Hip-hop pioneer Brother Marquis dead at 58
Hip-hop icon Brother Marquis, who rose to prominence in the 1980s as a member of 2 Live Crew, has passed away aged 58.
At this stage, no cause of death has been confirmed and it’ll likely be revealed at a later date. However, a report has been since published which claims that his “death appears to be natural”. Furthermore, “there isn’t foul play suspected” to have taken place.
News of his death was broken by TMZ, and has since been confirmed by 2 Live Crew on social media, who honoured the late musician on social media on June 3rd. Taking to their Instagram page, the collective posted: “Mark Ross AKA ‘Brother Marquis’ of the 2 Live crew has passed away.”
Ross’ story with the 2 Live Crew began in 1986 after the rest of the group moved from California to Miami and came across him at various functions. After growing close, he was invited to join their ranks, and within months of his arrival, they gained widespread attention for their debut album, The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are.
Notably, the LP featured the hit ‘We Want Some Pussy’ which was lauded in hip-hop corners, but also angered the wider general public. Nevertheless, the track helped put 2 Live Crew on the map, and as a result, their star continued to rise.
In 1989, the collective garnered attention for the wrong reasons once again with their third album, As Nasty As They Wanna Be, which was ruled to be obscene by federal district judge Jose Gonzalez.
While ‘We Want Some Pussy’ was the group’s breakout hit, the group’s next three albums boosted the group to national fame. The group’s third album, 1989’s ‘As Nasty As They Wanna Be’, courted controversy shortly after its release, with federal district judge Jose Gonzalez ruling it as obscene.
For a time, the album was unavailable to be sold, but thankfully, the harsh ruling was eventually overturned and 2 Live Crew used the controversy as a marketing tool for their next album, Banned in the USA. Historically, this was also the first album to feature a Parental Advisory sticker.
While the group disbanded in 1994, Marquis continued to make music, including with members of the outfit. Following the death of Fresh Kid Ice, Marquis and fellow 2 Live Crew member Mr. Mixx toured as 2 Live Crew in 2017.
In a statement, Mixx said of his former collaborator following his passing: “We took on so many fights for the culture. Made great music together, something I would never forget.”
The rapper added: “We had recently got back together to take on another fight to get back our catalog that was stolen from us. We will continue that fight in his name for his Family. The Brother Marquis, that I know would want us to celebrate his life that’s exactly what I’m gonna do.”