Today, Dec. 22, marks the 58th birthday of the legendary Luther R. Campbell, also known as Uncle Luke, most widely recognized for his work with 2 Live Crew. Having been raised in the Liberty City, the artist is a revered pioneer of the Miami Bass sound.

Uncle Luke got his start as a concert promoter in Miami in the 19980s before founding Luke Records and 2 Live Crew, who were known for their controversial subject matter, infectious jams like "Me So Horny" and "Pop That Coochie," and the role that they played in the free speech debate in the late-'1980s and early-'1990s. Luke was a fighter for freedom of speech especially after the crew was arrested for obscenity while at a show in Florida.

With the release of eight 2 Live Crew albums and eight solo albums himself, Luke has dabbled in acting, is the founder of Luke Entertainment Group, a publicly traded corporation, and has even dipped into politics when he ran for Mayor of Miami-Dade county in 2011. In the election, he won 11% of the vote, coming in fourth in a field of eleven candidates. Not bad for a rap vet.

In the fall of 2017, Luke was recognized as for being both a forefather of turn-up music and a first amendment crusader when he received the I Am Hip Hop Icon Award at the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards. In his most recent major accomplishment, the Miami legend was nominated for an award at the 39th Annual Sports Emmy Awards for his Viceland documentary, Rivals: Boom Squad, on which he served as a producer.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Luke!

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