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Craig Jamieson Mack (May 10, 1970 – March 12, 2018) was an American rapper. He is best known for his tenure with Bad Boy Records, during which he released his 1994 single "Flava in Ya Ear" (1994), which peaked within the Billboard Hot 100's top ten. The song preceded his debut studio album (1994), which spawned his second top 40 single, "Get Down". His second album (1997) was released by Scotti Brothers Records.

Later in his life, Mack joined the Overcomer Ministry in South Carolina. Mack died in 2018 from HIV/AIDS at the age of 47.


Early life
Craig Jamieson Mack was born on May 10, 1970 in , New York, and raised in Brentwood, .


Career
He began rapping as a teenager under the name MC EZ. His first single, "Get Retarded", was released in 1988 via Fresh Records. The single was backed with and credited as MC EZ & Troup. Mack became friends with fellow Long Island hip hop act and eventually went on tour with the duo, doing jobs as a . After a few years without forward movement in his recording career and EPMD's breakup, Mack took advantage of an opportunity that Alvin Toney made possible for him, to rap for .

Mack for Combs as a demonstration of his skills out in front of a club in Manhattan. Mack then secured a record deal with Combs's newly founded label with the help of his friends , Len Len, Scenario and Sande Kodwaney, Bad Boy Records.

Mack is best known for his 1994 hit single "Flava in Ya Ear", which was released under his real name. The of the single was the breakout appearance of The Notorious B.I.G., as well as one of the first solo appearances by . While Mack was technically the first rapper to release music on Bad Boy Records, the success of The Notorious B.I.G.'s debut album Ready to Die, which was released a week before Mack's debut album , overshadowed Mack's early success on the label.

Although Sean Combs mentioned in a 1994 interview on 's Yo! MTV Raps that he was working with Mack on his second album, which was to be released sometime in January 1995, this proved to not be the case. Present at the interview, which included The Notorious B.I.G., Mack appeared puzzled by the statement. In 1997, Mack released a second album without Bad Boy. None of the singles charted and Mack was unable to repeat his success. In an interview, The Notorious B.I.G. says he appeared on the remix of "Flava in Ya Ear" for political reasons for Combs. In 1995, Combs told The New York Times that "Craig is hip-hop's George Clinton, because his stuff is really off the wall."

After a few attempts to return to success in the early-2000s, it was said that Mack was working on his third studio album in 2002, which was set to be released in 2007. In 2002, Mack appeared in the music video for Puffy's single "I Need a Girl (Part One)". The single "Mack Tonight" was released for the album in 2006.

Mack was absent from the hip hop industry until in 2012, when a video was leaked on YouTube saying he had joined a Christian ministry, surprising family members and fans. From 2012 until his death, Mack resided in the Overcomer Ministry located in Walterboro, South Carolina. The Overcomer Ministry is a secluded Christian commune that has been described as a cult, and whose leader has been charged with various crimes, including assault and sexual conduct with a minor.

The Overcomer Ministry's YouTube channel released a video, "Craig Mack Testimony", on May 22, 2016, in which Mack appears in the middle of the church to rap about Christianity through a remix of "When God Comes". The last part of the video entails a full version of the song with better production quality and a beat. The song expresses his personal beliefs. Mack planned to stay in the ministry and said that he had no intentions to come back to mainstream rap. The song mentions that he "moved his family to ", which did not align with other reports expressing the family's concerns for his choices. According to the video, Mack felt he was doing "wickedness" in New York, and "righteousness" in South Carolina.

In November 2012, Beazylife Distribution released a new Craig Mack mixtape, Operation Why2K? – Hosted by B-Eazy, through . In 2017, The Mack World Sessions was released, containing 18 previously unreleased tracks. Dutch record label MECSMI released the That's My Word mixtape, hosted by DJ Tape Deck King, via DatPiff and YouTube on August 20, 2018. In November 2018, 'That's My Word' posthumously won Mixtape of the Year at Bout Dat Online's Audio Dope Awards. This marked the first time Mack had won an award since "Flava In Ya Ear" won Single of the Year at the 1995 Source Awards.


Personal life and death
Mack was married and had two children, a son and a daughter. Among his close friends was rapper and beatboxer .

Mack died at his home on March 12, 2018. The cause of death was originally reported as , which Mack had claimed as a health problem in 2014. According to rapper , Mack called his friends around six months before death to bid farewell as his health was declining. After his death, tributes were posted to social media by musicians LL Cool J, , and others.

It was later revealed Mack died of HIV/AIDS. He had known of the diagnosis but had refused treatment. Mack's family had followed his wishes in reporting the heart failure account rather than reporting the HIV/AIDS diagnosis.


Discography

Studio albums


Singles
1994 ! scope="row""Flava in Ya Ear"94157
  • RIAA: Platinum
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="3" Project: Funk Da World
1995 ! scope="row""Making Moves with Puff"
1997 ! scope="row""What I Need"1035516 Operation: Get Down
1998 ! scope="row""Jockin My Style"
2001 ! scope="row""Wooden Horse"
(featuring )
What's the Worst That Could Happen? & The Mack World Sessions
"—" denotes releases that did not chart


Music videos
1993You Don't Have to Worry (Remix) (Mary J. Blige featuring Craig Mack)F. Gary Gray
1994"Flava in Ya Ear"Craig Henry
"Flava in Ya Ear (Remix)Hype Williams
Get DownUnknown
1995Makin' Moves with PuffUnknown
If You Love Me (Remix) (Brownstone featuring Craig Mack)Unknown
Tonight's the Night (Remix) (Blackstreet featuring Craig Mack & SWV)Hype Williams
Vibin' (Remix) (Boyz II Men featuring Craig Mack, Method Man, Busta Rhymes & Treach)Hype Williams
1997Spirit (Sounds of Blackness featuring Craig Mack)Unknown
No One but You (Veronica featuring Craig)Unknown


Guest Appearances
+ !Year !Title !Artist !Album
1993You Don't Have to Worry (Remix)Mary J. BligeWhat's the 411? Remix
1994Do You Have What It Takes? Street Fighter OST
1995If You Love Me (Street Vibe Remix)Brownstone
"Tonight's the Night (Brand New Remix)Blackstreet, SWV
It's AlrightSistaDangerous Minds OST
Vibin' (New Flava Remix)Boyz II Men, Treach, Method Man, Busta Rhymes
1996The Things That You Do (Darkchild Remix)Gina Thompson, Mr. Mike Nitty, Craig Mack, Raekwon
1997No One but YouVeronicaRise
SpiritSounds of BlacknessTime for Healing
Treat Me RightDJ SkribbleTraffic Jams
1998Won't StopMiss JonesThe Other Woman
1999Let Me Get DownThe Notorious B.I.G., G Dep, Missy ElliottBorn Again
2002Special Delivery (Remix)G Dep, Ghostface Killah, Keith Murray,We Invented the Remix
And WeP. Diddy, Foxy Brown, Black Rob, Kain, The Mighty Ha, G Dep, Big Azz KoBarbershop OST
2003Everybody Wanna ShineDJ Kay Slay, Black Rob, G DepThe Streetsweep Vol. 1

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