2 Live Crew Rapper Brother Marquis Dead At 58

The hip-hop world has lost of its Miami bass pioneers. Brother Marquis, born Mark D. Ross, has died at age 58. The rapper made his name as one of the members of the group 2 Live Crew. While he wasn’t a founding member, his personality and rhyming ability make him an immediate standout. Brother Marquis provided classic verses on songs like “Me So Horny” and “We Want Some P**sy,” which remains party anthems to this day.

2 Live Crew started out as a Los Angeles group in 1984, but they didn’t forge their identity until they moved to Miami the following year. Brother Marquis joined 2 Live Crew after two singles, and thanks to his involvement, as well as that of manager/producer Luther Campbell, the group exploded. Their debut album, 1986’s The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are, went Gold. They got even bigger with As Nasty As They Wanna Be in 1988. The album contained the aforementioned hit “Me So Horny,” which featured a verse in which Brother Marquis mentions his own name. The song cracked the top 40, and the controversy that it sparked led to the album going double Platinum.

Brother Marquis remained part of 2 Live Crew for the rest of his life. He did, however, pursue different side projects. He founded the duo 2 Nazty with DJ Toomp, and collaborated with Ice-T on the song “99 Problems,” which was later remade by Jay-Z. Brother Marquis returned to the group that made him famous for the albums Shake a Little Somethin’ and The Real One in 1996 and 1998, respectively. He also continued to tour with an abbreviated 2 Live Crew lineup throughout the 2010s.

Brother Marquis spoke on his musical impact during a 2014 interview with the New Miami Times. “I’m grateful and honored to be a pioneer as far as explicit lyrics,” he stated. “First Amendment rights, fighting censorship, and naked women on the stage. We were responsible for securing a lot of that freedom of speech for everybody.” Marquis is the second member of 2 Live Crew to pass away after Fresh Kid Ice in 2017. 2 Live Crew management confirmed that Marquis had been found dead in his home. There was no cause or additional details provided, however. Unnamed sources tell TMZ that Marquis’ death appears to be natural, with no signs of foul play.