Luke from 2 Live Crew Speaks on the Labor Market for Hooker/Strippers

I was once on a radio show with Luke from 2 Live Crew, which was quite an experience. (Luke was formerly known as Luke Skywalker, until film maker George Lucas became concerned that the integrity of his Star Wars character was being undermined.) I admit that I've never gotten into Luke's music, but I respect a man who's able to make his money on such a magnificent scale.

Luke recently wrote a very interesting article about how the market for prostitutes in Miami has gone down, primarily due to the fact that supply has strongly exceeded demand. He also seems to argue that the labor rights of hooker/strippers are consistently violated by club owners who demand a piece of the action.

According to Luke:

The price of sex has gone down to $50 at local strip clubs. In fact, so many girls are screwing customers that the holdouts are losing money. So says an exotic dancer I met recently. She complained that she is going to get kicked out of her apartment because she won't put out.

Luke goes on to describe more of the experience of the modern-day stripper who earns her money by "moonlighting." He writes about a woman he calls "ATL," a stripper who is tempted to put in extra work to make ends meet:

There was a day when ATL would get on the top stage at any one of those ti**y bars and make $300 or $400 dancing to one song. Now she's lucky to collect $10. More and more, girls are dancing less and just having sex.

At one of these fine establishments, ATL says, the men are loose from Ecstasy and because they know girls are going to do them. The pimps are posting up in this particular club too. They get in free! ATL claims one pimp came in the other night and whupped some girl because she had only $200. She owed him $300.

He also discusses how women and club owners make big money from the ballers and celebs who roll through:

She claims certain managers at this bar look the other way because they get a cut from all prostitution that's going on. According to ATL, one guy makes sure girls who pay him get all the celebrities and big-money ballers coming through. One night, she was about to dance for ******* when the manager came in with another girl and told ATL to get out. The other stripper made $2,000 and gave him half.

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Def Jam's Movers & Shakers

25 People Who Helped Shape Def Jam Records
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of hip hop's most durable brand should not be taken lightly. Blackvoices.com pays homage to the 25 people out-front and behind-the-scenes who made a difference.

Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images

BlackVoices.com

Def Jams Movers & Shakers

Since it was founded in 1984 in Rick Rubin's New York University dorm room, Def Jam Recordings has been home to some of the greatest artists in hip-hop music. Talented rappers and singers, from LL Cool J and Jay-Z to Patti LaBelle and Rihanna, have called the legendary record label home. In celebration of Def Jam's 25 years in the music business, Blackvoices.com takes a look at some of the important figures who have made the imprint what it is today.

Def Jams Movers & Shakers

Who: Russell Simmons
What: Around 1984, rapper Jazzy Jay introduced the Phat Farm clothing founder to Rick Rubin, and the two created Def Jam Records. LL Cool J, Public Enemy and the Beastie Boys were some of the early artists that Simmons signed. But his time with Def Jam ended in 1999, when he sold his stake in the company to Universal Music Group for $100 million.
Factoid: Pre-Def Jam, in the early 1980s, the Queens, NY, native spent his time as a concert promoter for early hip-hop acts like Kurtis Blow and Run-DMC – the latter act included his brother, Joseph DJ Run' Simmons.

Def Jams Movers & Shakers

Who: Rick Rubin
What: While attending New York University, he created Def Jam Records with Russell Simmons. Rubin was the Beastie Boys' original DJ and worked extensively with heavy metal groups, including Slayer, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Metallica.
Factoid: Rubin came up with the idea of having Run-DMC cover Aerosmith's 'Walk This Way.' The 1986 version of the song became an MTV staple and made the Queens-bred trio crossover superstars.

Def Jams Movers & Shakers

Who: LL Cool J
What: Up until his most recent release 'Exit 13' last year, he remained Def Jam's longest-signed artist. The Queens rapper dropped out of school in 1985 to record his debut, 'Radio,' and has made a name for himself creating more pop-friendly rap songs that cater to women, including 'I Need Love,' 'Hey Lover' and 'Around the Way Girl.'
Factoid: LL Cool J has starred in the TV shows 'In The House,' Oz,' and 'NCSI: Los Angeles,' the movies 'Any Given Sunday,' 'Deep Blue Sea,' 'Krush Groove' and 'Last Holiday' opposite Queen Latifah.

Def Jams Movers & Shakers

Who: Beastie Boys
What: Rick Rubin signed the punk rocking rappers to Def Jam in 1984. Their big break would come in the form of 'Licensed to Ill,' the group's 1986 offering that became the best-selling rap album of the 1980s and the first rap album to hit number one on the Billboard album charts. It's recognized as the fastest-selling Def Jam debut to date.
Factoid: 'Licensed to Ill' sold more than 5 million copies and spawned the breakout single 'Fight for Your Right to Party.' But after it was released, the Beastie Boys ended their relationship with Rubin and signed with Capital Records.

Def Jams Movers & Shakers

Who: Alyson Williams
What: She's the first R&B artist signed directly to Def Jam Records.
Factoid: After singing background on classics such as Kurtis Blow's 'Basketball' and The Fat Boys ''The Fat Boys Are Back,' the Harlem native released three critically acclaimed opuses: 'Raw' in 1989, a self-titled 1992 set and 2005's 'It's About Time.' She remains a staple on the New York City live club scene.

Def Jams Movers & Shakers

Who: Public Enemy
What: Arguably one of the greatest hip-hop groups in history, Public Enemy had a long career at Def Jam Records. The label's co-founder, Rick Rubin, signed the New York rappers after hearing a demo of front man Chuck D freestyling. And the rest is history.
Factoid: Public Enemy's 'Fight the Power' became the theme song of Spike Lee's 'Do the Right Thing' movie in 1989. Coincidentally, PE's final Def Jam album was the soundtrack to Lee's 1998 film 'He Got Game.'

Def Jams Movers & Shakers

Who: Bill Bellamy
What: The soundtrack to Bill Bellamy's 1997 comedy 'How To Be A Player' was released by Def Jam. The gold-certified-album also included the hit song 'Big Bad Mamma' by Foxy Brown and Dru Hill, as well as tracks by Junior M.A.F.I.A. , Redman and 2Pac.
Factoid: The Newark, New Jersey native has deep roots with the Def Jam brand. He and his then-girlfriend Roceania Williams starred in the music video for the Alyson Williams song 'Can't Have My Man' in 1992. The former 'MTV Jams' VJ also was a part of the troupe of acclaimed comedians who appeared on the groundbreaking HBO series "Def Comedy Jam' in the early 1990s.

Def Jams Movers & Shakers

Who: Warren G
What: Long Beach, California-reared rapper Warren G is credited with reviving Def Jam Records. Shortly after PolyGram acquired the record label, Warren G released his debut, 'Regulate...G Funk Era.' The triple-platinum album boosted the infectious single 'Regulate' with Nate Dogg.
Factoid: Warren G (real name: Warren Griffin, III) appeared on season five of the hit VH1 reality series 'Celebrity Fit Club.'

Def Jams Movers & Shakers

Luke ends his argument by stating that "all this prostitution has to stop." Well, I think I agree with you Luke, but it almost seems that your article is glorifying the experience rather than condemning it. All the while, the market for prostitution is like any other market: there's a need that men are willing to pay for, and it is also a need that only some women are willing to fill. There is, however, the interesting fact that since the advent of the recession, the supply of women providing sex has certainly gone up. One thing that is certainly true is that if women were willing to pay for sex sex as much as men do, there would be a lot of men changing their professions.

Luke's story also reminds me of some things I heard when investigating the rape allegations against former NFL star, Lawrence Taylor. While the men may feel that they are the ones in control, there are some women very quick to victimize the men they mingle with. Some will set the men up to be robbed when they are alone, or even use date rape drugs to control them and take their money. Finally, there's blackmail, which can ruin the life of a married man or public figure. The fact that Tiger Woods has paid millions to strippers and porn stars and may end up having to give up $750 million to his wife Elin Nordegren as a result of his cheating in their pending divorce is a serious case in point.

Moral of the story: If you aren't ready for marriage, don't do it. Also, sex is a serious responsibility and before you are intimate with someone, perhaps you should get to know them first. Usually when a great man is brought down, it's because he is thinking with something other than his brain. Perhaps Luke needs to tell married men to stay out of the strip club, while it is nice that he is feeling strippers' pain.

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Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.