Although in the years that preceded his death, former Bad Boy artiste Craig Mack and Diddy were not necessarily the best of friends, owing to the fact that the rapper had taken up a spiritual calling and had abandoned secular music. He moved from the big city of New York to live in a rural area of South Carolina.
After Mack’s death at the age of 47 few weeks ago, the hiphop community celebrated the life of one of the genre’s most gifted acts. Bad Boy owner Diddy pointed out in a tribute that Craig Mack was the first artiste to give the label a hit, paving the way for several years of dominance to follow.
Diddy reportedly offered to pay for his funeral but was rebuffed by Mack’s church- a sect that was called ‘cult’ in some circles. The influence on the late rapper was so strong that during the Bad Boy tour, he declined to be part, thereby losing out on potential revenue.
According to close associate DJ Scratch, the church refused Diddy’s offer and did not tell him when Mack was buried. ‘When I left Craig’s memorial service I called Diddy to thank him for giving Craig the platform for the world to know Craig Mack’s music, I told him I just left the service, he said ‘They buried Craig already, what service are you talking about?!?’” He also confirmed that the religious community that he belonged to refused to be paid for his funeral expenses. Diddy respected their wishes. Craig was immediately buried on the property where he lived.