Craig Mack, the rapper to score a hit on Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Bad Boy Records died on Monday, March 12. He was 46.
The New York Daily News, who was first to report Mack’s death, said Mack died of heart failure.
In 1994 Mack scored one of hip-hop’s biggest hits with “Flava in Ya Ear.” The single sold more than one million copies and the remix featuring Notorious B.I.G., Rampage, LL Cool J and Busta Rhymes also became a hit.
Soon after the release of his sophomore album, Mack retired from music for the sake of his religious beliefs.
He spent the next 20 years as a minister.
“It was a pleasure to know you & rock with you,” LL Cool J said via Twitter. “You stepped away from the game & did it your way…I always respected that.”
Information from Rolling Stone and The New York Daily News contributed to this report.
