Brother Marquis of hip-hop group 2 Live Crew dies at 58, tearful fans pay tribute to rapper

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Mark Ross, 58, a prominent member of the Miami hip-hop group 2 Live Crew and better known as rapper Brother Marquis, has died, as reported by People.

DJ Debo, the longtime manager of 2 Live Crew, reported Marquis' death. But he hasn't offered any further information.

According to various sources, it is reported that Marquis' death "appears to be natural" and that there is no suspicion of foul play.

Additionally, hip-hop group announced the tragic news on Instagram with the caption saying, "Mark Ross AKA " Brother Marquis of the 2 Live crew has passed away."

Who was Brother Marquis?

Marquis, born on April 4, 1966 in Rochester, New York, spent his formative years in Los Angeles before relocating to Miami and becoming a part of the Florida-based hip-hop ensemble. 

Joining the rap group in 1986, Marquis collaborated with DJ Mr Mixx, Fresh Kid Ice, and Luther Luke Campbell aka Luke Skyywalker throughout the '80s and '90s. 

He debuted with the group on their 1986 album 'The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are', and contributed to subsequent albums including 'Move Somethin' (1988), 'As Nasty As They Wanna Be' (1989), 'Banned in the U.S.A' (1990), and 'As Nasty as They Wanna Be Part II' (1991). 

Their 1989 album sparked controversy, resulting in a Florida judge deeming it obscene and leading to the arrest of group members Luke Skyywalker (Luther Campbell) and the late Fresh Kid Ice (Christopher Wong Won), as well as a record store owner. 

However, the 11th Circuit US Court of Appeals overturned the ruling, and the Supreme Court declined to review the case.

Following the disbandment of the group in the mid-'90s, Marquis continued to feature on various records over the course of his career. Notably, he provided vocals on Ice-T's '99 Problems' from the rapper's 1993 album, 'Home Invasion'.

Despite the group's dissolution in the '90s, Marquis, along with Mr Mixx (David P Hobbs), and the late Fresh Kid Ice, regrouped in the 2000s, touring and releasing new music until Kid's death in 2017.

Luther Luke Campbell condoles Brother Marquis' death

Following the death of Brother Maruquis, Luke expressed his condolences to the family and friends, stating, "My Condolence goes out to the Family of Brother Marquis and so many of his Fans from around the World after learning his passing."

He reminisced about the battles he and Marquis fought together, saying, "We took on so many fights for the culture made Great music together something I would never forget. We had recently got back together to take on another fight to get back our catalog that was stolen from us. We will continue that fight in his name for his Family."

He concluded by saying, "The Brother Marquis, that I know would want us to celebrate his life that’s exactly what I’m gonna do. R.I.P My Brother."

Tributes pour in for Brother Marquis

Following the news of Brother Marquis' death, the internet was abuzz as numerous users took to X, formerly Twitter, to express their viewpoints.

One said, "RIP! I remember listening to all of their stuff growing up. They were responsible for making me a Miami fan for a few years..."

Another wrote, "First heard him on “2 Live Is What We Are” when I was so super young….kept the tape hidden so my Mom wouldn’t hear it lol — he had such great voice"

The third exclaimed, "One of my favorite concerts was 2 Live Crew 🙌🏽😭 Rest Easy Brother Marquis! Condolences to your family.🙏🏽🕊️"

The fourth added, "Rip a legend, I know he's looking up at us."

The fifth user added, "2 Live Crew was a groundbreaking rap group. Brother Marquis (Marquis, You're Brother) was an intricate piece of that puzzle."

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