Brother Marquis, member of the Rap Group 2 Live Crew, has died

Brother Marquis, the rapper and member of the hip-hop group 2 Live Crew whose sexually explicit lyrics sparked debate about race and artistic freedom in the 1980s and ’90s, has died.

His death was announced on 2 Live Crew’s social media accounts Monday evening. The messages did not provide the cause or location of death.

2 Live Crew was founded in 1984 and Brother Marquis, born Mark Ross, joined after the group moved from California to Miami. He is now part of his best-known lineup alongside Christopher Wong Won (Fresh Kid Ice); the group’s leader, Luther Campbell (Luke Skyywalker); and David Hobbs (Mr. Mixx).

In 1990, a Florida court ruled their album “As Nasty as They Wanna Be” legally obscene – and therefore illegal to sell. It is the first album in United States history to have this distinction.

That year, Mr. Ross, Mr. Wong Won and Mr. Campbell were arrested on charges of obscenity following their performance at a nightclub after an undercover police officer recorded their performance. They faced up to a year in prison and fines of up to $1,000.

During their obscenity trial, prosecutors argued that their song lyrics included graphic descriptions of sexual intercourse and simulations of “deviant sexual acts.” But 2 Live Crew’s lawyers said the group’s performance must be understood in the context of hip-hop and that the lyrics “can have artistic value when you understand them, when you actually decode them.” Mr Ross, Mr Wong Won and Mr Campbell were acquitted.