Brother Marquis, integral member of the influential, yet controversial rap group 2 Live Crew has died at age 57. While no cause of death has been officially confirmed, TMZ reports natural causes.
Born Mark Ross, Brother Marquis joined 2 Live Crew in 1986—two years after the late Fresh Kid Ice and DJ Mr Mixx relocated from Riverside, California to Miami to link up with local promoter Luke Skyywalker. Already starting to pioneer the Miami Bass sound with songs like “Throw the D,” Brother Marquis added his comedic wordplay to the mix and made appearances on the group’s 1986 debut album The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are with the album’s intro being the first song he recorded with the group.
Brother Marquis also appeared on some of the group’s biggest and most controversial songs like “Me So Horny,” “Pop That P—y,” and “Banned in the U.S.A.“
After the group broke up during the early ’90s, Brother Marquis went on to form a group with Atlanta’s DJ Toomp, releasing the album Indecent Exposure in 1993. He also featured on the original version of Ice-T’s “99 Problems,” whose remake became a massive hit in 2004 thanks to Jay-Z.
Brother Marquis reunited with Mr. Mixx and Fresh Kid Ice over the years, releasing music and touring as the 2 Live Crew. Unfortunately, Fresh Kid Ice passed away in 2017, a year after leaving the group for good. Mr. Mixx and Brother Marquis released the Christmas rap song “One Horse Sleigh” during the 2016 holiday season as The 2 Live Crew.
