Craig Mack is famend as the primary star of Bad Boy Records and rapper behind the 1994 hit “Flava in Ya Ear.” But he was nearly a part of Hit Squad, in accordance with the collective’s co-founder Erick Sermon.

In a latest interview with AllHipHop, Sermon revealed Mack was nearly indoctrinated alongside fellow Hit Squad members EPMD, Keith Murray, Redman, Hurricane G and Okay-Solo, and was near signing with Sermon’s label.

“Craig Mack was originally meant to be part of the Hit Squad, but then EPMD broke up,” Sermon defined. “That’s when my man—relaxation in peace—Alvin Toney launched him to Puff, and Craig ended up signing with Bad Boy. From the beginning, Craig Mack was on our label, and he needed to be with the Hit Squad.

“That’s a real piece of history. Craig and I were close friends—we listened to Public Enemy together at my grandmother’s house every weekend. He would get dropped off at my grandma’s; we were always hearing new tracks. That’s how close we were. Rest in peace, Craig.”

Mack went on to launch his gold-certified debut, Project: Funk da World, with Bad Boy in September 1994, however his preliminary achievements rapidly light as a result of overwhelming affect of The Notorious B.I.G.’s debut, Ready to Die, which launched simply days forward of Mack’s personal album.

Although Diddy publicly spoke in a 1994 MTV interview about plans for Mack’s sophomore launch, which included Mack and Biggie, the venture didn’t materialize as described, leaving Mack in a state of uncertainty through the look.

Ultimately, Mack launched one other album independently in 1997, however none of its tracks gained traction and his earlier success eluded him. The Notorious B.I.G. later indicated that his participation in Mack’s “Flava in Ya Ear” remix was motivated by label politics.

Diddy even likened Mack to George Clinton in a New York Times interview for his progressive fashion. After a number of makes an attempt at a comeback within the early 2000s, Mack was reported to be engaged on a 3rd album in 2002, showing within the “I Need a Girl (Part One)” music video and releasing “Mack Tonight” in 2006. Mack stepped away from music till a stunning 2012 YouTube video revealed he had joined a Christian ministry in South Carolina, the place he lived out his remaining years.

Mack died in 2012 on the age of 47. While preliminary stories from his household and the media cited congestive coronary heart failure because the trigger, a Rolling Stone investigation and Mack’s dying certificates later revealed the reason for dying was truly problems associated to HIV/AIDS, which Mack had reportedly refused to deal with.

Mack’s household has shared that he saved the character of his sickness personal, telling mates he was affected by coronary heart illness In his final months, his well being quickly declined—he misplaced important weight, used a cane and ultimately turned bedridden, along with his household by his facet in his closing days.

Sermon is getting ready to launch his new album, Dynamic Duos Vol. 1, on November 21.

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