Representative Albums: "Project: Funk da World," "Operation: Get Down"
Representative Songs: "Flava in Ya Ear," "Get Down," "Making Moves With Puff"
Biography
An above-average rapper blessed with a bit of luck and connections as well as talent, Craig Mack practically made Puff Daddy's Bad Boy label with a remix of his 1994 hit "Flava in Ya Ear." Based in Brentwood, Long Island, Mack cut his first single while still a teenager, though nothing came of it. He was working as a go-fer for hometown heroes EPMD when he hooked up with Sean "Puffy" Combs, who offered him a spot on a Mary J. Blige remix in 1992. Impressed, Combs offered him a contract on his Bad Boy label, distributed through Arista. What really sold the LP, however, was a platinum remix of the top single "Flava in Ya Ear." Featuring a parade of East Coast talent -- the Notorious B.I.G., Rampage, LL Cool J, and Busta Rhymes -- it ranked as one of the first posse tracks to go overground in a big way; a Top Ten pop hit, and number one on the rap and dance charts. Mack returned in 1997 (after having severed relations with Combs) with Operation: Get Down, an executive production of longtime East Coast head Eric B. The album didn't even make the Top 40, and Mack struggled for a contract during the rest of the decade. After recording a few white labels, he returned to Bad Boy with an appearance on Combs' We Invented the Remix LP ("Special Delivery" featuring Ghostface Killah and Keith Murray) and announced plans for a new Bad Boy LP. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
Craig Mack (born May 10, 1971) is an American rapper who gained a considerable amount of fame on Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Entertainmentrecord label in the 1990s. Although his first single was released under the name MC EZ in 1988, he is best known for his 1994 hit single "Flava In Ya Ear", which was released under his real name. The star-studded posse-cut remix of the single was the breakout appearance of the label's most popular artist The Notorious B.I.G., as well as one of the first solo appearances by Busta Rhymes. The success of The Notorious B.I.G.'s debut album Ready To Die overshadowed Mack's early success on the Bad Boy label, and without being able to bounce back with another commercially successful album, Mack hasn't been in the limelight since the 90s. As of September 1, 2008, he is no longer on Stereo Nasty Records.