As Nasty As They Wanna Be

As Nasty As They Wanna Be
Studio album by 2 Live Crew
Released February 7, 1989 (1989-02-07)
Recorded 1988
Genre
Length 79:30
Label Luke, Atlantic Records
91651
Producer 2 Live Crew
2 Live Crew chronology
Move Somethin'
(1987)
As Nasty As They Wanna Be
(1989)
Banned in the U.S.A.
(1990)
Singles from As Nasty As They Wanna Be
  1. "Me So Horny"
    Released: January 20, 1989
  2. "C'mon Babe"
    Released: 1989
  3. "The Fuck Shop"
    Released: 1990
  4. "Coolin'"
    Released: 1990 (UK only)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Robert ChristgauC[2]

As Nasty As They Wanna Be is the third album by Miami bass group 2 Live Crew. It was released on February 7, 1989 and became the group's largest seller, being certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. In 1990, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida ruled that the album was legally obscene;[3] this ruling was later overturned by the Eleventh Circuit.[4] It is the first album in history to be deemed legally obscene.[5]

It would also be the final album to be released under the Skyywalker Records label. Following a successful lawsuit against Luther Campbell and Skyywalker Records by Star Wars creator and director George Lucas, the company was forced to change its name to Luke Records.

The album is broken down track-by-track by Luke and Mr. Mixx in Brian Coleman's book Check the Technique.[6]

In 2010 the album cover and imagery of the record were used in the music video of the song "Rabbit" by Swedish band Miike Snow.

Track listing

No. TitleSamples Length
1. "Me So Horny"   4:36
2. "Put Her in the Buck"  
  • Main riff of the song and moans are sampled from The Chakachas' "Jungle Fever"
3:57
3. "Dick Almighty"   4:53
4. "C'mon Babe"    4:43
5. "Dirty Nursery Rhymes"   3:05
6. "Break It on Down" (Campbell/Two Live Crew)  3:59
7. "2 Live Blues"  Love Me With a Feeling by Clarence Carter 5:14
8. "I Ain't Bullshittin'"   4:27
9. "Get Loose Now" (Campbell/Two Live Crew) 4:36
10. "The Fuck Shop"   3:24
11. "If You Believe in Having Sex"    3:51
12. "My Seven Bizzos"   4:18
13. "Get the Fuck out of My House"   4:37
14. "Reggae Joint" (Satire of dancehall music) 4:14
15. "Fraternity Record"   4:47
16. "Bad Ass Bitch"    4:03
17. "Mega Mixx III"  
  • This largely instrumental track contains a sample of an electronic voice counting in German from the Kraftwerk song "Numbers/Computer World"
5:44
18. "Coolin'" (Campbell/Two Live Crew) 5:02

Obscenity trial

Federal district judge Jose Gonzalez ruled that the album was obscene, making it illegal in certain counties of Florida. Subsequently, on June 9, 1990, three band members were arrested, and their album seized, when they performed some tracks at a local sex club, in Broward County Florida. In the "media circus"[7] attendant on these events, only the Washington City Paper, Tipper Gore's Parents Music Resource Center and The Nation magazine published the offending lyrics. Christopher Hitchens, in a column on the last of these, citing the admonition on the cover of the album—"If you don't like the record, you can kiss our mother fuckin' ass"—commented,

Precisely. It's obvious to this reviewer that the Crew should be left alone, and that their foulmouthed attitude toward the gentler sex is a good-sounding excuse for a youth-hating and surreptitiously bigoted prosecution. I don't know the private thoughts of Sheriff Nick Navarro of Broward County, but I doubt they are worth a rat's behind and see no reason why he should sublimate his own vagina-dreading disorders in this expensive and undemocratic fashion. The same applies to the preposterous Judge Jose Gonzalez Jr., who in ruling on Sheriff Navarro's raid opined that the music appeals to "the loins, not to the intellect." In fact, I think they are a pair of racist shitheads who should be told to fuck right off.[8]

An obscenity trial followed, in which Henry Louis Gates, Jr., addressed the court on behalf of the defendants, all of whom were eventually acquitted.

Trivia

Personnel

As Clean As They Wanna Be

As Clean As They Wanna Be
Studio album by 2 Live Crew
Released 1989 (1989)
Recorded 1988–1989
Genre Miami bass
Length 47:37
Label Luke/Atlantic Records
91652
Producer Luther Campbell, Mr. Mixx, 2 Live Crew
2 Live Crew chronology
Move Somethin'
(1987)
As Clean As They Wanna Be
(1989)
Banned in the U.S.A.
(1990)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[9]

As Clean As They Wanna Be is the clean version of 2 Live Crew's third album. The album contains a disclaimer that '"This album does not contain explicit lyrics." The album had notably worse sales than the explicit version. However, it does contain "Pretty Woman", which is not on the explicit version. The song – a parody of the Roy Orbison hit "Oh, Pretty Woman" – resulted in a Supreme Court case, Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc., which established that a commercial parody can qualify as fair use. Despite the sticker on the album cover claiming "This album does not contain explicit lyrics", the song "Break It on Down" appears in its original, explicit form. Additionally, the song "City of Boom" (which is exclusive to the clean version) contains several explicit lyrics.

Track listing

All tracks written by 2 Live Crew. 

No. Title Length
1. "The Funk Shop"   3:23
2. "C'mon Babe"   4:19
3. "Get Loose Now"   4:36
4. "Coolin'"   5:03
5. "You Got Larceny"   4:57
6. "Me So Horny"   4:25
7. "Pretty Woman" (a parody of "Oh, Pretty Woman" written by Roy Orbison and Bill Dees) 3:20
8. "My Seven Bizzos"   4:18
9. "City of Boom"   3:32
10. "Mega Mix III"   5:44
11. "Break It on Down"   3:58

Personnel

References

  1. "As Nasty As They Wanna Be Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  2. "2 Live Crew Reviews". Robert Christgau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  3. Skyywalker Records, Inc. v. Navarro, 739 F.Supp. 578 (S.D. Fla. 1990).
  4. Luke Records, Inc. v. Navarro, 960 F.2d 134 (11th Cir. 1992).
  5. Deflem, Mathieu. 1993. "Rap, Rock, and Censorship: Popular Culture and the Technologies of Justice." Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Law and Society Association, Chicago, May 27–30, 1993
  6. Coleman, Brian, 2007, Check The Technique: Liner Notes For Hip-Hop Junkies, Villard/Random House.
  7. MacInnes 2011.
  8. Hitchens 1990.
  9. "As Clean As They Wanna Be Review". Allmusic. Retrieved May 4, 2011.

External links

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