2 Live Crew co-founder Fresh Kid Ice has passed away
Founding member of the controversial and memorable Miami crew has died
Fresh Kid Ice, born Christopher Wong Won, was a co-founder of the controversial, but undeniably influential hip hop group 2 Live Crew. He passed away on Tuesday at age 53.
The group's longtime manager Debo confirmed his passing in the crew's Miami home base was related to a "medical condition" but didn't provide further details.
Fresh Kid Ice is noted as one of the first prominent Asian rappers and is the only 2 Live Crew member to have appeared on all of the group's albums.
Former group member Luther Campbell (Uncle Luke) tweeted his condolences earlier today.
Rising out of Miami, 2 Live Crew rose to prominence in the late 80s and 90s with their hyper-sexualized lyrics and artwork with tracks like 'As Nasty As They Wanna Be' and 'Me So Horny', going so far as to be deemed "legally obscene" by the US government. Won, along with former member Luther Campbell, were arrested in 1990 after a concert on charges of “prohibition on certain acts in connection with an obscene, lewd performance".