Man Convicted in 2 Live Crew Sale Closes Up Store

The music store owner convicted of obscenity for selling a 2 Live Crew recording has been forced to close his shop because of financial difficulties, he said Tuesday.

Charles Freeman said he’s fallen behind on rent for E-C Records, his small shop in a modest black neighborhood, and his landlord has locked him out, at least temporarily.

“Me and the landlord, we get along fine. He’s worked with me for the past three months,” Freeman said. “He has to pay the mortgage on the building.”

Freeman was arrested in May for selling “As Nasty as They Wanna Be” to an undercover deputy days after the recording was ruled obscene by a local federal judge.

In October, a couple of weeks after Freeman was found guilty, the group was exonerated in a trial stemming from a live performance.

Freeman was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine; he is appealing.

Freeman is the only person whose obscenity conviction related to 2 Live Crew’s controversial nasty raps still stands. The conviction of an Alabama record merchant who sold another 2 Live Crew album was overturned on appeal.

Freeman said he had tried to contact 2 Live Crew leader Luther Campbell for financial help, but hadn’t received a response by late Tuesday afternoon.

But the shop owner didn’t blame the controversy for his troubles. He said he was having cash-flow problems that were affecting his stock and slowing sales.

“I don’t really have any up-to-date music in the store right now,” he said. “It was bound to happen. . . . I’ve been struggling for three years.”

Freeman said he was talking with friends, trying to come up with the money to reopen, but was contemplating filing for bankruptcy protection.

“I’m a fighter and I’ll try something,” he said. “This is America, and things go and things come.”