No rap group (save, perhaps, N.W.A) has stirred more controversy or provoked more heated debate than the 2 Live Crew. The furor over the graphic sexual content of their X-rated party rhymes -- specifically their 1989 album As Nasty as They Wanna Be -- was a major catalyst in making rap music a flash point for controversy and an easily visible... [+] Read More

No rap group (save, perhaps, N.W.A) has stirred more controversy or provoked more heated debate than the 2 Live Crew. The furor over the graphic sexual content of their X-rated party rhymes -- specifically their 1989 album As Nasty as They Wanna Be -- was a major catalyst in making rap music a flash point for controversy and an easily visible target for self-appointed moral guardians. The fierce attacks on the group's First Amendment rights put many of their defenders in an awkward position -- passionately supporting their freedom of speech on the one hand, but often finding little artistic merit in their music. And they were indeed crude and coarse, and frequently misogynistic by most standards; even if they fit squarely into a tradition of raunchy, sexually explicit black comedy (Redd Foxx, Rudy Ray Moore, Blowfly, etc.), many critics and intellectuals found their view of sex repellently juvenile, even ugly (and if they found it funny, it was hard to say so publicly). Despite (or, more likely, because of) that fact, the 2 Live Crew were fairly popular even before all the uproar and benefited greatly at first from all the publicity, although later on the novelty perhaps wore off due to overexposure. Regardless of whether one enjoys their sense of humor, to focus only on the controversy ignores the 2 Live Crew's musical contributions. They were responsible for popularizing the booming, hard-driving sound of Miami bass music, and they were the founding fathers of a populist, dance-oriented rap subgenre that relied on simple, explicit chants and up-tempo rump-shaking grooves, appropriately dubbed "booty rap."

Despite their inextricable link to Miami, the 2 Live Crew actually started out in California, with a membership of Fresh Kid Ice (born Chris Wong Won in Trinidad), DJ Mr. Mixx (born David Hobbs), and Amazing V. The trio released their debut single, "Revelation," in 1985 and its popularity in Florida led the group -- sans Amazing V -- to move to Miami, and after second single "What I Like," they were joined by Brother Marquis (born Mark Ross). They scored a record deal with local impresario Luke Skyywalker (born Luther Campbell in Miami), who initially served as their manager, and then joined the group as a performer and bandleader. With Campbell came a big part of the group's on-record taste for sleaze, and accordingly their 1986 debut album, The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are, featured songs like "We Want Some Pussy" and "Throw the D" (as in dick). It became a word-of-mouth success, eventually going gold. Even at this early stage, obscenity was an issue; in 1987, a Florida record store clerk was acquitted of felony charges after selling the album to a 14-year-old girl. Campbell hit upon the idea of selling "clean" and "dirty" versions of the group's albums so that younger fans would have a less explicit alternative. 1987's Move Somethin' was the first album released in this format, and it became an even bigger underground hit than its predecessor thanks to notorious cuts like "One and One," an X-rated retelling of the Kinks' "All Day and All of the Night" (which established the Crew's penchant for blatantly copped samples). In 1988, a record store in Alabama was fined for selling a copy of Move Somethin' to an undercover cop (a conviction later overturned on appeal), setting the stage for the Crew's home state to declare war.

As Nasty as They Wanna Be was released in 1989 and became the group's biggest hit yet; the single "Me So Horny" even climbed into the Top 40 despite virtually nonexistent airplay. Word spread even farther about the group's unadulterated raunchiness, attracting the attention of the ultraconservative watchdog group the American Family Association, who weren't satisfied with the album's parental advisory warning sticker. AFA supporter Jack Thompson, a lawyer and religious activist, convinced Florida governor Bob Martinez to open an inquiry into whether As Nasty as They Wanna Be violated Florida obscenity laws. The state prosecutor determined that action had to be taken on the local, not state, level, and thus in early 1990 Broward County sheriff Nick Navarro obtained a copy of the album and secured a ruling from County Circuit Court Judge Mel Grossman that there was probable cause that the album was legally obscene. Navarro warned record stores around the county that selling the album might subject them to prosecution, and the 2 Live Crew filed suit alleging that Navarro had unconstitutionally overstepped his bounds. In June, District Court Judge Jose Gonzalez ruled that As Nasty as They Wanna Be was legally obscene, and therefore illegal to sell. Record retailer Charles Freeman was arrested two days later for selling the album to an undercover cop, and the three rapping members of the 2 Live Crew were arrested on obscenity charges for performing material from the record in a local club. They were acquitted a few months afterward, thanks in part to expert testimony from Duke professor Henry Louis Gates, and Freeman's conviction was later overturned on appeal.

Meanwhile, As Nasty as They Wanna Be had become the forbidden fruit of choice for teenage boys across the country, selling over two million copies. Several other incidents were reported around the country involving record store owners being arrested for selling the album. The publicity also attracted the attention of George Lucas, who successfully sued Campbell for trademark infringement over his stage and label name, Luke Skyywalker; he subsequently shortened both to Luke. Capitalizing on the media frenzy, Campbell struck a distribution deal with Atlantic and put together a semipolitical album called Banned in the U.S.A., after securing rights for the title track from Bruce Springsteen; it was billed to Luke Featuring 2 Live Crew. It sold like hotcakes on first release, and the title single became the group's second Top 40 hit. In 1991, the group released the first full-length live rap album ever, Live in Concert, as well as the official follow-up to As Nasty as They Wanna Be, Sports Weekend. They sold disappointingly, especially considering the group's recent notoriety, and proved to be the last albums they would record together as a quartet. To compound matters, Luke Records was successfully sued for 1,600,000 million dollars in royalties by MC Shy D.

In 1992, the Court of Appeals in Atlanta overturned Jose Gonzalez's ruling that As Nasty as They Wanna Be was legally obscene. At issue was Gonzalez's refusal to heed expert testimony (he'd pronounced himself fit to judge community standards of decency, since he'd lived in the community for 30 years), as well as the fact that the burden of proof of obscenity should have rested with Sheriff Navarro, who submitted nothing besides a copy of the album as evidence. The appeals court's decision was later upheld by the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the 2 Live Crew were drifting apart. Luke and Fresh Kid Ice both released solo albums (I Got Shit on My Mind and The Chinaman, respectively), and original Crew members Ice and Mr. Mixx teamed up as the Rock on Crew for Deal With This. Luke continued his solo career over the rest of the '90s.

In 1994, Luke, Fresh Kid Ice, and new rapper Verb (born Larry Dobson) regrouped as the New 2 Live Crew, issuing the album Back at Your Ass for the Nine-4. The same year, the group found itself back in court yet again, this time over a lawsuit by the publishers of Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman." They charged 2 Live Crew with plagiarism for recording a parody of the song on As Clean as They Wanna Be, alleging that the reinterpretation tarnished the image of the original. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled that parody constituted fair use and found in favor of the group. The New 2 Live Crew didn't last long as Luke chose to concentrate on his solo career. In 1995, Luke Records filed for bankruptcy, as Campbell was beset by creditors and expenses; both he and the remaining 2 Live Crew wound up on Lil' Joe, a label founded by his ex-business partner Joe Weinberger. In 1996, Fresh Kid Ice, Brother Marquis, and Mr. Mixx re-formed the 2 Live Crew without Campbell and released Shake a Lil' Somethin'. Brother Marquis departed afterward, and down to the two original California members, the 2 Live Crew issued The Real One in 1998. Luke, meanwhile, continued to record steadily, as well as releasing several compilation albums showcasing new South Florida talent. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Ill Al Skratch had some short-lived mainstream success in the mid-'90s with Creep Wit' Me, the duo's 1994 debut album. Two singles from Creep Wit' Me -- "Where My Homiez?" and "I'll Take Her" -- made some ground on the R&B charts, the latter being the bigger hit thanks to Brian McKnight's vocal contributions. Unfortunately, while "I'll Take Her"... [+] Read More

Ill Al Skratch had some short-lived mainstream success in the mid-'90s with Creep Wit' Me, the duo's 1994 debut album. Two singles from Creep Wit' Me -- "Where My Homiez?" and "I'll Take Her" -- made some ground on the R&B charts, the latter being the bigger hit thanks to Brian McKnight's vocal contributions. Unfortunately, while "I'll Take Her" became a substantial hit, it was more representative of McKnight's style of music than Ill Al Skratch's style of East Coast party rap. Consequently, listeners were confused, and when the Brooklyn duo returned in 1997 with its follow-up album, few noticed. The album fell off the charts quickly and soon Ill and Al Skratch were has-beens.

While the Brooklyn duo's name makes it seem as if Ill Al Skratch is one person rather than two, that isn't the case: There is Ill (acronym for I Lyrical Lord), who is the MC, and then there is Al Skratch, who is the DJ. The two debuted with the "Where My Homiez?" 12" released by Mercury and produced by LG, better known as Easy Mo Bee's brother. The song peaked at number 34 on Billboard's R&B charts and came close to breaking the Top 100 pop singles in summer 1994. Next came "I'll Take Her," which featured McKnight. The song crossed over well, reaching number 62 pop and number 16 R&B in late 1994. When the two returned in 1997 with Keep It Movin', which didn't do nearly as well as Creep Wit' Me, it brought the duo's career to a quick halt. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide [-] Hide

One of the most popular party rap/bass music duos of the early '90s, Atlanta's Tag Team -- aka Steve RollN and DC the Brain Supreme -- scored a massive hit with their 1993 single "Whoomp! There It Is," which sold over four million copies, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. The song's booming bass and seemingly endless chant... [+] Read More

One of the most popular party rap/bass music duos of the early '90s, Atlanta's Tag Team -- aka Steve RollN and DC the Brain Supreme -- scored a massive hit with their 1993 single "Whoomp! There It Is," which sold over four million copies, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. The song's booming bass and seemingly endless chant of "Whoomp! There It Is" made it instantly memorable and instantly popular; the group also turned out slight variations on the song, "Addams Family (Whoomp)" and "Bulls There It Is," that year, along with a full-length album named after their first success. But singles were Tag Team's forte, and over the next two years the duo released plenty of them, including "Here It Is, Bam!" "Whoomp! There It Went," "U Go Girl," "Pig Power," and "Funkey Situation," which was the title cut from their 1995 album. None of their efforts matched the success of "Whoomp! There It Is," however, though the single was immortalized on countless party rap and jock jams compilations; the group released a best-of album in early 2000. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide [-] Hide

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Freak Nasty was hardly a talented rapper -- he was clumsy and often tripped over his rhymes -- but he did manage to write an incessantly catchy song with "Da Dip." After his first album, Freak Nasty, failed to make an impact in 1994, the Southern-based rapper seemed destined to fade away. Instead, he and his production team concocted the... [+] Read More

Freak Nasty was hardly a talented rapper -- he was clumsy and often tripped over his rhymes -- but he did manage to write an incessantly catchy song with "Da Dip." After his first album, Freak Nasty, failed to make an impact in 1994, the Southern-based rapper seemed destined to fade away. Instead, he and his production team concocted the ridiculously simple and naggingly catchy "Da Dip," driven mostly by a bass-driven groove and lyrical hook. The single was featured on Freak Nasty's second album, Controversee...That's Life...and That's the Way It Is, which was released in the fall of 1996. Over the winter and spring of 1997, "Da Dip" became an underground hit, eventually crossing over into the mainstream in the summer of 1997. It stayed on the charts for weeks, but the album itself never took off. Dowhatchafeel appeared the following year, and in the spring of 2000 Freak Nasty resurfaced with Which Way Is Up. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Although the 2 Live Crew's debut album, 2 Live Is What We Are, went gold and sold more than 500,000 copies in the U.S., the LP wasn't without its detractors. Some New York hip-hoppers argued that Luther Campbell and his associates were pandering to the lowest common denominator, and everyone from church groups to feminists argued that their... [+] Read More

Although the 2 Live Crew's debut album, 2 Live Is What We Are, went gold and sold more than 500,000 copies in the U.S., the LP wasn't without its detractors. Some New York hip-hoppers argued that Luther Campbell and his associates were pandering to the lowest common denominator, and everyone from church groups to feminists argued that their X-rated booty rhymes were nothing more than pornography with a beat. But the Crew's fans didn't care what their critics had to say, which is why their second album, Move Somthin', was also a big seller. Anyone who found 2 Live Is What We Are offensive was unlikely to be converted by Move Somthin'; booty rhymes like "HBC," "One and One" (an X-rated interpretation of the Kinks' "All Day and All of the Night") and "S&M" are as crude and sexually explicit as anything on the group's previous album. "S&M," as its title indicates, is an ode to kinky sex. The 2 Live Crew was hardly the first group to address the subject of bondage and sado-masochism -- back in 1967, the Velvet Underground's "Venus in Furs" was among the kinkier rock songs of its day. Some of the Ohio Players' pre-Mercury album covers employed S&M/bondage imagery, and the 1980s heavy metal band Bitch had a female lead vocalist who loved to sing about the pleasures of being a whip-toting dominatrix. But kinky sex hasn't been a prominent subject in hip-hop, and "S&M" is unusually kinky for rap. Of course, the Crew didn't need to rap about whips and chains to offend people; even without "S&M," this LP would have been X-rated. Move Somthin' was trashed by the Crew's critics, but those who aren't offended by X-rated humor will find it to be a thoroughly entertaining sophomore effort. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide [-] Hide

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