On this date in 1960, record exec, rapper, producer and pioneer Luther Campbell aka Uncle Luke was born in Miami, Florida. Luke has morphed into one of the trailblazers of today’s strip club-based Hip Hop that is seen from southern artists such as Future, Kodak Black and even Megan Thee Stallion.
As the one time leader of the legendary 2 Live Crew, Campbell launched Luke Skyywalker Records, becoming the first Hip Hop mogul in the Dirty South boasting a gold album(The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are). After five group albums and eight solo albums, Campbell ventured into adult films, starred in his own reality show and even made a run for Mayor of Miami in 2011.
Happy born day to the Liberty City native who became a family man and a definitive part of Hip Hop history!
On this date in 1986, 305-based Hip Hop trio 2 Live Crew released their debut album 2 Live Crew Is What We Are on their independent imprint Luke Skyywalker Records.
This album serves as the main precursor to the legendary Miami bass sound as well as predicates almost all other modern, R-rated and X-rated Hip Hop music. Featuring lead MC Luther Campbell aka Luke Skyywalker, Brother Marquis and the late Fresh Kid Ice, the debut album from the nastiest group in the game had titles that made radio DJs cringe such as “Throw That D**k”, We Want Some P***y”, which both became popular anthems of Miami Hip Hop.
Salute to the iconic 2 Live Crew for their unprecedented contribution to Hip Hop music on this album and all those that followed. RIP to Chris Wong Won aka Fresh Kid Ice, who passed away earlier this month at age 53. The Crew is forever etched in their place in Hip-Hop history!
2 Live Crew’s reputation was unlike any rap group before or after them. The quartet made the lyrics of MCs such as N.W.A. or 50 Cent seem tame. The Miami group was well-known for their improper and sexually implicit lyricism, leading to arrests and fines. In 1987, a record store clerk was even charged with a felony offense for selling 2 Live Crew’s debut album to a 14-year-old girl. The predicament spoke volumes about how offensive 2 Live Crew was then. Ultimately, their refusal to compromise positively changed hip-hop for good. As Rock the Vote’s Ashley Spillane put it, “It’s tough to imagine a similar effort even gaining support today, let alone getting to the point of banning albums and arresting artists for performing their music. That’s a direct result of young people exercising their political power.”
In fact, a few counties in Florida attempted to outright ban their 1989 album, As Nasty As They Wanna Be. Even the simple prospect of performing their music was dangerous, with its members frequently being arrested during live acts. Their arrests spurned much controversy over space in areas beyond hip-hop. It raised a philosophical question surrounding the validity of the First Amendment. How far did the amendment go in solidifying freedom of expression? Seemingly enough, the First Amendment was taking a backseat in favor of court rulings that deemed 2 Live Crew’s lyricism as overtly offensive.
2 Live Crew Were Known For Their Verbal Obscenity
However, 2 Live Crew’s wild adventure onto the front steps of the Highest Court in the Land was for a slightly different issue. In 1989, 2 Live Crew released a non-explicit version of their hit album in the form of As Clean As They Wanna Be. The clean version served two purposes. Firstly, the record expanded the group’s audience beyond the federal bans thrown on them. In addition, the release was a slap in the face to the bureaucrats who wanted to see 2 Live Crew erased from hip-hop. As a part of As Clean As They Wanna Be, they recorded a parody of Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman.” The collective contacted Acuff-Rose Music for permission while promising royalties and credits. However, Acuff-Rose would sue 2 Live Crew a year later.
Eventually landing in the Supreme Court, 2 Live Crew had shockingly ended up there for copyright violations rather than verbal obscenity. Ultimately, the group would win Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music. The victory was significant for hip-hop as a whole, solidifying the idea that there shouldn’t be limits to creative expression. The court deemed the parody of “Oh, Pretty Woman” as “a comment on the naiveté of the original of an earlier day, as a rejection of its sentiment that ignores the ugliness of street life and the debasement that it signifies.”
They Enforced Creative Freedom In Hip-Hop
UNSPECIFIED – CIRCA 1970: Photo of 2 Live Crew Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
2 Live Crew’s lasting influence on creative expression exceeded their chart numbers. Back in the 1980s, artists were beginning to express their creative sides more clearly than ever before. Madonna was rolling around stage while vocalizing “Like a Virgin” on MTV’s Video Music Awards. Prince and the Motley Crue pushed controversial boundaries regarding their experiences with sex or violence. However, parents were worried about the impact of the subjects on kids. All of a sudden, hip-hop had begun to enter the political sphere. By the end of 1985, The Recording Industry Association of America deemed it would include “Parental Advisory” labels on albums it determined needed them.
However, the ruling wasn’t enough for Florida activist Jack Thompson. Marveling at 2 Live’s As Nasty As They Wanna Be, he was trying to eliminate the flamboyant Miami group. All of a sudden, the government was blockading creativity like never before. Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus, and the Eminem’s of today were under threat to never exist in the first place. However, 2 Live’s victory in Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music hushed suffocating political activists for good. The case didn’t directly surround freedom of speech. However, it silenced future detractors from attempting to limit the creative freedom of artists. In addition, it set the precedent that The First Amendment was King regarding creativity.
Offset and Hit-Boy have a banger on their hands. On their new single, “2 Live,” the two pay homage to Miami rap legends 2 Live Crew.
Both the superproducer and the Migos member show off their rap chops over the bouncy, strip-club-ready beat, on which, classic 2 Live Crew adlibs can be heard throughout.
“2 Live, 2 Live, b*tch, she get freaky like an Uncle Luke album,” raps Hit-Boy on the song’s chorus.
Both hip-hop stars show their chemistry throughout the track, as they bounce off of each other’s bars.
On Offset‘s verse, he wows the ladies with his charm and his style, rapping “Ring around the rosey / I bought her Chanel / Now takin’ pictures posin’.”
While it’s unclear whether “2 Live” will be a standalone single or a part of Offset’s or Hit-Boy’s upcoming projects, the latter teased a few concepts for albums and mixtapes last year during an interview with XXL.
“I been seeing a lot of people saying I should do a compilation of my own with my beats and just different artists,” he said. “That’s something I wanna turn up on. Look out for that Hit-Boy compilation. My rap album, too. I got all types of joints coming.”
In the meantime, you can check out “2 Live” above.
On this date in 1960, record exec, rapper, producer and pioneer Luther Campbell aka Uncle Luke was born in Miami, Florida. Luke has morphed into one of the trailblazers of today’s strip club-based Hip Hop that is seen from southern artists such as Future, Kodak Black and even Megan Thee Stallion.
As the one time leader of the legendary 2 Live Crew, Campbell launched Luke Skyywalker Records, becoming the first Hip Hop mogul in the Dirty South boasting a gold album(The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are). After five group albums and eight solo albums, Campbell ventured into adult films, starred in his own reality show and even made a run for Mayor of Miami in 2011.
Happy 62nd born day to the Liberty City native who became a father, husband and a definitive part of Hip Hop history!
