(AllHipHop News) Pioneering, Miami, Florida rap group 2 Live Crew are working on an album of all new material being produced by Mannie Fresh and former Slip-N-Slide producer Funk Boogie. The new album is titled Just Wanna Be Heard and will be released on Nu Focuz Entertainment/Lil Joe Records, this August. In addition to original group members Brother Marquis, Fresh Kid Ice and DJ Mr. Mixx, the album will also features guest appearances by Too $hort, E-40 and The Insane Clown Posse. “We’ve been away for so long. The album states where Marquis and I are coming from,” Fresh Kid Ice told AllHipHop.com. “We want to be back on the scene and with a lot of things going on. Music is like the same right now when you listen to a lot of different groups and so forth. So it’s our time again to be heard and we wanna be heard. So with two platinum producers and we all basically vibed on how to take 2 Live Crew to the next level instead of sounding like we did in the 80’s and 90’s.”The first single from the album is titled “Cougar” and is being released as the group prepares to be honored by VH1 in a high-profile appearance during the 2010 Hip Hop Honor’s show. “It’s a lot of older women with the younger men type of thing and it’s a good thing,” Fresh Kid Ice noted. “Cause you gotta learn somewhere so hopefully every young man can experience a cougar and hope she don’t bite too hard.”Along with original group member Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell, the 2 Live Crew blazed a trail in Hip-Hop history with their raunchy, humorous lyrics and parodies of popular hit songs. The group fought a well documented battle with the state of Florida and the United States in general over songs like “Throw that D**k,” “We Want Some P***y” and “Me So Horny.”The case involving their parody of Roy Orbison’s song “Pretty Woman” went all the way to the Supreme Court, which the group won unanimously. The 2 Live Crew are also claiming credit for introducing the concept of the Hip-Hop video vixen, as most of their early videos were known for featuring a variety of scantily clad women. “We mixed the comedy with profanity and definitely brought the half-naked girls to the video screen. We opened up the whole freedom of speech channel in Hip-Hop and nobody can ever deny that,” Brother Marquis said. The 2 Live Crew is also responsible for video models becoming main stays in music video’s and all of today’s video vixens have the 2 Live Crew to thank for the job opportunity.”The 2 Live Crew will hit the road this summer, where they will reunite with Luke Campbell on select dates in key cities. Brother Marquis will also do some standup, showing off his second career as a comic. “2 Live Crew was a great experience. I love these guys! Fresh Kid Ice, and Luke….I love those dudes and when we get back on the reunion tour, we’re gonna make a lot of stuff happen.”
