Luke Skyywalker Records

Founding

Luke Records was founded in Miami in 1985 by Luther Campbell and David Chackler under the name Luke Skyywalker Records. Campbell gave The 2 Live Crew a record deal and joined the group. The label was one of the first devoted almost entirely to Southern rap, and its records helped define Miami bass, a fast, drum machine driven style built for clubs and car systems. Filmmaker George Lucas objected to the Skywalker name, and in 1990 Campbell agreed to pay $300,000 and stop using it, shortening the company’s name to Luke Records.

Rise

The 2 Live Crew’s “Move Somethin’” (1988) reached number 68 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold. “As Nasty as They Wanna Be” (1989) reached number 29 and was certified double platinum. In 1990 U.S. District Judge Jose Gonzalez ruled the album obscene and illegal to sell in Broward County, Florida. The ruling was overturned by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in 1992, and the Supreme Court declined to hear the county’s appeal. Henry Louis Gates Jr. testified for the group about the roots of its lyrics in African American vernacular traditions.

Key releases and distribution

From 1990 to 1993 the label was distributed by Atlantic Records, and Campbell set up a subsidiary, Effect, to release other 2 Live Crew material outside that deal. “Banned in the U.S.A.” (1990) and “Sports Weekend” (1991) were both certified gold. Campbell’s solo album “I Got S*** on My Mind” (1992) reached number 52 on the Billboard 200, and “In the Nude” (1993) reached number 54 and number 8 on the R&B albums chart. Other acts included Anquette and Poison Clan, whose early albums came out on Effect. The label also had an R&B hit with Houston group H-Town, whose “Fever for da Flavor” (1993) reached number 16, topped the R&B albums chart and was certified platinum on the strength of “Knockin’ da Boots,” a number 3 Hot 100 single.

Bankruptcy and legacy

The 2 Live Crew’s parody of Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman” led to Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, in which the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in 1994 that commercial parody can qualify as fair use. Luke Records and Campbell filed for bankruptcy in 1995, and in 1996 the catalogs were sold to Joseph Weinberger and Lil’ Joe Records. Later 2 Live Crew albums, including “Shake a Lil’ Somethin’” (1996), came out on Lil’ Joe. Luke Records is remembered for bringing Miami bass to national charts and for two court cases that shaped how the law treats explicit lyrics and musical parody.