2 Live Crew’s Brother Marquis has died at the age of 58, confirms Rolling Stone. The official Instagram of the group reported the news on June 3, writing, “Mark Ross AKA ’ Brother Marquis of the 2 Live crew has went to the upper room.” They have not confirmed the cause of death. “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,” tweeted former group member Luke Campbell in remembrance while also referencing a copyright dispute over their catalog against Lil Joe Records.
Born Mark Ross, the rapper gained notoriety when he joined the Miami hip-hop group at the age of 19. Throughout their career, 2 Live Crew has been subject to scrutiny by the government for their “obscene” and graphic lyrics, with record stores becoming targets for selling their CDs. Their legal battles escalated with their third and most successful album, 1989’s As Nasty as They Wanna Be, when a federal judge in Florida ruled that record stores could face charges if they sold the album. The group was eventually acquitted and the ban was removed two years later.
