Published on Jun 5, 1997
I remember the first time I ever heard one of the most
controversial albums ever released – 2 Live Crew’s
As Nasty As They Wanna Be. I was working in college radio,
and a friend of mine who was on the air brought it in as a goof. I
asked to borrow it, because I wanted to see what all the hoopla was
about.
One spin in the production studio’s CD player, and I was on the
ground laughing – who would take this shit
seriously? I thought it was hilarious.
But now, almost ten years since its release, the album may still
be somewhat controversial, but it’s nothing that will stand the
test of time. In a genre that features some of the finest poetry
put to music, this is the equivalent of children who have just
learned a new dirty word. After a couple days of uninterrupted use
with the right crowd, it gets boring.
Luther Campbell acts more as a ringleader to his crew of rappers
(Mr. Mixx, Brother Marquis and Fresh Kid Ice), though he
occasionally takes a turn at the mike, mostly to scream obscenities
into it. And while some of the raps are halfway decent, constantly
being hit over the head with swear words kind of has the effect of
constant nudity in
Showgirls – after a while, you fail to notice it, and it
becomes boring.
What is scary on
As Nasty As They Wanna Be is not the graphic description of
sexual acts, or even the obscenities. It is the depiction of women
in the lyrics. Brother Marquis is more interested in keeping track
of who is his woman of the day in “My Seven Bizzos,” one of the
better tracks on the album. This is the only negative image kids
could learn from this album – women as “objects.”
And while I am no prude, some of the graphical sexual images
are, well, a little sick. I’d go into detail, but seeing that we
have occasional visitors from Disney here on the site (oh, boy, I
hope it’s Mickey – my daughter would be impressed), I think we’ll
not spread the images. But while the raps are the best on songs
like “C’mon Babe,” where they are faster and more fluent, the band
hardly is on the cutting edge of rap.
One of the funniest tracks on the album is “Get The F___ Out Of
My House,” where Campbell hopes that as a former lover is leaving,
“Let the doorknob hit you / where the dog should have bit you.”
Again, it’s no masterpiece of the genre, but I just find it funny.
“Dirty Nursery Rhymes” is also very humorous, though I don’t think
I’ll replace my daughter’s Mother Goose book with any of these.
Other songs just are a waste. Campbell’s mindless rap on “If You
Believe In Having Sex” is one incredible waste of time, while
“Reggae Joint” probably had Bob Marley spinning in his grave. The
dissing continues on “Fraternity Record,” which summarized what
many of us spoke in the dorm hallways about those sheep who joined
fraternities or sororities.
I occasionally dig this one out of the Pierce Memorial Archives
(23 days until moving day) just to get a good laugh, but
As Nasty As They Wanna Be is hardly the ideal of the first
rap record someone should buy. Instead, check out groups like
Public Enemy, Digital Underground, Lil’ 1/2 Dead, or even 2Pac. And
if the lyrics tend to bother you, just relax – in a few more years,
I don’t think anyone will remember this album.