* En anglais uniquement
Due to the imposing media presence of frontman
Luther Campbell,
2 Live Crew was often seen as his vehicle, but the group actually started without him under the guidance of producer David Hobbs (aka
Mr. Mixx). It was the work of both men that brought them to the national spotlight, with
Campbell's offensive rhymes matched to the boisterous, fast-paced beats produced by
Mixx.
Hobbs first started working on records in California, where he met rapper
Fresh Kid Ice (aka
Chris Wong Won) and hype man Amazing V. The three started
2 Live Crew in the spring of 1985, releasing the "Revelation" single by the summer. The 12" was a club hit in Miami, inspiring
Mixx and
Ice to move to Florida to try to capitalize on their success.
Brother Marquis joined up soon after, and based on the regional popularity of their second single, "What I Like," they were soon signed to local entrepreneur
Luther Campbell's Luke Records.
Campbell first became their manager, but his forceful personality made him a natural performer, and soon he was on-stage with the band nightly. With
Campbell's sex-driven rhymes giving the group a lyrical focus,
Mixx concentrated on their sound, a fast moving, bass-driven sound that would become the prototype for many of the Southern styles to follow. Their debut album,
2 Live Crew Is What We Are, was a surprise hit, leading to a string of popular albums that culminated in the massively popular
As Nasty as They Wanna Be in 1989. Although
Mixx lived it up with his main group, he also found time to write and produce the debut from
the Poison Clan,
2 Low Life Muthas. After 1991's
Sports Weekend, the group began to work on different projects, with
Mixx and
Ice forming the Rock on Crew before moving on entirely.
Mixx started to work on his own albums, and in 1993 the Oh My Gosh EP became his first solo release. Splitting his time between a solo career and producing tracks for other artists, he was approached by
Ice and
Marquis in 1996 about reuniting
2 Live Crew without
Campbell. The group released
Shake a Lil' Somethin' the same year, but without the controversial presence of
Campbell, the project had little appeal to mainstream audiences. Still, the album was successful enough to warrant a second attempt, this time with only
Mixx and
Ice remaining.
The Real One arrived in 1998, but it was met with the same fate and marked the last record of original material from that lineup.
Mixx moved on to his solo career, releasing more albums and singles under his own name while supervising tracks by
Lil' Troy and
Daz Dillinger, among others. Despite the end of
2 Live Crew, his new productions proved that he could adapt to different genres and was still a sought-after, relevant producer. ~ Bradley Torreano