The debut album from Craig Mack, "Project Funk Da World" was also the first album distributed through Puff's Bad Boy Entertainment. Puff and Craig Mack were both 23 at the time of its release, which is kinda crazy when I think back on it. "Flava In Ya Ear" was the smash hit single to promote the album, as well as the remix with an all-star line-up including The Notorious B.I.G., Busta Rhymes, Rampage, and LL Cool J. Easy Mo Bee produced that as well as the second single "Get Down," until they dropped the remix featuring Q-Tip, another solid banger. The Source gave the album 4 mics, which may have been generous at the time, despite some strong singles. Ben Smith wrote, "This summer, as if from nowhere, Craig Mack jumped into the over-saturated rap market and blew all fake, no skillz rappers out of the picture. His street anthem, the irresistible, hypnotic "Flava In Ya Ear" single had wack MC's on their knees, "burning, begging please," under Craig's devastating, off-beat attack. On Funk Da World, he resumes where the single left off, providing eleven tracks of East Coast's most rugged, raw, truly hardcore urban-contemporary-jeep-music." Cont'd below...
"While being touted as the next big thing, older heads who heard MC E-Z & Troop's 1987 classic "Get Retarded" will know that this Brentwood, Lond Island native is no new jack ... The Mack has seen hip-hop culture descend from the sublime days of '87 to the current state of ridiculousness, and now "Judgment Day" is here for all wack MC's who aren't "Real Raw." Throughout the album, he displays well-perfected mic skills, delivering them with a precision and discipline that's hard to beat ... Funk Da World's production - simple, hard beats and samples in the Hit Squad mold (principally by Easy Mo Bee and Craig) - complement Mack's serpentine flows ... we're given a refreshing, back-to-basics, solid collection that's more than enough for Craig Mack to funk da world." (1994)
