Fresh Kid Ice, 2 Live Crew Co-Founder, Dies at 53

Fresh Kid Ice, co-founder of 2 Live Crew has died in Miami. Fresh Kid Ice, whose real name was Chris Wong Won, is known as one of the first Asian rappers in America. The rapper died Thursday morning in a Miami hospital, TMZ reports. His manager cited an undisclosed medical condition as the cause of his death. No further details were provided.

Fresh Kid Ice formed 2 Live Crew in 1984 with DJ Mr. Mixx and Amazing Vee. The three were later joined by Luther Campbell in 1990. The group burst onto the Miami hip-hop scene in the mid-1980s and were known for their explicit hits and parodies.

The iconic crew were the first to have an album, As Nasty As They Wanna Be, be labeled legally obscene by the United States Government, prompting them to release the parody, Banned in the U.S.A.

The group had numerous run-ins with the law at their live performances because police found it obscene and lewd. Campbell tweeted his condolences this morning upon hearing the news.

Fresh Kid Ice was the only member of 2 Live Crew to be featured on every one of the group's albums, and he was the founder of his own record label, Chinaman Records. The rapper was 53.

Watch this animated short that tells the story of 2 Live Crew's battle for free speech. In 1994 Luther Campbell went to the a Supreme Court and battled for the right to release musical parodies.