For some contemporary critics and conservative folk alike, rap music is all about misogynistic ideas and the systematic degradation of women. Conventional wisdom holds that rappers have no respect for women and play off the classic belief that sex sells. Modern artists such as Ludacris, Ying Yang Twins and David Banner have all caught heat from big-name political commentators like Bill O'Reilly and other anti-rap officials for their sexually explicit lyrics.

Though 2 Live Crew is in the spotlight now, the tension between rap and censorship began long before any of today's rappers had even picked up a microphone.

In the '80s, rap groups such as N.W.A. and 2 Live Crew were the epitome of hip hop, already pushing the limits of censorship.

They also happened to be two of the most offensive musical acts around. Probably the most influential groups during the past 10 years of rap, they never conformed to the expectations held by the print and television media. Certain songs and albums were considered so explicit that Florida banned 2 Live Crew's As Nasty As They Wanna Be on the grounds that it was legally obscene.

But the censorship didn't hold for long and the Supreme Court overturned the ruling in the name of free speech. Suddenly 2 Live Crew's work was in the same boat as J. D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye" and other pieces of art that challenged America's free-speech laws. Though the group has changed members several times and hasn't been around in recent years, original member Fresh Kid Ice will bring what's left of the powerhouse to Touchdown Caf