What happened to Chris Kelly from Kris Kross?

When you think back to the legendary songs of the 90s, nothing comes to mind faster than “Jump” by Kris Kross. The song was the top song of the Billboard When it came out in 1992, it spent eight weeks on the Hot 100, keeping “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Under the Bridge” and other classic singles at No. 2. But we barely remember the hip-hop duo behind it, which consisted of then-13-year-old Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly and 12-year-old Chris “Daddy Mac” Smith.

Chris Kelly, also known as Mac Daddy, grew up in Atlanta with Chris Smith. The two became friends in first grade and were discovered in 1990 at Greenbriar Mall by Jermaine Dupri, who founded the So So Def label after signing Kris Kross. Despite Chris Kelly’s untimely death, their legacy lives on, with an Amsterdam music festival named after them now in its 13th year. So what happened to Chris Kelly?

It’s no surprise that Kelly was struggling with substance abuse when he and Smith became worldwide phenomena with “Jump” in their teens. They spent their teenage years working and touring after the song was a hit, and their debut album, Totally Krossed Out, reached multi-platinum status.

They toured with Michael Jackson on the European leg of his 1992 Dangerous World Tour and inspired a video game called Kris Kross: Make my videoHer second album, 1993’s Da Bomb, was also certified platinum, and her 1996 album, Young, Rich & Dangerous, went gold.

While working on their music careers, Kelly and Smith also attended Woodward Academy, where Kelly studied mix engineering, which led him to start C Connection Records. With all the money, fame, and pressure to study and work full-time, it’s easy to get lost in the world of drugs and partying where drugs are easily accessible.

Although the duo continued to perform together after the peak of their careers, they played their last show in their hometown on February 23, 2013, for So So Def’s 20th anniversary. Two months later, Chris Kelly died of a drug overdose.