2 Live Crew rapper Brother Marquis has passed away at the age of 58, according to the pioneering group.
The Miami-based collective announced the news on Monday (June 3), writing on social media: “Mark Ross AKA Brother Marquis of the 2 Live crew has passed away,” although no further details — including a cause of death — were given.
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Tributes from around the Hip Hop world were paid to Marquis, most notably from fellow 2 Live Crew member Uncle Luke.
“My Condolence goes out to the Family of Brother Marquis and so many of his Fans from around the World after learning his passing,” Luke wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “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.”
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 .We had recently got back together to take on…
— Luther Luke Campbell (@unclelukereal1) June 3, 2024
Public Enemy’s Flava Flav also posted a picture of himself with the late rapper and wrote: “rest in peace bro. Marquise And china man of 2Live Crew.”
Rob Base also paid tribute, commenting on 2 Live Crew’s above Instagram post: “My condolences [flowers emoji] so sad to hear this.”
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Born in Rochester, New York, Brother Marquis rose to fame in the late ’80s as part of 2 Live Crew, who became embroiled in controversy over their explicit lyrics.
Their album As Nasty As They Wanna Be was deemed obscene by a court in Florida and later became banned in the U.S. before the ruling was overturned.
Marquis, along with the rest of 2 Live Crew, was also charged with misdemeanor obscenity charges for performing songs from the album, but was found not guilty.
The group later became the first musical act to have a parental advisory sticker placed on their album, 1990’s Banned in the USA.
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Marquis initially left the group in 1994 but returned the following year.
He is also credited with originating the line, “I got 99 problems and a bitch ain’t one” on the group’s “Table Dance,” which was later used by Ice-T and most famously JAY-Z.
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“I’m in my house with Brother Marquis, I’m at my studio,” Ice-T explained in a 2023 interview with Big Boy. “We were talking about ‘Whoomp! (There It Is).’ Now, ‘Whoomp! (There It Is)’ comes from Magic City. The Tag Team were the DJs at Magic City, and when the girls would bend over, they’d say, ‘Whoomp, there it is!’
“So Marquis says to me, ‘N-gga, I’m sitting there all them nights in Magic City, that was the phrase that pays!’ Then outta nowhere, he goes, ‘Man, I got 99 problems and a bitch ain’t one.’ I said, ‘What did you just say?’ I said, ‘That’s a song!’”
HipHopDX sends its condolences to Brother Marquis’ family and friends.
