2 Live Crew | 2 LIVE CREW IS WHAT WE ARE | CD

While 2 Live Crew's initial release, .IS WHAT WE ARE, seems tame compared to the albums that were to follow, it was still raw enough to lead to at least one record clerk's arrest. The 1987 debut features the earliest examples of the Miami foursome's trademark sexually charged lyrics over appealingly simple old-school beats and Rudy Rae Moore samples courtesy of the underrated Mr. Mixx. There's an odd innocence here; while the middle is packed with controversial classics such as "Throw the D," the opening title track plays like LL Cool J's "I'm Bad," and the group spends the final three tracks paying tribute to their DJ. Format: CD Genre: Pop Released: 6/10/1996 Released: 06/10/1996