Rapper Craig Mack, known for his 1994 hit “Flava in Ya Ear”, died on Monday at the age of 47. According to the New York Daily News, Mack died of heart failure, with the death being confirmed by his former producer Alvin Toney. DJ Scratch, Grammy-nominated hip-hop disc jockey, said that Mack told him recently that he was ill for some time and that he is prepared for the worst outcome.
Craig Mack released his first album titled Project: Funk da World in 1994, for the Bad Boy Records owned by Sean “Diddy” Combs at the time. The album contained the song “Flava in Ya Ear”, which became a huge hit after a remix featuring The Notorious B.I.G. LL Cool J, Rampage, and Busta Rhymes was released.
“Craig Mack, you were the first artist to release music on Bad Boy and gave us our first hit,” – said Combs to Rolling Stone in a statement. “You always followed your heart and you had an energy that was out of this world. You believed in me and you believed in Bad Boy. I will never forget what you did for hip-hop. You inspired me, and I will continue to try to keep inspiring others. We will always love you.”
Craig Mack released his second album titled Operation: Get Down in 1997 but didn’t manage to match the success of his debut outing. He started working on his third album in 2002 but eventually disappeared from the hip-hop scene. It was revealed in 2012 that Mack joined a Christian ministry and has no intentions to return to mainstream rap. 2017 saw the release of The Mack World Sessions, which contained 18 tracks that Mack recorded for his third studio album.
