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2 Live Crew is an American hip hop group from
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
,
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
, which had its greatest commercial success from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. The group's most well-known line up was composed of Luke Campbell, Fresh Kid Ice, Mr. Mixx, and Brother Marquis. They were considerably controversial in the U.S. due to the sexually explicit content in their songs, particularly on their 1989 album '' As Nasty as They Wanna Be''.


History


1984–1986: Group formation and breakthrough

The 2 Live Crew, although seen as a main fixture in the Miami hip-hop scene, actually got their start in
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
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 in 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 ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'', 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 Music ...
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/ ...
(RIAA). Bob Rosenberg of
Will to Power The will to power (german: der Wille zur Macht) 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 systemati ...
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 res ...
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, United States, with a population of 14,843 as of the 2020 census. It has been the largest community in Tallapoosa County since 1910. It is kno ...
, 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. The charges were dropped after a jury found the record store not guilty. 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 The American Family Association (AFA) is a Christian fundamentalist 501(c)(3) organization based in the United States.
(AFA) did not think the presence of a "
Parental Advisory Advisory (abbreviated PAL) is a warning label introduced by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1985 and adopted by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in 2011. It is placed on audio recordings in recognition of profan ...
" sticker was enough to adequately warn listeners of what was inside the case.
Jack Thompson Jack Thompson may refer to: Sports *Jack Thompson (footballer, born 1892) (1892–1969), English footballer who played for Sheffield United and Bristol City *Jack Thompson (1920s footballer), English footballer who played for Aston Villa and Bright ...
, a lawyer affiliated with the AFA, met with
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
Governor
Bob Martinez Robert Martinez (born December 25, 1934) is an American retired politician who served as the 40th governor of Florida from 1987 to 1991. A member of the Republican Party, Martinez was the first person of Spanish descent to be elected governor o ...
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 ''obscēnus'', ''obscaenus'', "boding ill; disgusting; indecent", of uncertain etymology. Such loaded language can be us ...
. In 1990, action was taken at the local level and
Nick Navarro Nicholas G. Navarro (November 11, 1929 – September 28, 2011) was a Cuban-American businessman, born in Jaruco, Cuba, in 1929. He served as sheriff of Broward County, Florida, from 1985 to 1993. He won election for sheriff in 1984. During Nava ...
, 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 standard by which police authorities have reason to obtain a warrant for the arrest of a suspected criminal or the issuing of a search warrant. There is no universally accepted definition o ...
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 southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is no ...
, 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 right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...
advocates like ''SCREW'' magazine's
Al Goldstein Alvin "Al" Goldstein (January 10, 1936December 19, 2013) was an American pornographer. He is known for helping normalize hardcore pornography in the United States. Background Goldstein was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn to a Jewish family. He ...
(who owned a house in Broward County) and many others, they were acquitted soon after, as professor
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Henry Louis "Skip" Gates Jr. (born September 16, 1950) is an American literary critic, professor, historian, and filmmaker, who serves as the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African Ame ...
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 (born October 15, 1952) is an American writer and journalist. He is best known for his investigative reporting in the '' Los Angeles Times'' on the culture, corruption, and crime in the music industry during the 1990s an ...
. "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." 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 court with appellate jurisdiction over the following U.S. district courts: * Middle District of Alabama * Northern District of Alabama * ...
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 U.S. Federal tribunals in the United States, 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 referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
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 Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...
chart. A few other retailers were later arrested for selling it as well, including Canadian Marc Emery, 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 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...
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. Lucas is best known for creating the '' Star Wars'' and '' Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as c ...
, owner of the ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...
'' universe, successfully sued Campbell for appropriating the name "
Skywalker The Skywalker family is a fictional legendary human family in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Within the series' fictional universe, the Skywalkers are presented as a bloodline with strong inherent capabilities related to the Force and sometimes ...
" 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 (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studi ...
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 singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originato ...
'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/ ...
-standard
Parental Advisory Advisory (abbreviated PAL) is a warning label introduced by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1985 and adopted by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in 2011. It is placed on audio recordings in recognition of profan ...
warning sticker. The
eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...
ous title single is a reference to the decision in a court case that its album, ''As Nasty as They Wanna Be'', was obscene (the decision was overturned on appeal). Displeased over the decision of Florida Governor
Bob Martinez Robert Martinez (born December 25, 1934) is an American retired politician who served as the 40th governor of Florida from 1987 to 1991. A member of the Republican Party, Martinez was the first person of Spanish descent to be elected governor o ...
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 Broward County ( , ) is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with over 1.94 m ...
,
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 that is commonly transla ...
Nick Navarro Nicholas G. Navarro (November 11, 1929 – September 28, 2011) was a Cuban-American businessman, born in Jaruco, Cuba, in 1929. He served as sheriff of Broward County, Florida, from 1985 to 1993. He won election for sheriff in 1984. During Nava ...
, 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 issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...
, and was also the only 2 Live Crew release under the Effect subsidiary label of
Luke Records Luke Records is an American record label formed in 1985 by Luther Campbell, the former producer and hypeman of 2 Live Crew, 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 its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most im ...
, 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 line up 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 line-up 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 Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...
. 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-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth d ...
''. 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 Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...
chart for six weeks. Fresh Kid Ice, Mr. Mixx, and Brother Marquis left Luke and
Luke Records Luke Records is an American record label formed in 1985 by Luther Campbell, the former producer and hypeman of 2 Live Crew,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 Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...
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 stati ...
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 Luke Records is an American record label formed in 1985 by Luther Campbell, the former producer and hypeman of 2 Live Crew,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 Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...
. 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: Awards, Mr. Mixx return, and death of Fresh Kid Ice

In 2010, Brother Marquis and Fresh Kid Ice briefly reunited with Luther Campbell, 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 Byron Otto Thomas (born March 20, 1969), better known by his stage name Mannie Fresh, is an American music producer and rapper. He's best known for his productions on Cash Money Records releases, as well being half of the hip hop duo (alongside ...
, "Cougar", "Boom" featuring
E-40 Earl Tywone Stevens Sr. (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper. He is a founding member of the rap group The Click, and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. He has released 26 studio albums to date, ...
. 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 the stage name Too Short (stylized as Too $hort), is an American rapper and record producer. He became famous in the West Coast hip hop scene in the late 1980s, with lyrics often based on ...
,
E-40 Earl Tywone Stevens Sr. (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper. He is a founding member of the rap group The Click, and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. He has released 26 studio albums to date, ...
, and
Insane Clown Posse Insane Clown Posse, often abbreviated as ICP, is an American hip hop duo. Formed in Detroit in 1989 as a gangsta rap group, ICP's best known lineup consists of rappers Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (originally 2 Dope; Joseph Utsl ...
. 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 Byron Otto Thomas (born March 20, 1969), better known by his stage name Mannie Fresh, is an American music producer and rapper. He's best known for his productions on Cash Money Records releases, as well being half of the hip hop duo (alongside ...
, Flavor Flav,
Trina Katrina Laverne Taylor (born December 3, 1978), known professionally as Trina, is an American rapper. She rose to prominence in 1998 with her appearance on the Trick Daddy single "Nann Nigga". Trina has been described by '' XXL'' as "the mos ...
,
Flo Rida Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), better known by his stage name Flo Rida (, ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 breakout single " Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the record for digital dow ...
, and Trick Daddy. The single is available on
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...
Later that year they made a cameo in the
Flo Rida Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), better known by his stage name Flo Rida (, ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 breakout single " Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the record for digital dow ...
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 to relaunch Chinaman Records. Shortly after Mr. Mixx returned to the 2 Live Crew. That same year the new 2 Live Crew duo released two singles; "How Bout Dem Cowboys" (2016) and "One Horse Sleigh" (2016). 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, and end-stage liver disease, is the impaired liver function caused by the formation of scar tissue known as fibrosis due to damage caused by liver disease. Damage causes tissue rep ...
.


"Oh, Pretty Woman" lawsuit

The Crew parodied
Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...
's "
Oh, Pretty Woman "Oh, Pretty Woman" or simply "Pretty Woman" is a song recorded by Roy Orbison, 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 f ...
" 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 works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, ...
. 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 involve a point o ...
unanimously adopted a rule from an earlier Ninth Circuit case involving Rick Dees, and ruled that the 2 Live Crew's
parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...
was
fair use Fair use is a 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 balance the interests ...
, and thus did not infringe.


Discography

* ''
The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (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) *''Sports Weekend: As Clean as They Wanna Be Part II'' (1991) * '' Back at Your Ass for the Nine-4'' (1994) * '' Shake a Lil' Somethin''' (1996) * '' The Real One'' (1998)


References


External links

* * {{Authority control Southern hip hop groups African-American musical groups Dirty rap musicians Obscenity controversies in music Musical groups from Miami Musical quartets 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