Episode 116: Luther Campbell

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Luther Campbell needs no introduction. Since starting his career as a DJ in Miami in the late 1970s, he’s been an innovator musically, culturally, business-wise, and even legally. As the mastermind behind 2 Live Crew, Campbell guided the group’s change from a California-based conscious rap group into a pioneering Southern crew who popularized Miami bass music, and whose raunchy lyrics were often imitated.

It was those same raunchy lyrics that would land Campbell and the group in repeated legal hot water. Luke fought and won legal battles not only for his group’s right to be, as his most popular and controversial record would have it, “as nasty as they wanna be,” but also for record stores’ right to sell his work. He also took a battle to parody songs all the way to the Supreme Court - and won. Simultaneously, he was running the fiercely independent Luke Records, which was for a time the largest black-owned record label in the country, and discovering acts like Poison Klan, Trick Daddy, and Pitbull.

Luke has also been fiercely devoted to the children of his native Liberty City neighborhood, starting a popular youth football league, coaching teams himself, and even running for Mayor of Miami in 2011. His latest venture is a memoir (with Tanner Colby) that covers his wild life and times, as well as the history of his hometown. It’s called The Book of Luke: My Fight for Truth, Justice, and Liberty City, published by Amistad.

Tracks featured in this episode:

1. 2 Live Crew, “Banned in the USA”
2. Herman Kelly & Life, “Dance to the Drummer’s Beat”
3. Brothers Johnson, “Stomp”
4. Herbie Hancock, “I Thought it was You”
5. Burt Bacharach, “This Guy’s in Love With You”
6. Millie Jackson, “If Lovin You Is Wrong (I Don’t Wanna Be Right)”
7. Betty Wright, “Clean Up Woman”
8. Quincy Jones f/The Brothers Johnson, “Is It Love That We’re Missin’”
9. The Egyptian Lover, “Egypt, Egypt”
10. Barrington Levy, “Jah Is With Me”
11. Merchant, “Um Ba Ya Oh”
12. Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine, “Conga”
13. 2 Live Crew, “Pop That Pussy”
14. 2 Live Crew, “Move Somethin’
15. Davey D Interviews West Coast Hip Hop Pioneer Egyptian Lover (Breakdown FM)
16. Mantronix, “Bassline”
17. 2 Live Crew, “The Revelation”
18. Schoolly D, “Put Your Filas On”
19. Doug E. Fresh & M.C. Ricky D, “La Di Da Di”
20. 2 Live Crew, “2 Live Beatbox”
21. 2 Live Crew, “Throw the ‘D’”
22. Anquette, “Janet Reno”
23. 2 Live Crew, “Hey We Want Some Pussy”
24. Saturday Night Live, “2 Live Crew Party”
25. Star Wars, “The Imperial March”
26. Full Metal Jacket - Me So Horny (HD 720p)
27. Mass Production, “Firecracker”
28. 2 Live Crew, “Me So Horny”
29. Luke, “Head Head and More Head”
30. Uncle Luke f/Notorious B.I.G., “Bust A Nut”
31. Ann Coulter: Mexicans Are More Dangerous Than ISIS (VIDEO)
32. Donald Trump’s best lines during his 2016 speech
33. Professor Griff and the Last Asiatic Disciples, “Pawns in the Game”
34. Professor Griff and the Last Asiatic Disciples, “ Last Asiatic Disciple”
35. 2 Live Jews, “Oy! It’s So Humid”

Show notes:

1. Ta-Nehisi Coates, “The Case for Reparations”
2. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., “2 Live Crew, Decoded”
3. Los Angeles Times, 9/26/90, “Campbell Pays $300,000 in Skyywalker Settlement”
4. Donahue - Indecency & Obscenity - feat. 2 Live Crew - circa 1990 - 1 of 4