<P> In 1989, the group released their third album, As Nasty As They Wanna Be, which also became the group's most successful album . A large part of its success was due to the single "Me So Horny", which was popular locally with heavy radio rotation on Miami's WPOW - Power 96 FM . The American Family Association (AFA) did not think the presence of a "Parental Advisory" sticker was enough to adequately warn listeners of what was inside the case . Jack Thompson, a lawyer affiliated with the AFA, met with Florida Governor Bob Martinez and convinced him to look into the album to see if it met the legal classification of obscenity . In 1990, action was taken at the local level and Nick Navarro, Broward County sheriff, received a ruling from County Circuit Court judge Mel Grossman that probable cause for obscenity violations existed . In response, Luther Campbell maintained that people should focus on issues relating to hunger and poverty rather than on the lyrical content of their music . </P> <P> Navarro warned record store owners that selling the album might be prosecutable . The 2 Live Crew then filed a suit against Navarro . That June, U.S. district court Judge Jose Gonzalez ruled the album obscene and illegal to sell . Charles Freeman, a local retailer, was arrested two days later, after selling a copy to an undercover police officer . This was followed by the arrest of three members of The 2 Live Crew after they performed the As Nasty As They Wanna Be album at Club Futura in Hollywood, Florida, hosted by radio personality Tony the Tiger (Ira Wolf) from Power 96 FM; one of the few radio stations in the U.S. that continued airplay while the trial ensued . After international exposure with support from freedom of speech advocates like SCREW magazine's Al Goldstein and many others, they were acquitted soon after, as professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. testified at their trial in defense of their lyrics . Freeman's conviction was overturned on appeal as well . </P> <P> "A lot of people have gotten the impression that I'm this rude sexual deviant or something," Campbell told journalist Chuck Philips . "But contrary to what has been printed about me in the papers, I'm no moral threat to anybody . I'm just a hard - working guy marketing a new product ." </P> <P> In 1992, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit overturned the obscenity ruling from Judge Gonzalez, and the Supreme Court of the United States refused to hear Broward County's appeal . As in the Freeman case, Gates testified on behalf of The 2 Live Crew, arguing that the material that the county alleged was profane actually had important roots in African - American vernacular, games, and literary traditions and should be protected . </P>

First it was nasty but times have changed lyrics