{"id":74,"date":"2018-06-18T16:13:15","date_gmt":"2018-06-18T22:13:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hiphopnewsjournal.com\/?p=74"},"modified":"2018-07-19T10:40:18","modified_gmt":"2018-07-19T16:40:18","slug":"craig-mack-beyond-flava-in-your-ear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hiphopnewsjournal.com\/staging\/craig-mack-beyond-flava-in-your-ear\/","title":{"rendered":"Craig Mack: Beyond Flava In Your Ear"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Recently a clip has made its way to the internet of Craig Mack being interviewed.\u00a0 More than likely it was conducted shortly before his passing in March from congestive heart failure at the age of 46.\u00a0 The piece focuses on Craig Mack being swindled by an individual to do an album, driving him to resort to violence.\u00a0 However Craig Mack ironically comes across a gospel song that brings him to tears.\u00a0 This video is only a snippet of an interview so it is difficult to gage the context.\u00a0 One may speculate though that the clip is explaining why Craig Mack had left the record industry and\u00a0sought\u00a0refuge in a religious commune that the outside world viewed as a &#8220;cult&#8221;.\u00a0When Craig Mack had initially passed in March I felt the media glossed over Craig Mack&#8217;s contribution to hip hop.\u00a0 Wanted to dig in and provide a fuller picture of what he did for the culture. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Craig Mack\u00a0helped launch Bad Boy Records off the ground in a major way with his gold certified debut album <strong><em>Funk Da World<\/em><\/strong>. \u00a0His first single, \u201cFlava In Your Ear\u201d released in 1994 was a smash peaking at number 9 in the pop charts and being certified platinum. The remix consisting of himself, Notorious Big, LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes and Rampage propelled it to the next level. It is considered to be one of the most impactful hip hop songs of all time. At the time it served as a high profile launching pad, building anticipation for Notorious Big\u2019s debut album <em><strong>Ready To Die<\/strong> <\/em>and Busta Rhymes <em><strong>The Coming<\/strong><\/em>. In addition to helping LL Cool J back in the spotlight and return to platinum status with the album <em><strong>Mr. Smith<\/strong><\/em>. The prior year he had released the project <em><strong>14 Shots To the Dome<\/strong><\/em> which fell short of expectations and had only went gold.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3><strong>Craig Mack &#8211; Interview (VladTV)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Bejbwyi7kd8?start=5&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong> Craig Mack<\/strong> &#8211; <strong>Flava In Your Ear (remix) feat. Notorious Big, Rampage, LL Cool J, &amp; Busta Rhymes<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe width=\"1080\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PMbELEUfmIA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The instrumental was famously sampled years later for Jennifer Lopez\u2019s remix of \u201cAin\u2019t It Funny\u201d featuring Ja Rule and Cadillac Tah of Murder Inc. \u00a0Even recently the song was used for a Ford Fusion commercial. Craig Mack\u2019s follow up single \u201cGet Down\u201d enjoyed success as well going gold and cracking the top 40. \u00a0Just like the first single both \u201cGet Down\u201d the original version and remix by Q-Tip by hip hop heads is considered a classic. <em><strong>Funk Da World<\/strong> <\/em>would be the only project Craig Mack would ever release under the label.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Craig Mack &#8211; Get Down (remix) (prod. by Q Tip)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe width=\"1080\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Es1A5VZWNCA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Puff Daddy in a \u201cYo MTV Raps\u201d interview would notoriously lie about working on a sophmore album for Craig Mack. \u00a0Many speculate it was due to the meteoric rise of Notorious Big\u2019s career. Craig Mack\u2019s purpose was to just get in the door and Notorious Big just blew it up. \u00a0\u00a0Rumors have come to light that Craig Mack\u2019s next move was to be the first artist under \u201cDeathrow East\u201d an offshoot of \u201cDeathrow Records\u201d ran by Eric B of the legendary duo Eric B and Rakim. \u00a0This never came to fruition due to Tupac\u2019s death and the demise of \u201cDeathrow Records\u201d.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Craig Mack did not just pop out of nowhere and had instant success. \u00a0He had been putting in work since the 1980\u2019s. Being from Brentwood, New York in his teenage years he had forged a relationship with Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith who would later become the famous rap duo Epmd. \u00a0He served as their roadie on tours early on. During this time he went by the moniker MC EZ and released a song in 1988 called \u201cGet Retarded\u201d which was getting underground buzz on NYC radio. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>MC EZ(Craig Mack &amp; Troup) &#8211; Get Retarded<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe width=\"1080\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vCn7nVOV4wM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Alvin Toney, the head of security at the time for EPMD saw the potential in Craig Mack and ultimately got his demo in the hands of Puff Daddy in 1993 while he was an intern at one of the most influential record labels of all-time, Uptown Records. \u00a0This led to Craig Mack\u2019s major label debut on Mary J Blige\u2019s classic remix of \u201cYou Don\u2019t Have To Worry\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Mary J Blige &#8211; You Don\u2019t Have To Worry (remix) feat. Craig Mack &amp; Puff Daddy<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe width=\"1080\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2oqLgbBvFTs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Based on the impact of Craig Mack\u2019s appearance on Mary J Blige\u2019s song is what led to his signing with Bad Boy. \u00a0Beyond his album during the mid 90\u2019s Craig Mack would make notable guest appearances on high profile remixes. This would include Boyz II Men\u2019s \u201cVibin\u201d remix alongside with Treach from Naughty By Nature\u201d Method Man from the Wu-Tang Clan, Busta Rhymes and on Blackstreet\u2019s remix for \u201cTonight\u2019s The Night\u201d also featuring SWV.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Boyz II Men &#8211; Vibin (remix) feat. Treach, Craig Mack, Method Man, &amp; Busta Rhymes<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JUjkG7cxlTc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Blackstreet &#8211; Tonight\u2019s the Night (remix) feat. SWV &amp; Craig Mack<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe width=\"1080\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/O2SXcLPzo7c?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ironically, Craig Mack\u2019s last major appearances would be in 2002 on the \u201cBad Boy\u201d artist G-Dep\u2019s remix to \u201cSpecial Delivery\u201d along with Puff Daddy, Ghostface Killah, and Keith Murray.\u00a0 As well as the track &#8220;And We&#8221; off of the Barbershop soundtrack where he appeared alongside P Diddy again as well as G-Dep, Black Rob, and Foxy Brown.\u00a0\u00a0Many thought this would lead to the second coming of Craig Mack but it was not to be. When Puff Daddy ran the \u201cBad Boy Family 20th Anniversary Tour\u201d during 2015-2016 many were hoping that Craig Mack would be on the bill. \u00a0He was not present and many thought it was due to religious reasons. However it was ultimately due to health issues which led to his passing on Mar 12th, 2018 from heart congestive failure.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>G.Dep &#8211; Special Delivery (remix) feat. P. Diddy, Keith Murray, Ghostface Killah &amp; Craig Mack<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lK-0GNTcNVs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>P. Diddy &#8211; And We feat. Foxy Brown, Black Rob, G. Dep &amp; Craig Mack<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yJ1nTfkN6xc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Erick Sermon has revealed that Alvin Toney, his longtime friend and who had helped launch Craig Mack\u2019s career provided him with unreleased vocals. \u00a0Erick Sermon has been working on\u00a0putting together one last album.\u00a0 It will give his fans one last time to be reminded why Craig Mack\u2019s name is still relevant in the hip hop world.\u00a0\u00a0The lead track &#8220;Don&#8217;t Worry Mack Tonite&#8221; was just released.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Craig Mack &#8211; Don&#8217;t Worry Mack Tonite (prod. by Erick Sermon)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZEF-D-hUwnU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recently a clip has made its way to the internet of Craig Mack being interviewed.\u00a0 More than likely it was conducted shortly before his passing in March from congestive heart failure at the age of 46.\u00a0 The piece focuses on Craig Mack being swindled by an individual to do an album, driving him to resort [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":346,"featured_media":109,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the recent passing of Craig Mack at the young age of 46 due to heart congestive heart failure the general consensus and acknowledgement is that he helped launch Bad Boy Records off the ground in a major way with his gold certified debut album \u201cFunk Da World\u201d. \u00a0His first single, \u201cFlava In Your Ear\u201d released in 1994 was a smash peaking at number 9 in the pop charts and being certified platinum. The remix consisting of himself, Notorious Big, LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes and Rampage propelled it to the next level. It is considered to be one of the most impactful hip hop songs of all time. \u00a0At the time it served as a high profile launching pad, building anticipation for Notorious Big\u2019s debut album \u201cReady To Die\u201d and Busta Rhymes \u201cThe Coming\u201d. In addition to helping LL Cool J back in the spotlight and return to platinum status with the album \u201cMr. Smith\u201d. The prior year he had released the project \u201c14 Shots To the Dome\u201d which fell short of expectations and had only went gold.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<strong>Flava In Your Ear Remix<\/strong>\r\n\r\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PMbELEUfmIA[\/embed]\r\n\r\nThe instrumental was famously sampled years later for Jennifer Lopez\u2019s remix of \u201cAin\u2019t It Funny\u201d featuring Ja Rule and Cadillac Tah of Murder Inc. \u00a0Even recently the song was used for a Ford Fusion commercial. Craig Mack\u2019s follow up single \u201cGet Down\u201d enjoyed success as well going gold and cracking the top 40. \u00a0Just like the first single both \u201cGet Down\u201d the original version and remix by Q-Tip by hip hop heads is considered a classic. \u201cFunk Da World\u201d would be the only project Craig Mack would ever release under the label.\r\n\r\n<strong>Get Down remix w\/Q Tip<\/strong>\r\n\r\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Es1A5VZWNCA[\/embed]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Puff Daddy in a \u201cYo MTV Raps\u201d interview would notoriously lie about working on a sophmore album for Craig Mack. \u00a0Many speculate it was due to the meteoric rise of Notorious Big\u2019s career. Craig Mack\u2019s purpose was to just get in the door and Notorious Big just blew it up. \u00a0\u00a0Rumors have come to light that Craig Mack\u2019s next move was to be the first artist under \u201cDeathrow East\u201d an offshoot of \u201cDeathrow Records\u201d ran by Eric B of the legendary duo Eric B and Rakim. \u00a0This never came to fruition due to Tupac\u2019s death and the demise of \u201cDeathrow Records\u201d.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Craig Mack did not just pop out of nowhere and had instant success. \u00a0He had been putting in work since the 1980\u2019s. Being from Brentwood, New York in his teenage years he had forged a relationship with Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith who would later become the famous rap duo \u201cEpmd\u201d. \u00a0He served as their roadie on tours early on. During this time he went by the moniker MC EZ and released a song in 1988 called \u201cGet Retarded\u201d which was getting underground buzz on NYC radio. <\/span>\r\n\r\n<strong>MC EZ(Craig Mack & Troup) - Get Retarded<\/strong>\r\n\r\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=vCn7nVOV4wM[\/embed]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alvin Toney, the head of security at the time for EPMD saw the potential in Craig Mack and ultimately got his demo in the hands of Puff Daddy in 1993 while he was an intern at one of the most influential record labels of all-time, \u201cUptown Records\u201d. \u00a0This led to Craig Mack\u2019s major label debut on Mary J Blige\u2019s classic remix of \u201cYou Don\u2019t Have To Worry\u201d.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<strong>Mary J Blige - You Don\u2019t Have To Worry remix<\/strong>\r\n\r\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=2oqLgbBvFTs[\/embed]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Based on the impact of Craig Mack\u2019s appearance on Mary J Blige\u2019s song is what led to his signing with Bad Boy. \u00a0Beyond his album during the mid 90\u2019s Craig Mack would make notable guest appearances on high profile remixes. This would include Boyz II Men\u2019s \u201cVibin\u201d remix alongside with Treach from \u201cNaughty By Nature\u201d, Method Man from the \u201cWu Tang Clan\u201d, Busta Rhymes and on Black Street\u2019s remix for \u201cTonight\u2019s The Night\u201d also featuring SWV.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<strong>Boyz II Men - Vibin (Remix)<\/strong>\r\n\r\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JUjkG7cxlTc[\/embed]\r\n\r\n<strong>Blackstreet - Tonight\u2019s the Night<\/strong>\r\n\r\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9EXbDmbpQXo[\/embed]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ironically, Craig Mack\u2019s last major appearance would be in 2002 on the \u201cBad Boy\u201d artist G-Dep\u2019s remix to \u201cSpecial Delivery\u201d along with Puff Daddy, Ghostface Killah, and Keith Murray. \u00a0Many thought this would lead to the second coming of Craig Mack but it was not to be. When Puff Daddy ran the \u201cBad Boy Family 20th Anniversary Tour\u201d during 2015-2016 many were hoping that Craig Mack would be on the bill. \u00a0He was not present and many thought it was due to religious reasons. However it was ultimately due to health issues which led to his passing on Mar 12th, 2018 from heart congestive failure.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<strong>G. Dep - Special Delivery<\/strong>\r\n\r\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lK-0GNTcNVs[\/embed]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Erick Sermon has revealed that Alvin Toney, his longtime friend and who had helped launch Craig Mack\u2019s career provided him with unreleased vocals. \u00a0Erick Sermon\u2019s plan is to create one last album. It will give his fans one last time to be reminded why Craig Mack\u2019s name is still relevant in the hip hop world. \u00a0As well as a reminder how he had the potential of being one of the great ones.<\/span>","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[2,4,3],"tags":[298,283,288,286,5,290,287,289,299,285,284],"yst_prominent_words":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hiphopnewsjournal.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hiphopnewsjournal.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hiphopnewsjournal.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hiphopnewsjournal.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/346"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hiphopnewsjournal.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/hiphopnewsjournal.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":559,"href":"https:\/\/hiphopnewsjournal.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74\/revisions\/559"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hiphopnewsjournal.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hiphopnewsjournal.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hiphopnewsjournal.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hiphopnewsjournal.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hiphopnewsjournal.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=74"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}