The rapper Brother Marquis, who joined the Miami hip-hop group 2 Live Crew in the ’80s has died.
He was 58, according to TMZ, who first reported the news. The group shared he “went to the upper room” in an Instagram post. A cause of death was not immediately clear.
2 Live Crew’s Uncle Luke (aka Luther Campbell) paid tribute to Brother Marquis on social media, writing on X, “My Condolence goes out to the Family of Brother Marquis and so many of his Fans from around the World after learning his passing.”
“We took on so many fights for the culture (and) 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.”
The group is currently in a legal battle with Lil Joe Records over ownership of their work.
“The Brother Marquis that I know would want us to celebrate his life (and) that’s exactly what I’m gonna do. R.I.P My Brother,” added Campbell, who is currently gearing up to run for Congress to rep his home state of Florida.
Born in Rochester, Brother Marquis — real name Mark D. Ross — joined the Miami hip-hop group at the age of 19 in 1986.
The group released their debut album, “The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are,” that same year.
Rapper Fresh Ice Kid, whose real name was Chris Wong Won, died in 2017. He was also a co-member of the iconic rap group.
Marquis was one of 2 Live Crew’s most notable members, alongside rappers Uncle Luke, Fresh Kid Ice, and Mr. Mixx.