Have You Heard of Kris Kross? These 90s Teen Hip-Hop Stars Endured Fame and Tragedy

Although they weren’t looking for it, friends Chris Kelly and Chris Smith got their big break in 1991 when they were discovered by a then-18-year-old Jermaine Dupri at Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta at 12 and 13 years old.

In a 2018 interview with GRAMMY.com, Dupri talked about his first impression of the tweens. “You gotta understand people out there, Kris Kross weren’t rappers. They weren’t kids walking around with demos. They weren’t trying to be rappers. They weren’t trying to be singers. When I met them I said, ‘What do y’all do?’” he said. “’We just cool.’ I was like, ‘Damn. Get these guys a record fast.’”

With Jermaine Dupri’s help, it wasn’t long before Kris Kross secured a deal with Ruffhouse Records and released their first album, “Totally Krossed Out” in 1992. Dupri wrote and produced the songs and gave the group their first hit with “Jump.” The song hit the top of the Billboard charts and held its spot for eight weeks.

According to Billboard, Dupri got the idea for the song by watching how fans behaved at concerts.

“I went home and wrote the song in an hour,” he said.

In 1993, Dupri started his own record label, So So Def with Kris Kross as one its featured artists. The label would go on to launch the careers of successful R&B and hip-hop groups, including Xscape, Jagged Edge, Lil Jon and Da Brat, and it put Atlanta on the map as a musical force to be reckoned with.

One of the things that made Kris Kross stand out from other hip-hop groups on the scene at the time was their affinity for wearing their clothes backwards. If you were a teen in 1990s, you probably tried the style yourself at least once. Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone!

Kris Kross found a friend in Michael Jackson, appearing along with Heavy D and Michael Jordan in his “Jam” music video. The group also got the opportunity of a lifetime in 1992 when they joined the superstar on the European leg of his “Dangerous” world tour.

By 1993, the group was everywhere. Their commercial success was evident when they landed a sponsorship deal with Sprite. Check out their ad here.

The good times kept on rolling in 1993, when the group beat Arrested Development and TLC to win “Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop New Artist” at the American Music Awards. In their acceptance speech, the group thanked Run D.M.C., who presented them with the award for their contributions to hip-hop.

The group had another hit on their “Totally Krossed Out” album with “Warm it Up.” The song spent three weeks at the top of Billboard’s rap charts in 1992.

Although Kris Kross had their own individual style, they did have beef with other young hip-hop acts that were also popular during the time, including Another Bad Creation (ABC), Illegal and Da Youngstas. The groups were known to throw not-so-subtle shade at each other on their records.

In a 2020 interview with Off the Radar TV, Ro from ABC reflects on the beef with Kris Kross, calling the whole thing a misunderstanding.

“I ain’t even gone lie, I liked ‘Jump,’ even though they dissed us,” he said.

In 1993, Kris Kross released their second album, “Da Bomb.” One of the biggest hits was “Alright,” a smooth track that samples the Slave hit “Just a Touch of Love” and features an assist from dancehall superstar Super Cat.

Kris Kross’ third and final studio album was 1996's “Young, Rich and Dangerous.” Although the album didn’t generate much buzz, one of its best known songs is “Tonite’s Tha Night,” a track which samples Faze-O’s 1977 classic funk hit, “Riding High.”

After the Chrises went their separarate ways, they tried to find success on their own. In 2008, Chris Smith released a solo album titled “Urbane Expressions,” along with a book of poetry.

Today, Smith’s brand Urbane Muse makes luxury clothing, accessories and home decor items.

But Chris Kelly had a tough time making it on his own. As he was photographed with bald spots on his head, rumors began swirling that he was suffering from cancer. But in an interview with Straight from the A TV, Kelly confirmed that his hair loss was caused by alopecia.

“My health is good, I just got alopecia, I don’t have cancer, not other sort of diseases,” he said.

In February of 2013, the group got back together to perform at a So So Def 20th Anniversary concert at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. The star-studded lineup included Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Ludacris, Usher and more.

Just three months after their reunion performance, tragedy struck the group when Chris Kelly was found dead of a drug overdose in May 2013. According to CNN, the autopsy report revealed that Kelly had a mixture of cocaine and heroin in his system.

In an emotional speech at the funeral, Chris Smith assured Kelly’s mom that he would always be there for her. “Donna, I just want to say to you that you’ve always been like a mother to me,” he said. “And I know I can’t fill Chris shoes, but I’m always gonna be here.”