Mark D. Ross (born April 4, 1966), better known by his stage name Brother Marquis, is an American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

and member of

2 Live Crew 2 Live Crew is an American hip hop music, hip hop group from Miami, Florida, 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 Luther Campbell, Luke Campbell, Fr ...

. He appears on all of 2 Live Crew's albums, except ''

Back at Your Ass for the Nine-4 ''Back at Your Ass for the Nine-4'' is the sixth studio album by Miami-based hip hop group 2 Live Crew. It was released on February 1, 1994 via Luke Records and was produced by Mike Fresh, DJ Slice, Professor Griff, DJ Spin Felix Sama & DJ Laz. Th ...

'' (1994). Ross was the last member to join the most well known line up of the group.

Early life

Ross was born in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

on April 4, 1966. He and his mother moved from New York to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

when Ross was 14 years old.

Career

1983–1986 Early career, joining 2 Live Crew and the group's breakthrough

Ross released two

twelve-inch single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

s, "Westside Storie" and "Rhythm Rock", during his

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

years, as a member of the rap group, the Caution Crew, which also included the rappers Rodney-O and C Funk. These two singles were among the first 12-inch hip hop records from the West Coast. While still residing in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

, Ross performed small shows with

, which, at that time, consisted of rappers

Fresh Kid Ice Christopher Wong Won (May 29, 1964July 13, 2017), better known by his stage name Fresh Kid Ice, was an American rapper. He was a co-founder of the rap group 2 Live Crew, appearing on all of the group's albums from 1985 to 1998. Wong Won was born ...

(Christopher Wong Won), Amazing Vee (Yuri Vielot), and their DJ

Mr. Mixx David P. Hobbs (born September 23, 1963), also known by his stage name Mr. Mixx, is a co-founder of the controversial rap group 2 Live Crew, along with being a scratch DJ and music producer of the group. In 1986, the group released the single " ...

(David Hobbs). Hobbs noticed Ross'

battle rap Battle rap (also known as rap battling)Edwards, Paul, 2009, p. 25. is a type of rapping performed between two or more performers that incorporates boasts, insults and wordplay. Battle rap is often performed or freestyled spontaneously in live ...

skills, and told Ross that if 2 Live Crew ever achieved success in the music business, Hobbs would call Ross to be a part of the group. In 1985, after finding

underground Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston * The Underground ...

success in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, 2 Live Crew relocated to the city at the behest of local

concert promoter Tour promoters (also known as concert promoters or talent buyers) are the individuals or companies responsible for organizing a live concert tour or special event performance. The tour promoter makes an offer of engagement to a particular artist, ...

Luther Campbell Luther Roderick Campbell (born December 22, 1960), also known as Luke Skyywalker, Uncle Luke and simply Luke, is an American rapper, promoter, record executive, actor, and former leader of the rap group 2 Live Crew. He also starred in a short- ...

, who would later join the group as producer, recording artist, and

hype man A hype man, in hip hop music and rapping, is a backup rapper and/or singer who supports the primary rappers with exclamations and interjections and who attempts to increase the audience's excitement with call-and-response chants. The hype man's ...

. Shortly after the move to Miami, the artistic direction of 2 Live Crew changed from West Coast hip hop style rap to comical, sexually explicit lyrics, and rapper Vielot left the group. In April, 1985, Hobbs made good on his previous promise to a then 19-year old Ross, and invited Ross to join 2 Live Crew with Wong Won, Hobbs and Campbell. The first 2 Live Crew single released with Ross was "Word". The 2 Live Crew's Gold-certified 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 ...

'' (1986), exploded on the local scene. The expanding national popularity of ''The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are'' made Ross and his band mates rap superstars.

1988–1991: Best selling 2 Live Crew albums and attendant controversy

In 1988,

released their second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, '' Move Somethin'''. The album was also certified Gold and featured the singles "Move Somethin'" and "Do Wah Diddy Diddy". ''Move Somethin improved on the charts from the previous album, making into #68 on the ''Billboard 200'' and #20 on the ''Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums'' charts. 2 Live Crew's third studio album '' As Nasty As They Wanna Be'' (1989), became the group's biggest seller, certified as Double Platinum 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 ...

. In 1990, the

United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida (in case citations, S.D. Fla. or S.D. Fl.) is the federal United States district court with territorial jurisdiction over the southern part of the state of Florida.. Appeals ...

ruled that the album was legally obscene; but this ruling was later overturned by 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 * ...

. ''As Nasty As They Wanna Be'' is the first album in history to be deemed legally obscene. In 1990, Ross and the

released their fourth album '' Banned in the U.S.A.'', which was originally credited as

Campbell Campbell may refer to: People Surname * Campbell (surname), includes a list of people with surname Campbell Given name * Campbell Brown (footballer), an Australian rules footballer * Campbell Brown (journalist) (born 1968), American television ne ...

's solo album featuring 2 Live Crew and in later editions credited as a 2 Live Crew album. The album included the hits " Do the Bart" and the title track. It was also the very 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 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 was a reference to the obscenity decision from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

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 originat ...

granted the group permission to interpolate his song "

Born in the U.S.A. ''Born in the U.S.A.'' is the seventh studio album by American recording artist Bruce Springsteen, released by Columbia Records on June 4, 1984. It topped the charts in nine countries, including the US and UK, becoming his most commercially su ...

" for the single. Also in 1990, 2 Live Crew released ''Live in Concert'', the group’s only

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, and their fifth album overall. The album was released under the Effect label, a 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,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 J ...

'' chart. '' Sports Weekend: As Nasty as They Wanna Be, Pt. 2'', the fifth studio album and sixth album overall by the

was released in 1991 as a sequel of '' As Nasty As They Wanna Be''. A clean version was also released entitled ''Sports Weekend: As Clean As They Wanna Be Part II'' and was the sequel of '' As Clean As They Wanna Be''. ''Sports Weekend: As Nasty as They Wanna Be, Pt. 2'' would be the final album released by the most well known line up 2 Live Crew members (Ross, Wong Won, Campbell and Hobbs).

1992–2003: Subsequent 2 Live Crew success, featured rapper and solo project

In 1993, Ross and

DJ Toomp Aldrin Davis (born August 2, 1969), professionally known as DJ Toomp, is an American record producer, songwriter, and DJ. DJ Toomp received his start in 1985, with Atlanta MC Raheem the Dream, producing Raheem’s self-titled record when he was ...

formed a duo group named 2 Nazty and released one studio album, ''Indecent Exposure''. That same year, Ross appeared as a featured rapper on Ice-T's album '' Home Invasion'' by Ice-T on the original version of "

99 Problems "99 Problems" is the third single released by American rapper Jay-Z in 2004 from '' The Black Album''. It was released on April 27, 2004. The chorus hook "I got 99 problems, but a bitch ain't one" is taken from the Ice-T single "99 Problems" f ...

", which was later remade into a major hit by

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

. Ross filed a lawsuit against Jay-Z and Ice-T over the "99 Problems" remake. Ross claimed that he was paid just $10,000 in royalties, despite being prominently featured on the original version. In 1994,

, Wong Won, and a local

rapper named Verb made an album called ''

'', as The New 2 Live Crew, without the involvement of Ross or Hobbs. ''Back at Your Ass for the Nine-4'' is the last 2 Live Crew-related project to feature

, and the only album released without Ross. Ross, Wong Won and Hobbs would reunite to release the single "Hoochie Mama" for the soundtrack to the 1995 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 #1 on the ''

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of art ...

'' chart, where it held its position for two weeks, and 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 J ...

'' chart for six weeks. In 1996, Ross reunited with Wong Won and Hobbs under the

banner to release the group's seventh studio album ''

Shake a Lil' Somethin' ''Shake a Lil' Somethin is the seventh studio album by Miami-based hip hop group 2 Live Crew. It was released on August 6, 1996 via Lil' Joe Records and was produced by Mr. Mixx. The album would make it to #145 on the Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' ...

'', whose eponymous single peaked at #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 stat ...

'' chart, The single "Do the Damn Thing" made it to #24 on the same chart, and "Be My Private Dancer" peaked at #34. It would be the last 2 Live Crew album to feature Hobbs. In 1998, Ross, along with Wong Won, released ''

The Real One ''The Real One'' is the eighth and final studio album by Miami-based hip hop group 2 Live Crew. It was released on April 7, 1998 via Lil' Joe Records and, with the absence of Mr. Mixx, was produced by various producers. The album peaked at #59 on ...

'' the final

album to date. The album's single "2 Live Party" featuring KC of

KC and the Sunshine Band KC and the Sunshine Band is an American disco and funk band that was founded in 1973 in Hialeah, Florida. Their best-known songs include the hits "That's the Way (I Like It)", "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty", "I'm Your Boogie Man", "K ...

and "

Freak Nasty Eriq Timmons, professionally known as Freak Nasty, is an American hip hop recording artist and record producer from New Orleans La. He was raised in New Orleans. He is best known for his Top 40 single " Da' Dip" released in 1996 which was a sl ...

" peaked at #52 on the ''

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

'' chart and #9 on the ''

Hot Rap Songs 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 stat ...

'' chart. The title single "The Real One", featuring Ice-T, peaked at #60 on the ''

'' and #9 on the ''

'' charts. In 2003, Ross released ''Bottom Boi Style'' on the Playalistic Entertainment label, his first and only

solo 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 co ...

to date.

2006–2010: Reforming and reuniting with 2 Live Crew

During 2006–07 Ross and Wong Won met, discussed their differences, and ultimately decided to relaunch

. The duo made offers to past members (notably, Hobbs and Campbell) to re-join the group, but the offers were declined. Prior to Wong Won's death in 2017, the duo toured and released singles. In 2010, Ross and Wong Won briefly reunited with former band mates

and Hobbs as 2 Live Crew, and were honored at the 2010 '' VH1 Hip-Hop Honors: The Dirty South Edition'' awards show. In late 2010, Ross and Wong Won released 2 Live Crew singles "I'm 2 Live" featuring rapper

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," and "Boom" featuring rapper

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, a ...

. The duo announced the pending release of an album, ''Just Wanna be Heard,'' that remains unreleased to this day.

2011–present: Current projects

In 2011, Ross was a featured guest on the single "Steak & Mash Potatoes" by Chain Swangaz. A

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

of the single featured Ross and Chain Swangaz as fast food employee who create havoc while their boss, played by

Charlie Sheen Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), known professionally as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. He has appeared in films such as ''Platoon'' (1986), ''Wall Street'' (1987), '' Young Guns'' (1988), '' The Rookie'' (1990), ''The Thr ...

, is gone. In 2014, Ross and Wong Won released the single "Take It Off," of which a music video was made with cameos by rappers

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 ...

Trick Daddy Maurice Samuel Young (born September 27, 1974), better known by his stage name Trick Daddy, is an American rapper from Miami's Liberty City (Miami), Liberty City. Early life Trick Daddy was born on September 27, 1974, at Jackson Memorial Hospita ...

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 most ...

, and

Flavor Flav William Jonathan Drayton Jr. (born March 16, 1959), known by his stage name Flavor Flav (), is an American rapper and hype man. Known for his yells of "''Yeah, boyeeeeee!''" when performing, he rose to prominence as a founding member of the rap ...

. Later that year, Wong Won and Ross made cameo appearances in the

music video " G.D.F.R." That same year, the duo also announced the pending release of a new 2 Live Crew studio album ''Turn Me On'', which remains unreleased. In late 2014, Ross and Wong Won reunited with

as the

for a series of shows through the following year, 2015. In 2016, shortly after Wong Won left 2 Live Crew for the final time, Ross reunited with Hobbs to reform the group. The duo released two singles ''How Bout Dem Cowboys'' and ''One Horse Sleigh'' in 2016 and continue to tour nationally as 2 Live Crew.

Personal

Ross is an avowed

born again Christian Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sep ...

, but feels no moral restrictions performing sexually explicit lyrics in

hits on tour or on recordings. In 2012, Ross uploaded two videos to his ''

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

'' channel of him performing

stand up comedy Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, ...

. In a 2015 ''YouTube'' interview, Ross stated that he was pursuing the goal of being a comic and that he has a daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marquis, Brother 1966 births 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people Living people American male rappers African-American male rappers Rappers from Los Angeles Rappers from Miami Rappers from New York (state) East Coast hip hop musicians Southern hip hop musicians West Coast hip hop musicians People from Rochester, New York