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Brother Marquis, a longtime member of the 2 Live Crew, has died. The news broke via the Miami hip-hop group’s Instagram, and their manager confirmed his death to TMZ. The cause remains unknown, though a source told the publication that it appears to be natural. He was 58.
Brother Marquis was born Mark D. Ross in Rochester, before moving to Los Angeles in his teens with his mother. His cousin referred to others as “brother” because of his Muslim faith, and he and Ross would often practice Islam together and spend time in a Grand Marquis car. Therefore, he coined Ross’ rapper name Brother Marquis.
The 2 Live Crew formed in 1984 and were known for their raunchy nature and pioneering of Miami bass. Marquis joined when he caught the attention of DJ David Hobbs, also known as Mr. Mixx, who he knew from parties in California. When a member of the 2 Live Crew left, Marquis flew to Florida to join at the age of 19. They released their debut album, The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are, in 1986. Its follow-up was 1988’s Move Somethin’. Both became Gold-certified. Their third, 1989’s As Nasty As They Wanna Be, was certified Platinum and ruled legally obscene, becoming the first album to do so. The incident played a large role in their career, as their next LP was titled Banned in the U.S.A., and was the first release to don the RIAA-standard Parental Advisory warning sticker. Their final release with their iconic lineup was 1991’s Sports Weekend: As Nasty as They Wanna Be, Pt. 2.
Upon the group’s disbanding, Ross relocated to Georgia and dabbled in stand-up comedy. He also formed the duo 2 Nasty with Idrin Davis, also known as DJ Toomp. In 1993, they shared Indecent Exposure, and Ross guested on Ice-T’s song “99 Problems,” which was later turned into a massive hit by Jay-Z.
Ross and Christopher Wong Won and Hobbs reunited as the 2 Live Crew in 1996 to share Shake A Lil’ Somethin’. The final 2 Live Crew record was 1998’s The Real One.