Editing Uncle Luke (section)

===1980s===
In the early 1980s, Campbell worked as a cook at [[Mount Sinai Medical Center (Miami)|Mount Sinai Hospital]] in [[Miami Beach]] and as a concert promoter in [[Miami]], bringing rap groups of that era to Miami. In 1983, he also enrolled in an eight-week study course at Miami [[public radio]] station [[WDNA]], where he learned basic audio editing and production techniques.

In 1984, Campbell took notice of a single from [[California]] named "Revelation" by [[2 Live Crew]], which consisted of two rappers ([[Fresh Kid Ice]] and Amazing V) and a DJ ([[Mr. Mixx]]). The single was a hit on the South Florida club circuit, and Campbell decided to bring them from California to Miami for a performance. He took a special interest in the group and began managing them.

2 Live Crew eventually fully relocated to Florida without Amazing Vee and in 1986, 2 Live Crew recorded "Throw the D" with "Ghetto Bass" on the B-side, they went into a joint venture with Campbell to start Luke Skyywalker Records, which was also his first MC name.

In April of that year, [[Brother Marquis]] joined the group in Miami. Campbell gave The 2 Live Crew a record deal and officially joined the group. They exploded on the local scene with their gold-selling debut album, ''[[The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are]]'' (1986). This made Luke Skyyywalker and his bandmates rap superstars in south Florida.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=2+LIVE+CREW&ti=THE+2+LIVE+CREW+IS+WHAT+WE+ARE|title=Gold & Platinum – RIAA|work=[[RIAA]]|access-date=2017-10-24|language=en-US}}</ref> On April 20, 1987, a clerk at Starship Records in Callaway, Florida was arrested and charged with a felony for selling a copy of ''The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are'' to a 14-year-old girl.  The charges were dropped before trial. <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1987/Billboard-1987-06-20.pdf|title=Fla. Drops Prosecution of Clerk in 2 Live Crew Case|newspaper=Billboard Magazine|date=June 20, 1987|access-date=March 10, 2025}}</ref>

In 1988, the group released their second album, ''Move Somethin{{'}}''. It was certified Gold and featured the singles "Move Somethin'" and "Do Wah Diddy Diddy". The album improved on the charts from the previous album, making it to #68 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and #20 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart.

Campbell decided to sell a separate clean version in addition to the explicit version of the album. A record store clerk in Alexander City, Alabama, was cited for selling a copy to an undercover police officer in 1988. It was the first time in the United States that a store owner was held liable for obscenity over music. The charges were dropped after a jury found the owner not guilty.

Their third album ''[[As Nasty as They Wanna Be]]'' (1989) became the group's largest seller, being certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. In 1990, the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida]] ruled that the album was legally obscene;<ref>''Skyywalker Records, Inc. v. Navarro'', 739 F.Supp. 578 (S.D. Fla. 1990).</ref> this ruling was later overturned by the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit|Eleventh Circuit]].<ref>''Luke Records, Inc. v. Navarro'', 960 F.2d 134 (11th Cir. 1992).</ref> It is the first album in history to be deemed legally obscene.<ref>Deflem, Mathieu. 2020. [https://deflem.blogspot.com/2019/07/music-censorship-labeling.html "Popular Culture and Social Control: The Moral Panic on Music Labeling."] ''American Journal of Criminal Justice'' 45(1):2-24 (First published online July 24, 2019).</ref> An obscenity trial followed, in which [[Henry Louis Gates|Henry Louis Gates, Jr.]], addressed the court on behalf of the defendants, all of whom were eventually acquitted.

====University of Miami "pay-for-play" allegations====
Campbell was also infamous in the late 1980s and early 1990s for his association with the [[University of Miami]] [[Miami Hurricanes football|football team]]. Campbell was alleged to have been behind what was referred to as a "pay-for-play" system, which involved cash rewards for acts such as scoring touchdowns and big hits,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9802E0D91038F932A15756C0A962958260|title=Cash Bounties Reported at Miami|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 21, 1994|access-date=November 26, 2014}}</ref> although Campbell has never actually donated to the University of Miami or its athletics department. 

In 1993, Campbell threatened to go public with various alleged violations by the university's athletic department and [[Miami Hurricanes football|its football program]] if Ryan Collins, a black player on the team, wasn't named starting quarterback that season.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1995-04-01/sports/9503310673_1_ryan-collins-luther-campbell-collins-family|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151014043935/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1995-04-01/sports/9503310673_1_ryan-collins-luther-campbell-collins-family|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 14, 2015|title=Rapper's Threats on Behalf of Collins Trouble Qb's Dad|work=Sun Sentinel|access-date=November 26, 2014}}</ref>