Luther Campbell
2 Live Crew’s Luther Campbell and the Fight for Free Speech
“The ACLU may not want it advertised, but this record is pornographic; that’s one of the good things about it.” – Robert Christgau BY 1989, Miami rap group The 2 Live Crew’s ultimately double-platinum album As Nasty As They Wanna Be was quickly climbing the hip-hop charts. The lead single, “Me So Horny” was a crossover hit. Their unique blend of Southern rap and “party record” comedy bits had expanded well beyond their core audience of Southern Blacks. The vulgar lyrics and booty-shaking dances had infiltrated the white suburbs. Mothers were appalled to hear their kids’ mouth couplets such as, “You said it yourself, you like it like I do/Put your lips on my dick, and suck my asshole, too.” With pearls thoroughly clutched, those mothers turned to conservative and Christian leaders to s...
A Complete History of Musicians Running for Office
Celebrities making a run at public office is hardly a fresh phenomenon. That’s how we wound up with two terms of the Gipper in the White House, a former professional wrestler in the governor’s mansion of Minnesota, Gopher from the Love Boat in the House of Representatives, and the current political shitshow we find ourselves in. Nor is it a surprise to any regular person why they would think they could leverage their celebrity into a political career. This pathology isn’t unique to actors and reality TV stars either. Over the decades, a number of famous musicians have tried their hand at politics, some of them succeeding in their goals of policymaking and advocating on behalf of their constituents. While it may be jolting to see Kanye West weeping through a campaign event for his potential...
