"Banned in the U.S.A." is a song recorded by the American

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

group

2 Live Crew 2 Live Crew is an American hip hop group from Miami, Florida, 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 ...

. It was released on May 3, 1990, as the lead single from their fourth album of the same name. "Banned in the U.S.A." was also released on the alternate version of the album, credited as

Luke Luke may refer to: People and fictional characters * Luke (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Luke (surname), including a list of people with the name * Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luk ...

's debut solo album, titled '' The Luke LP''. The song peaked at number 20 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and is the group's highest-charting song on that chart. It also reached number-one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Rap Tracks chart.

Content

The song is a reference to the decision in a court case that the 2 Live Crew's album ''

As Nasty as They Wanna Be ''As Nasty as They Wanna Be'' is the third album by American Miami bass group 2 Live Crew. It was released on February 7, 1989, and became the group's largest seller, being certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. In ...

'' 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 would later be overturned on appeal.) It contains a sample of a Ronald Reagan impressionist proclaiming the United States' government to be a government "Of the people, for the people, by the people."

Charts

References

{{authority control Political rap songs 1990 singles 2 Live Crew songs Luther Campbell songs 1990 songs Atlantic Records singles Luke Records singles Protest songs