronica's song "No One But You". Mack was also featured on the song "It's Alright", by Sista - Melissa "Missy Misdemeanor" Elliott's group. He contributed a verse to Boyz II Men's "Vibin' (The New Flava Remix)", alongside rappers Clifford "Method Man" Smith, Anthony "Treach" Criss and Trevor "Busta Rhymes" Smith. Mack also made an appearance on the remix of Brownstone's song "If You Love Me". 

On March 1, 1995, "Flava in Ya Ear", which had been nominated for Best Rap Solo at the 37th Annual Grammy Awards, lost to Dana "Queen Latifah" Owens' "U.N.I.T.Y.". On August 3, 1995, "Flava in Ya Ear" won "Single of the Year" at the second annual Source Music Awards -- the same awards show at which Combs' biggest rival, Marion "Suge" Knight, insulted the studio from the stage.

However, Mack and Combs failed to resolve their vast creative differences. One source of contention was Mack's opposition to Combs' plan to market the rapper as a player character (due in part to his last name). 

Mack's arrogance and abrasiveness also caused friction between himself and Wallace. Despite plans for Mack to appear on the song "Warning" (as the friend delivering the actual warning), he's noticeably absent from Wallace's entire catalog. However, Mack did make a cameo in Wallace's star-studded video for his song "One More Chance" in 1995. 

When asked if Mack would appear on his then-upcoming sophomore album, Life After Death, Wallace told an interviewer in Holland, "Nah, I don't fuck with that dude." He went on to explain that he only contributed a verse to the remix of "Flava in Ya Ear" because Combs had personally requested his involvement. 

Mack left Bad Boy in 1995. 

The following year, Knight flew Mack out to Los Angeles in an attempt to sign him to his label, Death Row Records. However, Mack opted to sign with Scotti Brothers Records, who released his sophomore album, Operation: Get Down, which he'd begun recording while still at Bad Boy, on June 24, 1997. The album featured rapper and Erick Sermon-associate Keith Murray and fellow-Long Island native and one-half of Eric B. & Rakim, Eric "Eric B." Barrier.

By 2001, Mack had reunited with Combs, making a cameo appearance in the music video for his song "I Need a Girl (Part One)". In 2002, Mack provided a guest verse on the remix of Bad Boy signee Trevell Gerald "G. Dep" Coleman's song "Special Delivery".

That same year, rapper Christopher "Lloyd Banks" Lloyd mentioned Mack in his "Victory Freestyle", in which he rhymes over the beat from Combs' 1997 song "Victory" (which features Mack's former label-mate Wallace). Lloyd states: "I'm in the Gucci vest with the green and red straps...I'm the last rapper to scare niggas since Craig Mack..."

Mack had been a member of a South Carolina commune of conservative Pentecostal Christians, known as the Overcomer Ministry, led by Pastor Ralph Gordon "Brother R.G. Stair" Stair since at least May of 2012. 

Mack's mixtape Operation Why2K? was released on November 26, 2012.

Mack's voice could be heard on a telephone call with Bad Boy Records president Harve Pierre in the 2017 documentary, Can't Stop, Won't Stop: A Bad Boy Story. Pierre tried unsuccessfully to persuade Mack to participate in the company's 2016 Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour. That same year, Mack's album, The Mack World Sessions, was released.

In October of 2017, Mack called Sermon and revealed that he had congestive heart disease. Mack also revealed his condition to Barrier, Marcel "Biz Markie" Hall, Aston "Funkmaster Flex" Taylor Jr. and Alvin Tony. In December, Osten "Easy Mo Bee" Harvey spoke to Mack via telephone in an attempt to convince him to resume his rap career. Mack, who felt that he shouldn't return to his former career after turning his life over, relented when Harvey insisted that he could "reach souls and spread his message". However, Mack failed to respond after Harvey sent him five tracks. 

In March of 2018, Alvin Toney visited Mack in SC to participate in a documentary about the rapper's life, at Mack's request. During the visit, Mack revealed to Toney that he'd been ill for some time and didn't expect to live much longer. At approximately 9 p.m., on March 12, 2018, Mack died of heart failure in a hospital near his home in Walterboro, SC.

Following Mack's death, Sermon announced that he'd completed production work on a forthcoming Craig Mack album utilizing vocals given to him by former Bad Boy sound engineer Lenny Ace that Mack recorded during his time with the label. He released the song "Come Thru" featuring rappers Clifford "Method Man" Smith and Terrance "Mr. Cheeks" Kelly. 

Craig Mack - Flava in Ya Ear (Remix)

Craig Mack - Get Down

Craig Mack feat. Puff Daddy - Makin' Moves 

with Puff

  Blackstreet feat. SWV and Craig Mack - Tonight's 
the Night (Rain Remix)

Sista feat. Craig Mack - It's Alright

Veronica feat. Craig Mack - No One but You

The Immortals: Nate Dogg

by Ran

August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011

Nate Dogg and Warren G



















Kurupt and Nate Dogg




















Kurupt, Daz, Nate Dogg and Tupac Shakur  














The Chronic
















Doggystyle



















G-Funk Classics, Vol. 1 & 2














Music & Me

Nathaniel Dwayne Hale was born on August 19, 1969 in Clarksdale, Mississippi to Daniel Lee Hale, a pastor, and Ruth Holmes. Nathaniel, the second of three children, made his first foray into singing as a child, in his father's church, Life Line Baptist, where his mother served as choir leader.

At 14-years-old, Nathaniel and his brother, Sam, and sister, Pamela, moved to Long Beach, California following his parents' divorce. However, the teenager, known by the nickname "Buddy" to family and friends, continued to hone his vocal talent at Long Beach's New Hope Baptist Church. In 1986, he met Calvin "Snoop Doggy Dogg" Broadus at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, where the two were classmates. Three years later, the 17-year-old quit school and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served as a Munitions specialist for three years.

After forming the rap group 213  -- a reference to their area code -- with future rap stars Broadus and Warren "Warren G" Griffin, the trio recorded their first demo tape in the back of Long Beach's V.I.P. record store in 1991. Griffin played the demo for his step-brother, Andre "Dr. Dre" Young, who signed Broadus to his new label, Death Row Records. In June of 1992, all three recorded parts for the song "Deeez Nuuuts", which appears on Young's debut solo album, The Chronic. The Chronic was released to critical acclaim on December 15, 1992 and went on to sell more than 5.7 million copies.

The following year, both Hale and Griffin were featured on the Mista Grimm song "Indo Smoke", which appeared on the soundtrack album of the film Poetic Justice -- released on June 29, 1993. That same year, he signed with Death Row Records and re-teamed with his old friend Broadus on the songs "Ain't No Fun (If the Homies Can't Have None)" and "Doggy Dogg World". Later that year, Hale's star rose even higher when both tracks appeared on Broadus' debut album Doggystyle, which was released on November 23, 1993. The album debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart and went on to sell 11 million copies worldwide.

On March 22, 1994, Hale's signature song, "Regulate" -- a collaboration with his old friend Warren G -- was released on the soundtrack album to the film Above the Rim, starring Tupac Shakur. The song climbed to the #2 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was nominated for a Grammy. That same year, Hale was featured on the song, "How Long Will They Mourn Me?", which appeared on the album Thug Life: Volume 1 -- the debut of Shakur's group Thug Life.

While riding a wave of phenomenal success, Hale began to garner as many legal problems as hit songs. On December 13, 1994, he entered a plea of not guilty to charges related to an October 26 armed robbery of a San Pedro, CA Taco Bell. His preliminary hearing was scheduled for January 11 in Long Beach Superior Court. Long Beach rapper Tracy "Tray Deee" Davis was also in court on an unrelated matter when Hale had his hearing.

In 1996, Hale reunited with Tupac Shakur on the song, "All About U", which appeared on the rapper's number one double-album All Eyez On Me -- which went on to sell 10 million copies.

On July 19, 1996, Hale was acquitted of the charges related to the 1991 robbery of a check cashing business by a jury in Long Beach Superior Court. A mistrial was declared in the Taco Bell robbery trial when the jury deadlocked 9-3.

On June 17, 2000, Hale was arrested in Lakewood, Ca for allegedly making threats against his girlfriend and holding her against her will. The following night, he was released from Los Angeles' Twin Towers jail after making $1 million bail. By 10 p.m. that evening, he was performing on stage with Dr. Dre. On July 14, he was charged with kidnapping and making a terrorist threat, stemming from his June arrest. 

Later in the year, Hale appeared with Mos Def and Pharoahe Monch on the song, "Oh No".

The following year, Hale was featured on the debut single, "Can't Deny It", by rapper Fabolous, which was released on June 19, 2001. A month later, Ludacris' single, "Area Codes", featuring Hale, was released. 

On August 21, 2001, Hale agreed to a plea deal in which he pleaded no contest to a charge of misdemeanor possession of an unmarked firearm in exchange for a sentence of three years summary probation and a $1,000 fine. The firearm in question had been seized by police after it was found in a planter at his home in Pomona at the time of his June arrest. Norwalk Superior Court judge Michael Cowell also ordered that the weapon be destroyed. 

On April 12, 2002, police pulled Hale's tour bus over for speeding near Kingman, Arizona. Following a search of the vehicle, officers seized four ounces of marijuana and a stolen firearm. Though he was one of nine people on board, only Hale was arrested -- for drug and weapons possession. The following day, he posted $3,500 bond and was released. He later pleaded guilty to drug possession and was sentenced to one year of probation.

The next year, Hale appeared on the 50 Cent song, "21 Questions".

In 2005, Hale appeared on the Mobb Deep track, "Have A Party".

The following year, Hale broke into his ex-fiance's residence in Newport Beach, where she lived with her new boyfriend and his mother, in order to retrieve the 4-carat ring that he'd given her. He reportedly punched the boyfriend in the face before leaving the premises. Hale was subsequently charged with battery assault, misdemeanor aggravated trespass, violating a restraining order, dissuading a witness from reporting a crime and telephone harassment. Both the ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend filed restraining orders as well. 

On December 19, 2007, Hale suffered a stroke, after which his girlfriend, who was present at the time, called 911. Hale was admitted to the Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, where he was treated until his December 26 release. The stroke, which was initially reported as a heart attack, paralyzed the left side of his body and compromised the singer's ability to walk and his sense of touch. 

While still recovering from the stroke, Hale appeared in court again on March 25 of the following year. He entered a guilty plea to charges of aggravated trespass and battery stemming from the 2006 domestic complaint and was sentenced to three years probation, ordered to complete a treatment program for domestic abusers and was barred from owning a firearm for a period of 10 years.

That summer, Hale married his girlfriend, LaToya Calvin, but she filed for divorce 19 days later. 

On July 17, 2008, Hale entered a guilty plea to two felony counts of making criminal threats, one felony count of stalking and one count of driving on a suspended license -- a misdemeanor. Hale's license was suspended following a DUI conviction. Hale's estranged wife accused him of chasing her car on the freeway and sending her two threatening e-mails. However, the felony charges were dropped on April 15, 2009. Prosecutors asserted that Hale's wife had failed to contact them. 

In 2009, Hale suffered another stroke which paralyzed him from the neck down and required him to undergo a tracheotomy. 

Hale succumbed to stroke complications on March 15, 2011. He was interred in Forest lawn Memorial Park in long Beach. 

Warren G feat. Nate Dogg - Regulate

Snoop and Nate's St. Ides Commercial

Mos Def feat. Pharoahe Monch and Nate Dogg - Oh No

Mobb Deep feat. 50 Cent and Nate Dogg 
- Have A Party

Snoop Doggy Dogg, the Dogg Pound 
and Nate Dogg - Big Pimpin'
(Live at the House of Blues)

Snoop Doggy Dogg feat. Kurupt, 
Warren G and Nate Dogg
- Ain't No Fun 
(If The Homies Can't Have None)

Originally Published: 1/30/12 at 7:12pm

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