2 Live Crew was created by David "Treach DJ Mr. Mixx" H… Read Full Bio ↴Early career
2 Live Crew was created by David "Treach DJ Mr. Mixx" Hobbs in Riverside, California, with fellow rappers Chris (Fresh Kid Ice) Wongwon, and Yuri ("Amazing Vee") Vielot. The 3 met at March AFB Riverside, CA, as they were enlisted in the Air Force.[citation needed] Along with giving local parties on and off base, they recorded their first singles through Macola Records Distribution in Los Angeles, CA. They released "Revelation" in 1984; the single sold well in Florida, encouraging the group to release "What I Like." In 1986, due to the popularity of the new single "Throw the Dick," the group, including new member Mark "Brother Marquis" Ross replacing Amazing Vee due to military commitments, relocated to Miami and teamed up with Ghetto Style DJ's and soon to be manager and eventual performer Luther Campbell, who used the nickname "Luke Skyywalker" (and was subsequently sued by George Lucas).
"Throw the Dick," with its fast dance tempo, turntable scratching explicit phrases from comedy albums, stuttering voice samples, and the Roland TR-808 drum machine brought a new sound to the group, penned as The Miami Bass Sound. David "Treach DJ Mr. Mixx" Hobbs was credited with the production.
The year 1987 saw the release of The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are, featuring profane and sexually graphic lyrics. Rudy Ray Moore's comedy albums and other XXX assorted comedy albums provided the material for most of the explicit samples that "Mr. Mixx" used. The album was produced by Mr. Mixx. Bob Rosenberg, a south Florida DJ who would later form the dance-pop group Will to Power, remixed and edited the song "Beat Box".[2] The record went gold. Though the controversy did not rise to the levels the group would reach in the future, a Florida store clerk was charged and acquitted of felony charges for selling the album to a fourteen-year-old girl in 1987.
Campbell decided to sell a separate clean version in addition to the explicit version of the next album, Move Somethin' (1988), produced by Mr. Mixx. A record store clerk in Alexander City, Alabama was cited for selling a copy to an undercover police officer in 1988. It was the first time in the United States that a record store owner was held liable for obscenity over music. The charges were dropped after a jury found the record store not guilty.
As Nasty As They Wanna Be and "Me So Horny" controversy
The group released their album As Nasty As They Wanna Be in 1989, which also became the group's most successful album, largely because of the single "Me So Horny", which was popular in spite of little radio rotation, thanks, in part, to prevalent play on MTV. The song was based on a quote from a Vietnamese prostitute in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket and took a sample from Mass Production's Firecracker. This album was also produced by Mr. Mixx.
The American Family Association did not think the presence of a "Parental Advisory" sticker was enough to adequately warn listeners of what was inside the case. Jack Thompson, a lawyer affiliated with the AFA, met with Florida Governor Bob Martinez and convinced him to look into the album to see if it met the legal classification of obscene. In 1990 action was taken at the local level and Nick Navarro, Broward County sheriff received a ruling from judge Mel Grossman that probable cause for obscenity violations existed
Navarro warned record store owners that selling the album may be prosecutable. 2 Live Crew then filed a suit against Navarro. That June, judge Jose Gonzalez ruled against the album, declaring it obscene and illegal to sell. Charles Freeman, a local retailer, was arrested two days later, after selling a copy to an undercover police officer. This was followed by the arrest of three members of 2 Live Crew after they performed some material from the album at a live performance held at the Futura Night Club in Hollywood Florida. They were acquitted soon after. In 1992, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit overturned the obscenity ruling from Jose Gonzales, and the Supreme Court of the United States refused to hear Broward County's appeal. A notable feature of the case was the distinguished literary critic and now Harvard University professor, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. as an expert witness on behalf of the defendants. He argued that the material that the county alleged was profane, actually had important roots in African-American vernacular, games, and literary traditions and should be protected.
As a result of the controversy, As Nasty As They Wanna Be sold over two million copies. It peaked at #29 on The Billboard 200 and #3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. A few other retailers were later arrested for selling it as well. Later hard rock band Van Halen sued over an uncleared sample of their song "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" in the 2 Live Crew Song "The Fuck Shop". The publicity then continued when George Lucas, owner of the Star Wars universe, successfully sued Campbell for appropriating the name "Skywalker" for his record label, Luke Skywalker Records. Campbell changed his stage name to Luke (and changed the record label's name to Luke Records) and then released an extremely political solo album, Banned in the USA after obtaining permission to use an interpolation of Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. 2 Live Crew paraphernalia with the Luke Skywalker or Skywalker logos are usually sought after as collector's items.
In 1991, 2 Live Crew released the very first live rap album, Live in Concert, and Sports Weekend, a full-length studio original. It peaked at #22 on The Billboard 200 and #19 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It did not gain the same sales level that they experienced with As Nasty As They Wanna Be. The 2 Live Crew members went their separate ways after this. Luke pursued his solo music career and other projects.
In 1992, Fresh Kid Ice released unreleased tracks from pre-Luke 2 Live Crew, Deal with This under the name Rock on Crew, while Luke and Ice also released new solo albums, I Got Shit on My Mind and The Chinaman, respectively.[citation needed]
Mark "Brother Marquis" Ross co-starred alongside Fred Williamson in the film South Beach and started a new group with Aldrin "DJ Toomp" Davis, a former member of Poison Clan, which was also signed to Campbell's label. They named the group 2 Nazty, and released the album "Indecent Exposure" on Attitude Records in 1993. The single was called "Can't Say I Love You," but it did not chart, and the group never released a second album. The single was a departure from the typical 2 Live nasty rhymes, and focuses on what a deep emotion love is, and how it should not be said to anyone lightly. The rest of the album sounds like a 2 Live Crew record, and focuses on sexual exploits of the members.
The hard feelings over the split of the 2 Live Crew is apparent on the album, as Marquis is heard on the track "Interview" saying he was fired from the group, and that the other members had no love for him. DJ Toomp also has a line in "Be My Bitch" comparing signing a deal with Skyywalker Records to signing your life away.[citation needed]
1994: New line-up and lawsuit
1994 saw Luke, Fresh Kid Ice and a new addition to the group, Verb, regrouping as The New 2 Live Crew, issuing Back at Your Ass for the Nine-4. This album peaked at #52 on The Billboard 200 and #9 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The New 2 Live Crew broke up in 1995.
"Oh, Pretty Woman" lawsuit
Main article: Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.
During this time the lawsuit brought about by the estate of Roy Orbison, the copyright owners of "Oh, Pretty Woman," went to the Supreme Court. The Crew had parodied the original on the album As Clean As They Wanna Be without permission. The Supreme Court adopted a rule from an earlier Ninth Circuit case Fisher v. Dees. 794 F.2d 432 (9th Cir. 1986) involving Rick Dees, and ruled that 2 Live Crew's parody was fair use.[4]
Reunions
Luke, Fresh Kid Ice, Brother Marquis and Mr. Mixx re-formed again to record "Hoochie Mama" for the soundtrack to the movie Friday. Plans to reunite for an album were short-lived, as Fresh Kid Ice, Mr. Mixx, and Brother Marquis left Luke and Luke Records to go to Lil' Joe Records and released Shake a Lil' Somethin' (1996). It peaked at #145 on the Billboard 200, also peaking at #33 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Mr. Mixx left soon after, leaving Fresh Kid Ice and Brother Marquis to record The Real One in 1998. It peaked at #59 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. In 1998, Brother Marquis became a born-again Christian, quit the group, and began devoting himself to combating what he sees as the "evils" that he as a member of 2 Live Crew portrayed and glorified. Rapper "First Degree aka Tiki was then recruited as the groups newest addition by Fresh Kid Ice however, his attempt was only for a duration of a few years. Brother Marquis's born again status/views on music changed back to his roots in 2006 when he worked with music producers Dylan Berry and Noah Lifschey of Hollowstone Music under in the LA rock/rap group called the Shake Joint and released a solo album in 2008 that contained explicit lyrics.
2 Live Crew performed at the 2005 Gathering of the Juggalos.
In late 2007, 2 Live Crew announced on their MySpace page that Brother Marquis and Fresh Kid Ice will be releasing an album sometime in 2008. The album, tentatively named Just Wanna Be Heard, is currently scheduled for release in the spring of 2009.
Yakety Yak
The 2 Live Crew Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Brother Marquis:
When you're told to do something by your mom and dad
Don't frown in their face or get mad
Because as long as you're livin' under their roof
You better mind your mouth, or get Dad's boot
It's the simples thing that they ask of you
But it always never seems to get done, so ...
Luke:
Take out the papers and the trash
Or you don't get no spendin' cash
You better wax that kitchen flo'
Or you ain't rock 'n rollin' no mo'!
Yakety Yak! (Don't talk back!)
Ha haaa!
Fresh Kid Ice:
Don't touch that phone when it rings
You're under restriction 'till your room is cleaned
It'll take away your spending cash
You better have it cleaned, quick and fast
Dust the furniture, have the floor waxed
It gotta be spotless from front to back
You might as well get off your butt and ...
Mr. Mixx:
Just finish cleanin' up your room
Let's see that dust fly with that broom
Get all that garbage out of sight
Or you don't go out Friday night
Yakety Yak! (Don't talk back!)
Don't you roll yo' eyes at me, boy!
Brother Marquis:
This house is dirty, it's a total mess
No need to be rude, so don't get dressed
There's a lot of things that have to be done
If you don't, then you have no fun
Now pack the basket with those dirty clothes
And go to the laundromat before it closes
There's no need to pout or frown around, so ...
Luke:
You just put on your coat and hat
And walk yourself to the laundry-mat
And when you're finished doing that
Bring in the dog and put out the cat
Yakety Yak! (Don't talk back!)
(Mixx scratches "Take out the papers and the trash" and "Breakdown!")
Fresh Kid Ice:
Behind your dad's back, you roll your eyes
Always plottin' and schemin' and plannin' lies
But you're always doin' things to make him mad
Instead of doin' right for good old dad
So tell your friend you're not hangin' out
Just do as I say, 'cause I'm the man of the house
You better act like you got some sense and ...
Mr. Mixx:
Don't you give me no dirty looks
Your father's stiff, he knows what cooks
Just tell your hoodlum friend outside
You ain't got time to take a ride
Yakety Yak! (Don't talk back!)
What you say to me boy?
The 2 Live Crew's "Yakety Yak" is a track about respecting authority, particularly parental guidance. Brother Marquis opens the song by cautioning young people to respect their parents and do as they are told because they live under their roof. He points out that simple requests like mowing the lawn or taking out the trash can be quickly forgotten, leading to conflict. Luke chimes in with a threat that if the listener does not follow through on tasks like taking out the trash or waxing the kitchen floor, they will not receive any spending cash. Fresh Kid Ice further emphasizes the importance of following through on tasks, telling the listener not to answer the phone until their room is clean. Mr. Mixx brings the song to a close by commanding the listener to clean their room before they can go out on Friday night, and not to give him any dirty looks.
The entire song is a lesson about respecting authority and the consequences that can result from not doing so. The chorus, "Yakety Yak! (Don't talk back!)", serves as a reminder that talking back to authority can lead to further punishment. The track ultimately warns young people to follow their parents' rules to avoid conflict and enjoy their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
When you're told to do something by your mom and dad
As kids, we need to listen to our parents' orders
Don't frown in their face or get mad
It's disrespectful to show anger or frustration towards our parents for asking us to do something
Because as long as you're livin' under their roof
As long as we're living in our parents' home, we have to follow their rules and requests
You better mind your mouth, or get Dad's boot
If we don't listen to our parents, we could face discipline whether it's punishment or verbal reprimandment
It's the simplest thing that they ask of you
Most of the time, parents just ask us to do basic chores
Like mow the lawn and take the trash out too
Common household chores that kids may be asked to do
But it always never seems to get done, so ...
Kids have a habit of neglecting their chores
Take out the papers and the trash
One of the basic chores that needs to be done regularly
Or you don't get no spendin' cash
If we don't do our chores, we don't get an allowance
You better wax that kitchen flo'
Another chore that has to be done regularly
Or you ain't rock 'n rollin' no mo'!
If we don't do our chores, we can't have fun
Don't touch that phone when it rings
Distractions should be avoided until our chores are done
You're under restriction 'till your room is cleaned
We can't do anything else until our rooms are clean
It'll take away your spending cash
If we don't clean our rooms, we won't get an allowance
You better have it cleaned, quick and fast
We need to do our chores quickly
Dust the furniture, have the floor waxed
Another set of household chores
It gotta be spotless from front to back
Our rooms need to be cleaned thoroughly
Just finish cleanin' up your room
Clean your room as quickly as possible
Let's see that dust fly with that broom
We should clean our rooms and get rid of all the dust and dirt
Get all that garbage out of sight
Take out the trash so it's not visible
Or you don't go out Friday night
If we don't do our chores, we can't go out with friends
This house is dirty, it's a total mess
Sometimes the house gets very messy and needs cleaning
No need to be rude, so don't get dressed
There's no need to be disrespectful or angry about it
There's a lot of things that have to be done
There are many household chores that need to be done
If you don't, then you have no fun
If we don't do our chores, we can't have fun with our friends
Behind your dad's back, you roll your eyes
Sometimes we show our displeasure even when our parents can't see us
Always plottin' and schemin' and plannin' lies
We might try to come up with excuses or lies to get out of our chores
But you're always doin' things to make him mad
Sometimes we don't listen to our parents and do things that make them angry
Instead of doin' right for good old dad
We should focus on doing what our parents ask of us
So tell your friend you're not hangin' out
Sometimes we have to say no to our friends to complete our chores
Just do as I say, 'cause I'm the man of the house
Our parents are in charge, and we should listen to them
Don't you give me no dirty looks
We shouldn't show our anger or frustration towards our parents
Your father's stiff, he knows what cooks
Our parents understand what needs to be done to keep the household running smoothly
Just tell your hoodlum friend outside
We might ask our friends to leave us alone until our chores are done
You ain't got time to take a ride
We can't go out and play until our chores are complete
Writer(s): Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
Contributed by Sarah A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@exexalien
Finally, some "hip and/or hop" music where the "rappers" espouse respect for one's parents and good old fashioned family values! Can't wait to check out the rest of the songs by these fine, upstanding young men!
@didodidrive9412
๐๐๐๐๐๐
@MPzzy26
Lol this was better as the snippet in the plane scene then an actual song
@anuarali5599
1988.listen thia music.firts time.power.96.
@pepelepew1842
it's better then that crap today
@anuarali5599
Miami memories.nice song.power 96.best.two.live crue
@pepelepew1842
I like it
@tolmol7079
ะะตะฝะธะฐะปัะฝะพ!
@TranzparentMethods
Just the fact that this group was featured in a PG rated film, is MIND BLOWING!!! It was still a year or so, before "As Nasty As They Wanna Be", but DAMN!!! This was after "Move Somthing", so that was pretty ballsy of the soundtrack producer.
@elzurdo2523
Best part of the song is the break at 1:55! I remember my mom taking away my 2 Live Crew cassettes away... smut peddlers they were called in my house!!