2 Live Crew member Brother Marquis has died. Fellow member Uncle Luke confirmed his passing in an Instagram post on Monday (June 3). He simultaneously revealed 2 Live Crew—which consisted of Luke, Marquis, Fresh Kid Ice and Mr. Mixx—was still fighting to get its catalog back.
“My Condolence goes out to the Family of Brother Marquis and so many of his Fans from around the World after learning his passing,” he wrote. “We took on so many fights for the culture made Great music together something I would never forget .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. R.I.P My Brother.”
Uncle Luke’s post elicited plenty of comments from his fans and peers, including DJ Premier, who wrote, “My guy Marquis. Always showed Love to Gang Starr. Rest Peacefully KING.” Luke shared another Instagram post with a pair of photos of Brother Marquis but didn’t change the caption.
Brother Marquis played a pivotal role in shaping the sound of Miami bass that defined late ’80s era Hip-Hop. The raunchy and often controversial group cemented their status with the Miami bass hit “Throw the D” in 1986.
The group’s notoriety soared with their 1989 album As Nasty As They Wanna Be, which became the first album legally deemed obscene. Their struggle for free speech culminated in a Supreme Court victory in 1994, when their parody of “Oh, Pretty Woman” was ruled fair use.
Brother Marquis and Fresh Kid Ice carried forward their musical journey with new singles in 2016 and continued touring nationally even after major lineup changes. Fresh Kid Ice died in 2017 from complications related to cirrhosis.
