Brother Marquis of 2 Live Crew dead at 58
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
(CNN) — Mark Ross, the rapper who performed as Brother Marquis as a member of the hip-hop group 2 Live Crew, has died, according to posts shared on 2 Live Crew’s social media accounts on Monday night.
He was 58.
No cause of death was shared. CNN has reached out to representatives for Ross and 2 Live Crew for comment.
Luther Campbell, better known as Uncle Luke and a former member of 2 Live Crew, paid tribute in a post on X.
“My Condolence goes out to the Family of Brother Marquis and so many of his Fans from around the World after learning his passing. We took on so many fights for the culture made Great music together something I would never forget,” Campbell wrote in part. “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.”
While not an original member of 2 Live Crew, Ross was a notable one.
Born in Rochester, New York, he spent his formative years in Los Angeles before relocating to Miami.
He joined 2 Live Crew in 1986, becoming part of the group who included DJ Mr. Mixx (David Hobbs), Fresh Kid Ice (Christopher Wong Won) and Campbell, then performing under the name Luke Skyywalker.
They became known for their overtly sexual songs, lyrics and performances, including the 1989 hit “Me So Horny.”
That song was included on their 1989 album “As Nasty As They Wanna Be,” which was ruled obscene by a Florida judge and became one of the first to have a “Parental Advisory: Explicit Content” label attached.
The group disbanded in the 1990s, but Ross reunited with Hobbs and Won during the 2000s. They toured together until Won’s death in 2017.
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