AceShowbiz - Rapper Brother Marquis, a longtime member of Miami hip-hop group 2 Live Crew, has died. The group announced his passing on social media Monday, stating that he had "went to the upper room." His manager, DJ Debo, confirmed the news to Rolling Stone. A cause of death was not immediately released.

Brother Marquis joined 2 Live Crew alongside Fresh Kid Ice, Mr. Mixx and Uncle Luke, making history with their expletive-filled 1989 album "As Nasty As They Wanna Be". The album became the first to be deemed legally obscene, leading to arrests of the group members, but the Circuit Court of Appeals later overturned the decision.

Before joining 2 Live Crew, Ross featured on the group's LP "Is What We Are", which included the single "We Want Some P***y". They were known for their raunchy parodies of other artists, including Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman", which resulted in a landmark Supreme Court ruling that commercial parody qualifies as fair use.

Following the group's disbandment in the 1990s, Ross joined Ice-T on the track "99 Problems". In 2015, he reunited with Uncle Luke and Fresh Kid Ice for a brief tour. Ross recalled the group's wild live shows, including an incident where he had to jump out a hotel window after humping a fan onstage.

Born Mark D. Ross in Rochester, New York, he moved to Los Angeles as a teenager and earned the nickname "Brother Marquis" from his cousin's Muslim faith. He joined 2 Live Crew in 1984 and became a driving force, penning verses on iconic tracks such as "Me So Horny", "We Want Some P***y" and "Hoochie Mama".

The group released a total of seven albums between 1986 and 1998 and were honored at the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors: The Dirty South Edition in 2010. Brother Marquis' legacy as a pioneer of Miami bass and a fighter for freedom of speech will be remembered.