Fresh KID Ice & The Me So Horny Dancers

While regions all across the dirty have staked their claims from H-Town to ATL and Memphis to the Crescent, Southern rap finds its deepest roots in the Sunshine State. With do-fa-self groundwork laid by 80’s bass mechanics like Pretty Tony, Gucci Crew II and MC Shy D, South Florida gave Southern hip-hop its earliest voice via booty-shake anthems. None of the South side first-schoolers had as much of an impact as the 2 Live Crew. Made up of Fresh Kid Ice, Brother Marquis, Mr. Mixx and label CEO/hype man Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell, this foulmouthed foursome drew the blueprint to building a fledgling indie label to mainstream success. Orally fondling freaky fuck tales atop ass-shaking 808 drum and bass, the 2 Live Crew brought “booty music” from the Southern underground to platinum success. Nearly two decades ago, 2 Live Crew put MIA - and the entire South - on the hip-hop map. Despite claiming fame in Miami, the 2 Live Crew actually formed in California. The original members of the group were Fresh Kid Ice, DJ Mr. Mixx, and Amazing V, who left soon after the group’s formation. Their electro-funk, break dance-ready breakout single “Revolution” led the group to Florida. In Miami, 2 Live Crew hooked up with local record label owner Luke. The group hadn’t been talking dirty on their records prior to meeting Mr. Doo Doo Brown, but his X-rated influence was definitely heard on their 1986 debut album The 2 Live Crew...Is What We Are. Now with Brother Marquis on board and Luke pumping the crowd, 2 Live shook down Southern dance floors with pornographic rhymes and vibrating ghetto bass on classic club bangers “Get It Girl,” “Throw The Dick,” and everyone’s all-time favorite “We Want Some Pussy.” Without any major label backing or radio play, the album went gold on the low. However, along with the popularity of their X-rated rap album came consequences. A Florida record store clerk was hit with felony charges (and later acquitted) after selling the album to a 14-year-old girl in 1987. This prompted the group to sell both clean and explicit versions of their albums. 2 Live Crew is the reason for those must-have parental advisory stickers that adorn most rap albums today. The following year, a record store in Alabama was fined for selling a copy of the group’s sophomore album Move Somethin’ to an undercover cop. Shit really hit the fan with the group’s next release, Nasty As They Wanna Be, in 1989. The next year, Broward County sheriff Nick Navarro secured a ruling from County Circuit Court Judge Mel Grossman that the album was legally obscene. In an attempt to knock the group’s hustle, Navarro threatened record store owners across the country, informing them that they would be subject to prosecution if they sold the album. The group took a staggering blow in June 1989 when District Court Judge Jose Gonzalez ruled that Nasty As They Wanna Be was obscene and illegal to sell. Just two days later, a record store owner was booked for selling the album to an undercover cop, and members of the 2 Live Crew were arrested on obscenity charges for performing at a local club. They were later acquitted, and the record store owner’s conviction was overturned on appeal. Meanwhile, the controversy surrounding the album caused sales to soar past 2 million. Shortly after, music giant Atlantic Records signed Luke and his label Luke Records to a distribution deal. Their following major label album Banned in the USA was a mainstream success. Billed as Luke featuring 2 Live Crew, the album’s title track was a reworking of Bruce Springsteen’s American classic “Banned in the USA” and the group’s second Top 40 hit. On top of that, 2 Live Crew had the last laugh when in 1992, the Court of Appeals in Atlanta overturned Jose Gonzalez’s ruling that Nasty As They Wanna Be was legally obscene. The Court of Appeals’ decision was later upheld by the Supreme Court. Aside from winning court cases, 2 Live Crew’s music was also becoming a staple in Southern rap. In addition to placing a trademark on the unmistakable sound of Miami bass, 2 Live was also a building block for the foundations of Atlanta booty-shake, rowdy Memphis angst, sexually explicit lyrics, and provocative music videos. With stage shows typically comprised of over a dozen naked strippers and videos that were banned from mainstream outlets, 2 Live Crew were pioneers of the sleazy, misogynistic graphics and lyrics that we see in much of today’s hip-hop. Long before Nelly’s “Tip Drill” or BET’s “Uncut,” 2 Live Crew was encouraging women to take it all off on the dance floor - and in the videos. Just throw in the group’s hit “Move Somethin’” and watch the party get hype. Or slide on Luke’s solo joint “H-B-C” and watch all the fellas in the place reply to Luke’s question, “Whatcha like, fellas?” with the answer, “Head, booty, and cock!” Without question, 2 Live Crew changed the game. Regardless of how brash, sleazy, or erotic the music may seem, 2 Live protected our First Amendment rights to freedom of speech ane expression so we can be as nasty as we damn well wanna be. With their chest-pounding bass and piercing snare, they gave future groups an instrumental lesson plan to follow. And with their gold and platinum accolades, they created an avenue for other Southern groups to follow to shine on a national level. Although the new school artists continue to set trends and break down barriers, 2 Live Crew blazed the trail for their path to stardom and success. Respect your elders. - Carlton Wade - Ozone Magazine

2 Live Crew still kicking it
Concert Review: 2 Live Crew @ AJ’s Hangar – Kingston, ON.

For those of your who thought there was no place in Kingston to have naked women shoot silly string at you, I’ve got news for you: You were wrong ... when 2 Live Crew is in town, that is. When you walk into a venue and the merchandise table holds not only the band’s new 12-track CD but also a DVD entitled “Freakfest,” it’s a safe bet that you’re probably at a 2 Live Crew show. And what can you say after the show? It’s a complete sensory overload; between the teeth-shaking bass, the 80s style rap, and the hardcore nudity, it’s hard to tell which way is up. As they came onstage Wednesday night, the group announced, “it’s cold outside, but we’re going to heat it up in here.” 2 Live Crew certainly delivered on that promise.

2 Live Crew, like many rap groups, has had several temporary members over the years. For the 2004 reincarnation of one of music’s most notorious groups of all time, the act has been pared down to originals Fresh Kid Ice (Chris Wong Won), DJ Mr. Mixx (David Hobbs), and Brother Marquis (Mark Ross). The three rappers took the stage at AJ’s a few minutes before midnight and performed for less than an hour. Sounds like a rip off, right? Wrong. In about 55 minutes, 2 Live Crew put on the most sensationalized, shocking, dirty, and crowd-pleasing show AJ’s has ever seen ... unless AJ’s is in the habit of secretly doubling as a strip club. Obliging the audience with some of the group’s most popular (and controversial) 80s hits, the three performers proved that they haven’t lost the edge that made them so famous 15 years ago.

The crowd, for their part, proved they haven’t forgotten 2 Live Crew, singing along to favourites such as “Me So Horny” and “Face Down, Ass Up.” If however, audience members became a little distracted further into the show, one has to be forgiving. It’s hard to concentrate while receiving a lap dance, after all. That’s right; several lucky volunteers (and not just men, either) took the place of honour on the wooden chairs that the crew’s two dancers brought on stage. If that wasn’t enough to make the night a memorable one, the whipped cream, bananas and silly string came out soon after. A few minutes later, the two attractive dancers still had their shoes on ... but only their shoes. If the crowd had been enthusiastic before, it was nothing compared to the mania that ensued. The group timed their CD plug well, waiting until just after the shirts were off to remind the audience to visit the merch table. And when Fresh Kid Ice addressed the audience, sending out rallying calls such as “if you’re drunk and horny, make some noise!” and “all the ladies who like to swallow, let me hear you!” the cheers were not those of offended viewers, but of a crowd thoroughly enjoying a spectacle. Several girls rushed the stage to participate in the “Best Ass contest” as Mr. Mixx urged them to turn around, saying, “the fellas want to see ... they don’t want to see no faces.”

The risk of such sensationalism, of course, is the possibility that 2 Live Crew’s music will be overshadowed by their flashy and shocking stage antics. The beauty (if it can be called that) of 2 Live Crew though, is that it is more than music; it’s an experience. Not everyone loves bass-heavy 1980s west coast rap, but this group is about so much more than that. It’s about pushing limits and creating controversy. How serious are the three rappers when they belt out lyrics like “I’ll treat any bitch like a whore”? No one can quite say. Debate has raged over the past two decades whether 2 Live Crew is just a group of guys looking to shake up the establishment and get a rise out of people, or a sinister, misogynistic threat to decent people everywhere. After an admittedly shocking live concert experience, it’s hard to come down on one side or the other. It’s possible to see where the argument that these guys are just having fun comes from. Their fun happens to involve strippers and explicit lyrics, but after the controversies that have swirled around acts like Eminem, Christina Aguilera and even Madonna, perhaps young people today are just a little more desensitized than 20 years ago. The parody of “My Girl,” replacing the chorus with repetitions of the word “orgy” was shocking, no doubt ... but it was also quite amusing to the crowd.

Everyone present seemed to enjoy the show immensely and no one seemed surprised by the stage antics; then again, concertgoers knew what they were getting into when they bought their tickets. The show was tasteless and shocking, but it was restricted to those of age. 2 Live Crew may use cheap and dirty concert behavior to make a name for themselves, but the fact remains that they have become a part of modern music history; not for being an unusually talented rap group, but for the extreme controversy they have managed to create.
- Kingston Press

Sherpa & Yeti's hosts a nasty night with 2 LIVE CREW

KIMBERLY NICOLETTI

BRECKENRIDGE, CO. - Sherpa's gets a little nasty as it brings in one of the most controversial rap groups in history.

2 Live Crew fills Sherpa & Yeti's with its booty-shakin', X-rated rhymes at the fourth annual Exotica Ball Saturday.

The posse helped prompt the record industry to put warning labels on albums with explicit lyrics after repeatedly creating legal stirs.

It first caught the attention of Tipper Gore's Parents Music Resource Center with albums like "As Nasty As They Wanna Be" and lyrics our editor would delete the minute we typed them into our computer. The hype led 2 Live Crew to become a (not so homely) household name when Gore and attorney Jack Thompson started a campaign to prevent minors from buying the album.

In 1990, Florida judge Mel Grossman ruled that probable cause for obscenity violations existed and warned record store owners that selling the album could lead to prosecution.

Two days after the ruling, the band made headlines when a Florida record store owner sold the album to undercover police officers and was arrested. Soon after, the band members were arrested for performing music from the album in a Miami strip club, though three months later they were acquitted.

In 1992, a court of appeals overturned the obscenity ruling, and the Supreme Court upheld the decision.

"The battles never affected our creativity, but we were always trying to defend ourselves," said 2 Live Crew member Fresh Kid Ice (Chris Wong Won). "It took time and lots of cash, but it was worth it in the long run. It helped put the group on the map - to let people know we stood for something - freedom of speech.

"What rappers couldn't say 15 years ago, they can say now. It's OK for them to say what they want and not pay the price. We took the brunt of that back in the days."

2 Live Crew did release edited versions of its profane and sexually graphic albums; it changed up the words, which Fresh Kid Ice says helped the rappers be more witty because they had to come up with a different way of expressing their ideas.

"It didn't dilute it because most kids know what's going on anyway," he said.

Fresh Kid Ice doesn't apologize for his lyrics or think they warp young minds - instead, he looks at the positive side of the music.

"Rap gave kids something to listen to, and it showed them there's something outside of their community," he said. "Hip hop embraces everybody. It's not a white thing, it's not a black thing, it's not a Chinese thing. The hip-hop movement brought a lot of cultures together."

And 2 Live Crew continues to bring people together - in a most seductive way - with its live shows.

"It's wild and interactive and a lot of fun," he said. "We always have a good time, and we go as far as they want us to."

Always ready for a party, 2 Live Crew will judge a thong contest after the show. The winner will walk home with $200.

"The thong contest seems befitting for 2 Live Crew," said Josh Frager, co-owner of Sherpa & Yeti's. "It's kind of like their field of expertise. They bring their own booty girls that dance. They do their utmost to live up to their reputation. They like to push the envelope."

2 Live Crew also will sign autographs and give away promos for a new solo album, "Freaky Chinese," which features the explicit lyrics and sexual overtones the posse is known for but updates the sound and style of music.

Though 2 Live Crew will play only half of its normal set, it'll be sure to get the hits in.

"Most people would rather hear the hits anyway than hear a longer show and pay more," Frager said. "There's no way any guy can find more fun for eight bucks."

Doors open at 9 p.m. Saturday. Local DJs will open the show, followed by 2 Live Crew.



Kimberly Nicoletti can be reached at (970) 668-3998, ext. 245, or atknicoletti@summitdaily.com.

- Summit Daily

As K.O.D. left the stage, the audience buzzed with anticipation for 2 Live Crew. But instead of the main act, we were treated to a surprise performance by Reese Mac, 2 Live Crew's labelmate on Chinaman Records.

The rapper expressed his love for South Dakota and complimented the women in the audience on their "hotness," and few people seemed to mind waiting a few minutes longer.

2 Live Crew debuted nearly 20 years ago, inspiring a storm of debate over whether freedom of speech applied to X-rated lyrics that would make a sailor blush. The raunchy band was in the news again only last month, with accusations that their dancers had behaved inappropriately with bananas while onstage.

I steeled myself as they took the stage, trying to remember, as Voltaire said, that I could disagree with what they said but still defend their right to say it.

But are bananas speech?

2 Live Crew started their set with a well-known song and continued with the group's biggest hits, all with unprintable titles.

Onstage, two attractive women in midriff shirts danced to the beat, but it was barely risque and certainly not obscene. I suppose I'm jaded, but after attending concerts during the Sturgis motorcycle rally, 2 Live Crew's sexy sirens were kid stuff.

Jaded as I am, the lyrics still made me blush. It wasn't the cursing, but the oh-so-vivid descriptions of sexual acts; hooray for freedom of speech, I thought, but do they really have to say that?

One element that's often overlooked when it comes to 2 Live Crew is the humor. The group sampled the sunny oldie "Doo Wah Diddy" and the Kinks' legendary "All Day and All of the Night" and gave the classics scaldingly obscene lyrics.

It was like Weird Al, only with sex.

And it's probably not PC to admit it, but the songs were a hoot. No wonder the kids like this stuff, and no wonder their parents are so offended.

As the concert continued, the still-clothed dancers gave lap dances to guys and girls from the audience, and there was a "Best Posterior" contest (they called it something different), but again, it was tame compared to the Sturgis rally.

A banana appeared, and I perked up, ready for something shocking, but I was let down once more. The banana was eaten from both ends, a la the spaghetti in "Lady and the Tramp," which I found cute, not raunchy.

And soon, wishing Rapid City a happy new year, 2 Live Crew made their exit.

The concert was anticlimactic, but in a good way. I was expecting more aggression and less fun, and I certainly didn't expect to enjoy myself as much as I did. It wasn't good clean fun, but it was fun.

2 Live Crew wasn't a band I had ever expected to see in Rapid City. Kudos to Venue 8 for bringing them to our neck of the woods; I can't wait to find out what else the venue has in store for us.

Contact Ruth Milne at 394-8420 ruthmilne@rushmore.com

- Rapid City Journal

Renaldo Agostino
"Marketing Director" Katzman Enterprises

"THESE GUYS ROCK - FILL THE HOUSE EVERY TIME, We've had
them in Windsor/Detroit 4 times now and we can't wait for the next one.
The Price is right and the people always come out to see them. I can't
say enough about these guy's. It's not too often that I run across
excellent performers who are also excellent business men and great guys
to work with. They're no longer considered musicians that we hire, we
now consider them partners.

Renaldo Agostino


- RENALDO AGOSTINO