Sickapedia: 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.