Brother Marquis Of 2 Live Crew Dead At 58

Brother Marquis of 2 Live Crew was not a founding member of the controversial Hip-Hop outfit but was integral to its success. While the cause of death has not been announced, the group’s official Instagram page announced the passing of Brother Marquis with fans expressing shock.

Brother Marquis was born Mark Ross on April 2, 1966 (per a representative), and was raised in Rochester, N.Y., before moving to Los Angeles, Calif., with his mother as a teenager. While in Los Angeles, Marquis immersed himself in the music scene and put out music with fellow rapper Rodney-O as The Cautious Crew.

The first version of the 2 Live Crew was founded in Riverside, Calif., with DJ Mr. Mixx, the late Fresh Kid Ice (Christopher Wong Won) and Amazing Vee. After Amazing Vee vacated the group, Marquis joined the group, and they helped establish the early roots of the Miami Bass sound before moving to Florida and subsequently signing to Luke Skywalker Records with the label boss Uncle Luke joining the group as its hypeman and manager.

The group saw a string of successful releases in the 1980s through the early 1990s built on the back of the raunchy raps of Brother Marquis and Fresh Kid Ice while Uncle Luke served a prominent role on wax. The group disbanded and reunited several times over, and before Fresh Kid Ice’s passing in 2017, there were talks of new music.

Condolences are in order towards the family and friends of Mark “Brother Marquis” Ross.

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Photo: Getty