2 Live Crew is an American hip hop group from
Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
,
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
, formed in 1984. The group was originally composed of DJ Mr. Mixx (David Hobbs), Fresh Kid Ice (Christopher Wong Won), and Amazing Vee (Yuri Vielot), though its most well-known lineup emerged later with the addition of Brother Marquis (Mark Ross) and the replacement of Amazing Vee by Luther "Luke Skyywalker" Campbell, who also served as the group's manager and promoter. Known for their provocative lyrics and sexually explicit content, 2 Live Crew gained widespread attention in the late 1980s and early 1990s, becoming pioneers of the Miami bass genre and influential figures in the development of Southern hip hop. Their breakthrough album, ''The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are'' (1986), introduced their signature sound, blending booming basslines with humorous and risqué themes.
The group achieved both commercial success and controversy with their 1989 album, ''As Nasty As They Wanna Be'', which was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and featured the hit single "Me So Horny." The album's explicit content led to legal battles over obscenity, most notably when it was declared legally obscene by a federal judge in 1990—an unprecedented ruling for a music recording in the United States. This decision sparked a high-profile First Amendment case, eventually overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in 1992, cementing the group's legacy as defenders of free expression in music. Despite lineup changes and legal challenges, 2 Live Crew continued to release albums, including ''Banned in the U.S.A.'' (1990), the first album to bear a Parental Advisory label, and remained active until their official disbandment in 2016 following the death of Fresh Kid Ice in 2017. The group's influence endures in hip hop culture, particularly for their role in pushing boundaries of artistic freedom and popularizing bass-heavy production.
History
1984–1986: Group formation and breakthrough
The 2 Live Crew, although seen as a main fixture in the
Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
hip-hop scene, actually got their start in
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. As of the 2020 census, the city has a population of 314,998. It is the most populous city in th ...
and was created by DJ
Mr. Mixx (David Hobbs) with fellow rappers
Fresh Kid Ice (Chris Wong Won), and Amazing Vee (Yuri Vielot).
The group released its first single, "Revelation", on its own label "Fresh Beat Records" in 1984. The A-side of "Revelation" contained a song where the only rapper featured was Amazing Vee. The B-side contained a song named "2 Live" where Fresh Kid Ice was the only rapper featured. "Revelation" was popular in Florida. Luke Skyywalker (
Luther Campbell), who at the time was a local DJ and promoter, invited The 2 Live Crew to relocate to Miami. Also due to the subsequent success of 2 Live Crew, this made Fresh Kid Ice the first rapper to be noted in
Asian American hip hop, and the first
Asian rapper to gain notoriety.
For their second single, "What I Like" (1985), Fresh Kid Ice was the only rapper featured. Amazing Vee was only credited as writer, and left the group shortly after.
The single "Throw The D", released in January 1986, was a permanent blueprint for future
Miami bass songs.
Wong Won said that the song came about when they noticed a new popular dance in Miami called "Throwing The Dick" when the
Herman Kelly and Life's song "Dance to the Drummer's Beat" played. The dance consisted of men throwing their hips back and forth, while the girls would squat with their hands on their knees, bend over, and shake their butt. Wong Won suggested to Mr. Mixx that they should adapt the hook, and they scratched it into the song. Wong Won felt his voice was too high pitched for the hook, so Mr. Mixx who came up with the pattern did it using an emulator. Wong Won wrote the lyrics in 20 minutes on a plane ride. Finally, they booked a 16-track studio to record it.
Rapper
Brother Marquis (Mark Ross) joined The 2 Live Crew. Luke Skyywalker (
Luther Campbell) gave The 2 Live Crew a record deal and worked as the group's manager. He also joined the group as its hype-man and spokesperson in their subsequent controversies.
The 2 Live Crew's debut album, ''
The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are'', was released in 1986. Alex Henderson of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
commented that the album "did take sexually explicit rap lyrics to a new level of nastiness", with tracks such as "We Want Some Pussy" and "Throw the 'D'". With word-of-mouth attention, the album was certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA). Bob Rosenberg of
Will to Power
The will to power () is a concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. The will to power describes what Nietzsche may have believed to be the main driving force in humans. However, the concept was never systematically defined in Nietzsche's ...
remixed "Beat Box" (originally released as "Two Live") and was billed "King of Edits" by Luke Skyywalker. In 1987, a Florida store clerk was acquitted of
felony
A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "''félonie''") to describe an offense that r ...
charges for selling the album to a 14-year-old girl.
1988–1998: Best selling albums and controversy
In 1988, the group released their second album, ''
Move Somethin''' It was certified Gold and featured the singles "Move Somethin'" and "Do Wah Diddy Diddy". The album improved on the charts from the previous album, making in to No. 68 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and No. 20 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart.
Campbell decided to sell a separate clean version in addition to the explicit version of the album, ''
Move Somethin''' (1988), produced by Mr. Mixx. A record store clerk in
Alexander City, Alabama
Alexander City, known to locals as "Alex City", is the largest city in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, Tallapoosa County, Alabama, United States, with a population of 14,843 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It has been the largest ...
, was cited for selling a copy to an undercover police officer in 1988.
It was the first time in the United States that a record store owner was held liable for obscenity over music, though the store was eventually acquitted.
In 1989, the group released their third album, ''
As Nasty as They Wanna Be'', which also became the group's most successful album. A large part of its success was due to the single "
Me So Horny", which was popular locally with heavy radio rotation on Miami's WPOW-Power 96 FM. The
American Family Association (AFA) did not think the presence of a "
Parental Advisory" sticker was enough to adequately warn listeners of what was inside the case.
Jack Thompson, a lawyer affiliated with the AFA, met with
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
Governor
Bob Martinez and convinced him to look into the album to see if it met the legal classification of
obscenity
An obscenity is any utterance or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is derived from the Latin , , "boding ill; disgusting; indecent", of uncertain etymology. Generally, the term can be used to indicate strong moral ...
.
In 1990, action was taken at the local level and
Nick Navarro,
Broward County Sheriff, received a ruling from County Circuit Court judge Mel Grossman that
probable cause
In United States criminal law, probable cause is the legal standard by which police authorities have reason to obtain a warrant for the arrest of a suspected criminal and for a court's issuing of a search warrant. One definition of the standar ...
for obscenity violations existed.
In response, Luther Campbell maintained that people should focus on issues relating to hunger and poverty rather than on the lyrical content of their music.
Navarro warned record store owners that selling the album might be prosecutable. 2 Live Crew then filed a suit against Navarro. That June,
U.S. district court Judge
Jose Gonzalez ruled the album obscene and illegal to sell. Charles Freeman, a local retailer, was arrested two days later, after selling a copy to an undercover police officer. This was followed by the arrest of three members of 2 Live Crew after they performed the ''As Nasty as They Wanna Be'' album at Club Futura in
Hollywood, Florida
Hollywood is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb in the Miami metropolitan area. The population of Hollywood was 153,067 as of 2020, making it the Broward County#Communities, third-largest city in Broward County, th ...
, hosted by radio personality Tony the Tiger (Ira Wolf) from Power 96 FM, one of the few radio stations in the U.S. that continued airplay while the trial ensued. After international exposure with support from
freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...
advocates like
''SCREW'' magazine's
Al Goldstein (who owned a house in Broward County) and many others, they were acquitted soon after, as professor
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. testified at their trial in defense of their lyrics. Freeman's conviction was overturned on appeal as well.
"A lot of people have gotten the impression that I'm this rude, sexual deviant or something," Campbell told journalist
Chuck Philips
Charles Alan Philips (October 15, 1952 – January 2024) was an American writer and journalist. He was best known for his investigative reporting in the ''Los Angeles Times'' on the culture, corruption, and crime in the music industry during the ...
. "But contrary to what has been printed about me in the papers, I'm no moral threat to anybody. I'm just a hard-working guy marketing a new product."
The Crew parodied
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...
's "
Oh, Pretty Woman
"Oh, Pretty Woman", or simply "Pretty Woman", is a song recorded by Roy Orbison and written by Orbison and Bill Dees. It was released as a single in August 1964 on Monument Records and spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, '' ...
" on the album ''
As Clean as They Wanna Be''. The copyright owners of the original song brought a lawsuit in 1990 claiming
copyright infringement
Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of Copyright#Scope, works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the c ...
. In 1994, the
United States Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
unanimously adopted a rule from an
earlier Ninth Circuit case involving
Rick Dees, and ruled that the 2 Live Crew's
parody
A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...
was
fair use
Fair use is a Legal doctrine, doctrine in United States law that permits limited use of copyrighted material without having to first acquire permission from the copyright holder. Fair use is one of the limitations to copyright intended to bal ...
, and thus did not infringe.
In 1992, the
United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (in case citations, 11th Cir.) is a federal appellate court over the following U.S. district courts:
* Middle District of Alabama
* Northern District of Alabama
* Southern District ...
overturned the obscenity ruling from Judge Gonzalez, and the
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...
refused to hear Broward County's appeal. As in the Freeman case, Gates testified on behalf of 2 Live Crew, arguing that the material that the county alleged was profane actually had important roots in
African-American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
vernacular, games, and literary traditions and should be protected.
As a result of the controversy, sales of ''As Nasty as They Wanna Be'' remained brisk,
selling over two million copies. It peaked at number 29 on the
''Billboard'' 200 and number 3 on the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...
chart. A few other retailers were later arrested for selling it as well, including Canadian
Marc Emery
Marc Scott Emery (born February 13, 1958) is a Canadian cannabis rights Legality of cannabis, activist, entrepreneur and politician. Often described as the "Prince of Pot", Emery has been a notable advocate of international Cannabis (drug), cann ...
, who was convicted in Ontario in 1991, and later gained fame as a marijuana activist. Later, hard-rock band
Van Halen
Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and the virtuosity of their guit ...
sued the group over an uncleared sample of their song "
Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" in the 2 Live Crew song "The Fuck Shop".
The publicity then continued when
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...
, owner of the ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'' universe, successfully sued Campbell for appropriating the name "
Skywalker" for his record label, Luke Skyywalker Records.
Campbell changed his stage name to Luke (and changed the record label's name to Luke Records)
and the group released an extremely
political
Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...
follow-up album, ''
Banned in the U.S.A.'',
after obtaining permission to use an interpolation of
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...
's "
Born in the U.S.A.".
''Banned in the U.S.A.'' was the group's fourth album. It was originally credited as
Luke's solo album.
The certified Gold album included the hits "
Do the Bart" and the title track. It was also the first release to bear the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
-standard
Parental Advisory warning sticker.
The
eponym
An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...
ous title single is a reference to the decision in a court case that its album, ''As Nasty as They Wanna Be'', was
obscene
An obscenity is any utterance or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is derived from the Latin , , "boding ill; disgusting; indecent", of uncertain etymology. Generally, the term can be used to indicate strong moral ...
(the decision was overturned on appeal).
Displeased over the decision of Florida Governor
Bob Martinez who, upon being asked to examine the album, decided it was obscene and recommended local law enforcement take action against it and over the subsequent action of
Broward County, Florida,
Sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...
Nick Navarro, who arrested local record-store owners on obscenity charges for selling the group's albums and the subsequent arrest of members of the group on obscenity charges, the group included the song "Fuck Martinez", which also includes multiple repetitions of the phrase, "fuck Navarro". The group found two other men with the same names, and had them sign releases, as they thought that this action would make it impossible for Martinez or Navarro to sue them.
''
Live in Concert'' (1990) was their fifth album.
This was 2 Live Crew's first and only
live album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...
, and was also the only 2 Live Crew release under the Effect subsidiary label of
Luke Records,
a move that was deemed necessary for the company to be able to release additional 2 Live Crew material outside of their distribution deal with
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
, which was signed in 1990 – the same year they released ''Banned in the U.S.A.''
''
Sports Weekend: As Nasty as They Wanna Be, Pt. 2'' was their sixth album.
Released in 1991, it is the sequel of ''As Nasty as They Wanna Be''.
A clean version was released later that same year titled, ''Sports Weekend: As Clean as They Wanna Be Part II.''
This was the last studio album by all original members of the 2 Live Crew. It contains the successful single "
Pop That Pussy". The album was certified a gold record.
From that point on, all the releases by 2 Live Crew would always vary, having one or two members of the original lineup missing, with the exception of
Fresh Kid Ice.
In 1994, ''
Back at Your Ass for the Nine-4'' was released.
This album the group was billed as "The New 2 Live Crew"
as Brother Marquis and Mr. Mixx had left the group, the lineup for this album was
Fresh Kid Ice,
Luke and new member, Verb. It is the last album with the 2 Live Crew banner to feature Campbell. The album became a moderate hit, peaking at No. 52 on the
''Billboard'' 200 and No. 9 on the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...
.
Two charting singles were produced, "Hell, Yeah" and "You Go Girl" who were both made into music videos.
1995 saw a reunion of Fresh Kid Ice, Brother Marquis and Mr. Mixx re-formed again to record "Hoochie Mama" for the soundtrack of movie ''
Friday
Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO 8601-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth ...
''. The soundtrack reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200, where it held the position for two weeks, and the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...
chart for six weeks.
Fresh Kid Ice, Mr. Mixx, and Brother Marquis left Luke and
Luke Records to go to Lil' Joe Records and released ''
Shake a Lil' Somethin''' (1996) without Luther Campbell. ''
Shake a Lil' Somethin''' is their seventh album. It was released on August 6, 1996, for Lil' Joe Records and was produced by Mr. Mixx. The album made it to No. 145 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and No. 33 on the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...
and two singles "Shake a Lil' Somethin'", which peaked at No. 11 on the
Hot Rap Singles
Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio statio ...
chart and "Do the Damn Thing", which reached No. 24 on the same chart. It peaked at number 59 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop and albums chart. At the time of this album, Fresh Kid Ice had left the New 2 Live Crew (which consisted of himself,
Luke and Verb and
Luke Records) to re-join original members Mr. Mixx and Brother Marquis. However, the reunion was short lived as Mr. Mixx left the group after this album.
''
The Real One'' is their eighth and last studio album. It was released on April 7, 1998, for Lil' Joe Records and with the absence of Mr. Mixx, was produced by various producers. The album peaked at No. 59 on the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...
. Shortly after the release of this album, Brother Marquis left as well.
2000–2009: Hiatus and reformation
In the early 2000s, both
Brother Marquis and
Fresh Kid Ice pursued solo projects.
Circa 2006–2007 Fresh Kid Ice and Brother Marquis discussed their differences and decided to relaunch 2 Live Crew. They offered other past members to be involved but were declined. Both of them started to tour and release singles.
2010–present: Honors, death of Fresh Kid Ice, new lawsuit, and death of Brother Marquis
In 2010,
Brother Marquis and
Fresh Kid Ice briefly reunited with
Luke, and
Mr. Mixx as they were honorees winners at the 2010 VH1 Hip-Hop Honors: The Dirty South Edition.
Later that year, the both of them released the singles "I'm 2 Live" featuring
Mannie Fresh, "Cougar", "Boom" featuring
E-40
Earl Tywone Stevens (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper. Stevens is a founding member of the rap group The Click (band), The Click and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. He has released 27 stud ...
. They announced the release of a new 2 Live Crew album called ''Just Wanna be Heard'' with guest
Too Short
Todd Anthony Shaw (born April 28, 1966), better known by his stage name Too Short (stylized as Too $hort), is an American rapper. A pioneer of West Coast hip-hop, Shaw was among the first acts to receive recognition in the genre during the late ...
,
E-40
Earl Tywone Stevens (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper. Stevens is a founding member of the rap group The Click (band), The Click and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. He has released 27 stud ...
, and
Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse, often abbreviated as ICP, is an American hip hop duo. Formed in Detroit in 1989, ICP's best-known lineup consists of rappers Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (originally 2 Dope; Joseph Utsler). Insan ...
. It was set to be released in August 2010, but remains unreleased to this day.
In June 2014, the 2 Live Crew released a new single, "Take It Off", the video clip featured cameos by Mannie Fresh,
Flavor Flav
William Jonathan Drayton Jr. (born March 16, 1959), known by his stage name Flavor Flav ( ), is an American rapper and television personality. Known for his catchphrase "Yeah, boyeeeeee!" when performing, he is a founding member alongside Chuck ...
,
Trina
Katrina Laverne Kearse (née Taylor; born December 3, 1974), is an American rapper. She rose to prominence in the late 1990s for her collaborations with Trick Daddy on the singles " Nann Nigga", " Shut Up", and " Take It to da House". In 2000, ...
,
Flo Rida
Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), known professionally as Flo Rida ( ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 debut and breakout single "Low (Flo Rida song), Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the ...
, and
Trick Daddy
Maurice Samuel Young (born September 27, 1974), better known by his stage name Trick Daddy, is an American rapper from Miami, Florida. He is best known for his 2004 single " Let's Go" (featuring Twista and Lil Jon), which peaked at number seven on ...
. The single is available on
iTunes
iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
Later that year they made a cameo in the Flo Rida music video "
G.D.F.R.".
Also in 2014, they announced an album called ''Turn Me On'', which also remains unreleased. By Thanksgiving of that year, 2 Live Crew reunited with Campbell for a series of shows until 2015.
In 2016, Fresh Kid Ice left the group, and Mr. Mixx rejoined.
On July 13, 2017, at age 53, Fresh Kid Ice died in a Miami hospital from
cirrhosis
Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, chronic liver failure or chronic hepatic failure and end-stage liver disease, is a chronic condition of the liver in which the normal functioning tissue, or parenchyma, is replaced ...
.
Currently, there is an ongoing dispute between Lil Joe Records against former 2 Live Crew member Luther Campbell, Brother Marquis and the estate of Fresh Kid Ice. The central issue revolves around whether bankruptcy proceedings from the 1990s affect the group members' rights to reclaim copyrights to their old recordings. Lil Joe Records claims the bankruptcy proceedings extinguished these rights, while 2 Live Crew argues that copyright law overrules the bankruptcy order, protecting creators. Additionally, the debate includes whether the recordings were created under work-for-hire agreements, with Lil Joe Records asserting they were. This case may establish a precedent regarding the impact of past bankruptcy proceedings on artists' termination rights, with both parties seeking a favorable summary judgment from the court.
On June 3, 2024, Brother Marquis was found dead, at the age of 58.
Discography
* ''
The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are'' (1986)
* ''
Move Somethin''' (1988)
* ''
As Nasty as They Wanna Be'' (1989)
* ''
Banned in the U.S.A.'' (1990)
* ''
Sports Weekend: As Nasty as They Wanna Be, Pt. 2'' (1991)
* ''
Back at Your Ass for the Nine-4'' (1994)
* ''
Shake a Lil' Somethin''' (1996)
* ''
The Real One'' (1998)
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Southern hip-hop groups
African-American musical groups
Dirty rappers
Obscenity controversies in music
Musical groups from Miami
Musical quartets from Florida
Miami bass groups
Musical groups established in 1982
Musical groups disestablished in 1991
Musical groups reestablished in 1994
Musical groups disestablished in 1998
Atlantic Records artists
1984 establishments in Florida