Two Members of 2 Live Crew Arrested After X-Rated Show

Two members of the rap group 2 Live Crew were arrested early Sunday morning after an X-rated, adults-only performance in Hollywood, Fla., in the latest legal move against the group on grounds of obscenity.

Group leader and producer Luther Campbell, 29, and Chris Won Wong, 21, were stopped by Broward County sheriff’s deputies shortly after leaving the Futura Club about 3 a.m. and were booked on charges concerned with the “prohibition on certain acts in connection with an obscene, lewd performance,” said sheriff’s spokesman Al Gordon.

The arrest came three days after U.S. District Judge Jose Gonzalez ruled that the group’s album “As Nasty as They Wanna Be” is obscene, making it illegal to sell the record in Broward, Dade and Palm Beach counties. On Friday, a Ft. Lauderdale record store owner was arrested for selling the album to an undercover police officer.

“They sang some songs from the album that Judge Gonzalez ruled was obscene,” Gordon said on Sunday. “They were allowed to leave the club and, several blocks away, were pulled over and taken into custody without incident.”

Two other members of the group had left in other vehicles and were not stopped. Gordon said that arrest warrants will be issued for them today.

Campbell and Won Wong were booked at Broward County Jail and released with notices to appear in court at a date to be determined by the court clerk. The charges are first-degree misdemeanors, carrying possible fines of up to $1,000 and a jail sentence not exceeding one year.

2 Live Crew had publicized the fact that it would perform its sexually explicit raps at the Hollywood club, with admission restricted to adults. The group offered a milder, “parental guidance” show earlier Saturday night.

Attempts to contact representatives of the group Sunday were unsuccessful.

Chuck Philips in Miami contributed to this story.