MONDAY, MARCH 22, 1999

2 Live Crew harks back to wilder times

By Wes Woods

On-Line Forty-Niner

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a listener could always count on the 2 Live Crew to entertain with its booming, bass-heavy beats and catchy call-and-response choruses.

Sure, most of the lyrics were simple, sexist and profanity-laced, but their compositions were so raw and graphic, it was hard to resist being sucked into the Crew's savory soundscape.

With the pioneering Miami bass group's latest offering, "Greatest Hits Vol. 2," one can go back to the Crew's time of T and A.

Fresh Kid Ice and Brother Marquis have added two enjoyable new cuts, "Bill So Horny" and "2 Live Party," (featuring Three 6 Mafia and Freak Nasty). They go along with the group's past hits that include former Crew members Luke and Mr. Mixx, which are an enjoyable reminder of a simpler time in hip-hop.

Songs like "Do Wah Diddy" with its explicit lyrics (including the somewhat mild "I met this girl and she tried to act s--,"), an instrumental that borrows heavily from the original song and an infectious chorus make it hard not to sing along. While the themes are not for everyone, the simplicity is smooth.

"F- Shop," "Sex, I Like It, I Love It" and "Baby Baby Please Just A Little More Head" while outright nasty, are so simple and catchy, it is hard not to sing along.

"Banned In The USA," which uses the music from Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The USA" is an informative response to all of the group's critics who tried to get the group banned from record stores in the early 1990s.

Other songs such as "Hoochie Mama," "Who's F--- Who" and "Shake A Lil' Somethin'" speak for themselves.

A disappointment was "We Want Some P--," which is a remix recorded live in Berlin that uses a slightly weaker beat than the original and drags on a little long (lasting six minutes).

And while some of the album sounds a little simplistic - a few of the beats, though enjoyable, have not quite held up to current standards in terms of sonic quality and bass - 2 Live Crew has left a lasting legacy on hip-hop.