Throwback Thursday: Kriss Kross “Jump” (Video)

First off, anyone who's calling Kriss Kross a one-hit wonder is obviously forgetting about their follow-up hit "I Missed the Bus", but labels aside, I think we can all agree on on thing: the "Jump" video epitomizes the mid-09s like no other video in history...for better or worse...ok, mostly worse.



The Refined Take:

1) After watching this video I've got enough jokes to last a lifetime, but on the real, let's pause for a moment to give Kriss Kross some completely serious props. For a couple of teenagers, these kids could really flow. No joke, in a parallel universe they could have really grown up to be some ill rappers.

2) Ok, now that we've got the serious moment out of the way, how f**king fantastic is this video!? More than anything it's an amazing collection of mid-90s fashion trends, including Timbaland boots, super baggy jeans, Starter jackets, lines shaved into your eyebrows and, of course, backward jeans (though that was more of a solo Kriss Kross thing). Growing up in the '90s I'm not saying I ever dressed like that, I'm just saying all photographic evidence has been destroyed.

3) You gotta love the video's super literal interpretation on the chorus as we're treated to kids jumping, a guy with a basketball jumping and a skateboarder jumping. Oddly, nary a high jump to be found. What's up with that?

4) Maybe it's just the nostalgia talking, but if we're gonna battle teen hip-hop sensations, I'd take Kriss Kross over the New Boyz any day. Seriously, in a battle the New Boyz would get totally krossed out (terrible pun alert). It wouldn't even be close.

5) And now for the inevitable, "what ever happened to Kriss Kross?" portion of the program. As far as I can figure out they're still in the music industry separately: one's still recording (Smith/Daddy Mack) and the other (Kelly/Mack Daddy) is running his own label, C.co Records. In other words, they're not up to a whole lot.