Kris Kross was an American hip hop duo, consisting of Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith. Kris Kross was the youngest hip-hop duo to gain success, with gold and platinum albums at 12 and 13 years old. The duo was discovered by Jermaine Dupri in 1991 and hit worldwide status the following year with their smash hit debut single, "Jump", which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and was certified double platinum as a single. They went on to release three studio albums, with their debut album Totally Krossed Out topping the US Billboard 200, and their following albums, Da Bomb and Young, Rich & Dangerous making it into the Top 20. The duo were also noted for their signature fashion style of wearing their clothes backwards.
"Jump" is a song by American hip hop duo Kris Kross, released on February 6, 1992 by Ruffhouse and Columbia, as their first single from their debut studio album, Totally Krossed Out (1992). It was produced by Jermaine Dupri and Joe "The Butcher" Nicolo, and achieved international success, topping charts in Switzerland, Australia, and the United States. Additionally, it was the third-best-selling song of 1992 in the United States, with sales of 2,079,000 physical copies that year. The song's accompanying music video was directed by Rich Murray and filmed in Atlanta. Billboard magazine featured "Jump" in their lists of "Billboard's Top Songs of the '90s" in 2019 and "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time" in 2023.
"Never Forget You" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey for her third studio album, Music Box (1993). Carey co-wrote the slow jam with Babyface and the pair produced it with Daryl Simmons. Columbia Records released the song on January 21, 1994, as the B-side to "Without You" and promoted it to American urban contemporary radio stations as the album's fourth single. The lyrics lament the end of a romance. Strings, synthesizers, and percussion characterize the composition; Jermaine Dupri altered them for remixes.
"Daddy Cool" is a song produced and co-written by Frank Farian who had founded the group Boney M. to visually perform to his songs on TV and while touring discos. Farian also provided the male voice parts on the record. The song was included on their debut album Take the Heat off Me. It was a 1976 hit and a staple of disco music and became Boney M.'s first hit in the United Kingdom.
"When a Man Loves a Woman" is a song by American singer-songwriter Jody Watley, released in 1994 as the final single from her fourth album, Intimacy (1993). The song peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard R&B Singles Chart and number 33 on the UK Singles Chart, making it Watley's first top-40 hit in the UK since "Friends" in 1989.
"Warm It Up" is the second single released from American duo Kris Kross' debut album, Totally Krossed Out (1992). Produced and written by Jermaine Dupri, the song was released as the follow-up to the duo's multi-platinum chart topping hit, "Jump" on June 4, 1992. The song became the second consecutive top 15 hit released from the album, reaching 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #4 in Canada, as well as their second consecutive single to reach #1 on the Rap charts. "Warm It Up" was certified gold on August 8, 1992. The music video for the song was directed by Rich Murray and was awarded Best Rap Video by a new artist by Billboard magazine in 1992.
"I Missed the Bus" is a song by American hip-hop duo Kris Kross. It was released in September 1992 as the third single from their debut album, Totally Krossed Out (1992).
"It's a Shame" is the fourth and final single by American hip hop duo Kris Kross, released in January 1993 by Ruffhouse and Columbia from their debut album, Totally Krossed Out (1992). It is the least successful of the four singles, as it did not chart on the US Billboard Hot 100. However, it did manage to reach number 11 on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart and number 55 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, as well as number 31 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was written and produced by Jermaine Dupri, and its music video was directed by Rich Murray. The group performed "It's a Shame" on numerous television shows, such as A Different World.
"Alright" is the first single released from American hip hop duo Kris Kross' second album, Da Bomb (1993). The song was produced and written by Jermaine Dupri and features reggae star, Super Cat on the chorus. Sampling Slave's "Just a Touch of Love", it was officially released on July 13, 1993 by Ruffhouse and Columbia, as the lead single from the album. It became the album's biggest hit, peaking at #1 in Portugal, and at numbers 19 and 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100. It was also the duo's third single to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart. "Alright" also contains a diss to rival group, Da Youngstas, who had been critical of Kris Kross due to their success on the Billboard charts and the fact that they did not write their lyrics. Chris Smith AKA "Daddy Mac" responded with the lyric "I didn't come out wack I came out right, unlike them moles who choose to pass da mic", an obvious reference to Da Youngstas single "Pass da Mic".
"Tonite's tha Night" is a song by American rap duo Kris Kross, released as the first single from their third and final album, Young, Rich & Dangerous (1996). It features background vocals from Trey Lorenz and has a remix that features Redman. The single was certified gold on January 17, 1996.
"Live and Die For Hip Hop" is a song by American rap duo Kris Kross, released as the second and final single from their third album, Young, Rich & Dangerous (1996). It is their ninth and final single overall, and features rap stars Da Brat, Jermaine Dupri, Mr. Black and background vocals by R&B star Aaliyah. The song contains a sample of "Baby Come to Me" by Regina Belle. It was not as successful as "Tonite's tha Night", however it did gain some success, making it to #72 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #11 on the Hot Rap Singles chart. A remix was made featuring DJ Clark Kent.
"That's What Little Girls Are Made Of" is the debut mainstream single by American singer-actress Raven-Symoné featuring American rapper Missy Elliott, taken from her debut studio album, Here's to New Dreams (1992). The single was released in April 1993 by MCA Records and is Raven-Symoné's highest chart appearance to date, peaking at numbers 68 and 73 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100.
"Daddy DJ" is a song recorded by French dance act of the same name. It was their debut single from their first album Let Your Body Talk and was first released in France in 1999, and then in many European countries between April and June 2000. The music video was produced as an animated feature.
"Sending My Love" is a song by American R&B group Zhané recorded for their debut album, Pronounced Jah-Nay (1994). It was released as the album's third single on May 23, 1994. The remixes can be viewed on YouTube.
"Give It 2 You" is the third and final single released from Da Brat's debut album, Funkdafied, the first album from a female rapper to go platinum.
"I'm Not Over You" is a song by American singer-songwriter and former beauty queen CeCe Peniston, originally recorded for her second album, Thought 'Ya Knew (1994), which was released on A&M Records. The single achieved number two on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, and number ten on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. On the Billboard Hot 100, the song charted at number forty-one. The B-side of the single included "Searchin'", which was previously released only for promotional purposes.
"Take Me Back to Love Again" is a 1992 song by American singer-songwriter Kathy Sledge. It was written by Kenny Harris and Mark Holden, and was the first single from Sledge's first solo album, Heart (1992). The producers were Charles Farrar and Troy Taylor. The single went to number-one on the US Billboard dance chart for one week. It did not make the Billboard Hot 100 but went to number 24 on the Billboard soul singles chart. In Europe, it peaked at number 62 on the UK Singles Chart and number 12 on the UK Dance Singles Chart.
Kris Kross Amsterdam is a Dutch DJ and record producer trio formed by brothers Jordy and Sander Huisman and Yuki Kempees. Their music is a mix of various music styles including R&B, hip hop, funk, soul, pop and house.
Youtha Anthony Fowler, better known by his stage name DJ Nabs, is an American DJ and record producer. He has been part of the Atlanta hip hop scene since the late 1980s and worked with hip hop artists such as Kris Kross, Da Brat, Bow Wow, Xscape, Speech, and Trick Daddy, hosted several radio shows, and toured with Mariah Carey, Ciara and Michael Jackson. He published his compilation album In the Lab with DJ Nabs - The Live Album in 1998. Nabs founded the MAD DJ Academy, and hosted and co-created Ultimate Mad DJ Contest, an event showcasing emerging DJs.
"Willing to Forgive" is a song by American singer-songwriter Aretha Franklin from her seventh compilation album, Greatest Hits: 1980–1994 (1994). The song was released as the album's second single in May 1994 by Arista Records. Written and produced by Babyface and Daryl Simmons, it became a hit in the United States, reaching numbers 26 and 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100, and number five on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It also charted in the UK, reaching number 17 on the UK Singles Chart. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Willing to Forgive" peaked at number 49 in July 1994.
