Remember Chris Smith from Kris Kross? Here’s what he’s up to now after the tragic fate of his bandmate

It has been 24 years since child rappers Kris Kross burst onto the music scene with their hit song Jump.

Honey G’s performance on this season of The X Factor was so powerful that it resonated with audiences worldwide, solidifying the iconic status of the song she covered.

Kris Kross (Chris Smith, left, and Chris Kelly, right) performing at the 1993 Kids’ Choice Awards in Los AngelesCredit: Getty Images – FilmMagic

Chris ‘Daddy Mac’ Smith and Chris ‘Mac Daddy’ Kelly, the pair, secured the opening act position for the European portion of Michael Jackson’s Dangerous tour due to the rapid magnitude of their achievements in 1992.

Riding on the coattails of their debut album “Jump,” Totally Krossed Out rocketed to the No.1 spot in the US, despite performing poorly in the UK, peaking at a lowly 31.

Chris Kelly, left, and Chris Smith picking up a prize at the 1993 American Music AwardsCredit: Ron Galella Collection

The movie received rave reviews from critics and was a box office hit.Output: The film garnered enthusiastic acclaim from reviewers and was a commercial success.

The sophomore album Da Bomb (1993) and the third and ultimate compilation Young, Rich & Dangerous (1996) sold significantly fewer units than their initial release in the United States – and failed to make an appearance on the UK charts.

Posing for a promo shot in their early Nineties heydayCredit: Redferns

Kris Kross, who were discovered at a shopping mall in Atlanta by music mogul Jermaine Dupri in 1991, recorded 25 tracks for their fourth album, which was never released between 2000 and 2001.

During a course in business and marketing, Smith founded a record label called Connection C, while Kelly studied engineering. They embarked on a lengthy hiatus.

Kris Kross performed their last concert at the Fox Theatre in their hometown of Atlanta, Georgia in 2013.

Tragedy struck when Kelly, a 34-year-old, was discovered unconscious in his Atlanta residence on May 1 after overdosing on cocaine and heroin.

The celebrity – who had “a long history of substance abuse” – was declared deceased at 5pm.

“Every single hour, I find myself pondering about Chris, fully aware that he would desire me to persist in pursuing our shared passions and the things he held dear,” Smith disclosed in 2014, while reminiscing about the passing of his music collaborator and dear friend.

“This was our passion since we were eleven years old, so we found the love for music at a very early age.

“I understand that he would just want me to continue on the path that we started. It will never be the same.”

Looking at things differently, you start. The world is different for me. Since that day, my life has never been the same.

Your perspective shapes everything. The memories you hold onto only exist in the studio of your mind, keeping me curious about the kind of person you are.

Chris Smith breaks down at Chris Kelly’s funeral in 2013Credit: Getty Images

Although he’s spent time working on a comeback music project, these days Smith is focused on his new career as an artist.

He launched the Muse Urbane website to showcase his paintings and cover his other passions, including culture, film, design, and music.