Originally after reading Daffystardust’s two previous entries on Falco and EMF and observing that the late 90s were full of one-hit wonders I contemplated writing an article on 90s one-hit wonders. Then I set out to do some research and came across:
This
And saw that one of the songs listed was Kris Kross’s “Jump”. So it’s time to remedy that.
Chris “Daddy Mack” Smith and Chris “Mack Daddy” Kelly were rapping at an Atlanta shopping mall when producer Jermaine Dupri spotted them. He helped them get a deal with Ruffhouse records and wrote and produced their debut album. Christening them (pun intended) Kris Kross, he presented these 13 year olds as an edgier alternative to then popular teen act Another Bad Creation.
That debut album, Totally Krossed Out, was a smash upon its release in the spring of 1992. “Jump” made it all the way to number one and stayed there for eight weeks. The song was popular with both pop rap fans that were into the likes of Tone Loc and The Fresh Prince and quite a few hardcore ones that were into NWA, Ice Cube, Rakim and LL Cool J. Then there was the backwards dressing by the duo. Lots of kids were wearing their clothes backwards.
(Confession time: I actually owned Totally Krossed Out and played it to death my seventh grade year and the summer after. But I’m proud to say I never wore my clothes backwards. Not because I didn’t want to, mind you. But because my mom would not let me. She had n problem with me listening to Kris Kross. But not backwards dressing allowed. In hindsight, all I can say is “thanks mom”).
So “Jump” was a smash and even people who wouldn’t normally listen to rap knew that infamous chorus (“The Mack Dad’ll make ya Jump jump/Daddy Mack’ll make ya jump jump”). But it wasn’t the only big hit off of Totally Krossed Out.
“Warm It Up” was released about two months after “Jump” and it made it to 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts and number one on the rap charts and 3 on the R&B charts.
Come on you all know this one: “Warm it up Chris/I’m about to/Warm it up Chris/Cause that’s what I was born to do”.
Although it was quite successful at the time, “Warm It Up” has not gained the same immortality. In fact, it’s best known nowadays because Tupac sampled it on “Point Tha Finger” from his second album 1993’s Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.
Released just in time for the start of the new school year in 1992 was Kris Kross’s third single “I Missed The Bus”.
Although it’s not as well-remembered as “Jump” or even “Warm It Up”. “I Missed The Bus” didn’t totally miss the boat as it was popular on the music video channels and made it to 17 on the rap charts and 29 on the R&B ones. It only made 63 on the Billboard ones though.
“It’s A Shame” was the final single from Totally Krossed Out and it was the first to totally miss the Billboard Hot 100. But it made to 11 on the rap charts and 55 on R$B. In addition, the song’s anti-violence message resonated with some listeners and the two Chrises performed the song on an episode of “A Different World”.
Nope, Not A 1-Hit Wonder: Kris Kross
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So glad you covered Kriss Kross, because I never would have. I have close to a year’s worth of these already planned out (one per week) and they were not on the docket. Please feel free to take on any rap/hip-hop, because it is not my forte.
Was glad to do it. Yeah there are a few artists I definitely have in mind.
The area of rap/hip-hop is very tricky (extreme deference to Run-DMC) in that regard. There are many rap artists who are artistically significant. But had only one real crossover hit (IE: Talib Kweli) and a lot of the rap I love (Eric B & Rakim, PE, Wu-Tang Clan, Common) has never really reached the top 40. I plan to cover a few other early 90s pop ones (Gerardo, Marky Mark, maybe House Of Pain) who’ve come to be regarded as one-hits incorrectly.