Miami has a compelling hip-hop history. Although it’s in the South of the US, few consider it one of the Southern states. While states such as Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, and Tennessee have culturally contributed a great deal to hip-hop, jazz and blues, Miami has always been more of a melting pot. As the state with the most proximity to the Caribbean, the city is a melting pot of Haitians, Puerto Ricans, Bahamians and more. Therefore its music output has always been different. From Trina to Trick Daddy and Rick Ross, no hip-hop group is more legendary than the 2 Live Crew in Miami.
Comprised of Luke, Fresh Kid Ice, Mr Mixx, and Brother Marquis, the Live Crew was formed in the late-1980s and would become one of the first impactful Miami-based hip-hop collectives.
Akin to artists such as Trina and, to an even more significant extent Khia, 2 Live Crew brought a raw, sexually provocative style that turned heads. Unlike other groups of the 1980s, such as N.W.A., and Public Enemy, the 2 Live Crew were less political and more what many would now label misogynistic.
With this being the case, following a ruling by the RIAA and PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center ), the crew’s second album, Banned in the U.S.A., became the first project legally obligated to bear the ‘Parental Advisory’ sticker. However, their sexually graphic lyrics and demeanour landed them in even more hot water.
In 1989, the group’s infamous second project, As Nasty as They Wanna Be, saw the Miami outfit hit with obscenity charges due to their single ‘Me So Horny’, which featured a woman moaning on the song. Broward County prosecutor Jack Thompson brought forward the charge.
The Florida natives fought the legal imposition, and eventually, the order was overturned, but 2 Live Crew members got arrested for performing the song. Even record vendors got charged for selling 2 Live projects. The Miami group set a precedent for labels such as Slip-N-Slide to thrive during the ’90s.
You can listen to ‘Me So Horny’ in the video below.
