Craig Mack, one of the earliest artists on P. Diddy's Bad Boy Records label is dead at the age of 46. Mack's cause of death has been confirmed as heart failure and reportedly he passed away in a hospital near his South Carolina home on Monday.
Fans of 1990s hip-hop will best remember Mack for his popular songs such as 1994's "Flava in Ya Ear" and "Get Down." Growing up in Suffolk County, New York, Mack wanted to emulate New York rappers of the time such as LL Cool J and Run DMC. The then-aspiring rapper started his career in the late 1980s under the name MC EZ, before later deciding to perform under his real name.
Mack first encountered P. Diddy in the early 1990s — who at the time was still known as "Puffy" — at a Manhattan night club and impressed the up-and-coming producer with his freestyling skills.