The rap group 2 Live Crew consists of members Luke, Fresh Kid Ice, Treach, DJ Mr. Mixx and Brother Marquis. They may be best known for exceeding the boundaries of censorship in 1991 with their controversial track “Me So Horny.” The group performed Sept. 5 in College Station at the Texas Hall of Fame. The Battalion caught an interview with Fresh Kid Ice before their performance.
The Battalion: One of the top questions on everyone’s mind here is ‘What keeps on bringing you back to a small college town like College Station?’
Fresh Kid Ice: Going on college tours keeps us in tune with our fans. The majority of our listeners are in college, ranging from the age of 18 and up. College Station seems to be one of the hypest towns when we go on tour.
The Battalion: What are your views and opinions on hip-hop music today compared to when you first started?
Fresh Kid Ice: Today, it’s definitely a lot better. There seems to be more variety within the field of hip-hop. You get to hear different points of view and this genre is just becoming more universal.
The Battalion: In not just hip-hop, what are some of your favorite new music artists today?
Fresh Kid Ice: I listen to a variety of music. I listen to oldies, hip-hop, rock, all of it. A lot of the topics many artists sing about today vary; they have many different views. Some of my favorites are Nelly and Bubba Sparxxx, just to name a few. Many artists are just out there having fun.
The Battalion: Along the lines of the previous question, what are some of your music influences?
Fresh Kid Ice: We draw from a variety of music, like party music from the ’70s like K.C. and the Sunshine Band. Being from Miami, we also tend to get influenced by reggae and Latin sounds.
The Battalion: When the group was censored back in 1991, the music you produced seems like a G-rating compared to some of the stuff produced today. Do you think you opened doors to exceeding boundaries in censorship?
Fresh Kid Ice: Every so often, you have groups that challenge censorship. Even back in the day, you had artists like The Doors and Elvis challenge it. It just shows that we are not the only ones who have done this. Even today, artists like Marilyn Manson do what we did. As music grows, people are going to be constantly challenging the boundaries.
The Battalion: Besides censorship, how drastically do you think the music business has changed since you first started?
Fresh Kid Ice: It’s changed some; more and more artists are becoming aware of the business aspects of music. When we started, many artists were just about making music and not concerned with the business side. I think it’s a good thing that artists today know more about royalties, publishing and stuff that many were not aware of back then.
The Battalion: You said before that hip-hop is more universal now and that the genre has gotten a lot better, but how do you feel about the emphasis on the “bling-bling” and the other materialistic things in hip-hop today?
Fresh Kid Ice: Rap started off as a way of boasting and there’s a whole cycle to it. It started off as “gangsta” then into “thug” and now boasting. It is slowly moving into a whole dance feel like in Mary J. Blige’s song “Family Affair” and Ja Rule’s “Livin’ it Up.” Rapping is becoming more fun and party-like again.
The Battalion: Your music is definitely considered party-like and sometimes it gets dubbed as “booty music.” Do you think that 2 Live Crew would consider themselves pioneers of booty music?
Fresh Kid Ice: It is not necessarily the booty music, but more of the whole Southern movement of hip-hop into mainstream. We are one of the first groups from the south. Both the Ghetto Boys and us started the movement.
The Battalion: To end the interview, can fans expect any upcoming projects that 2 Live Crew is working on? Can we expect any new albums or proteges?
Fresh Kid Ice: We have a single that is expected to be released sometime in October called “Dance Shawty.” The new track is definitely in tune with the traditional 2 Live Crew style, but at the same time there will be a flare to it. Fans could expect a new album release in early 2002.