Former rapper Luther Campbell, who made a name for himself in the music industry for obscenity-laced lyrics and videos, wants the public to take his run for mayor of Miami-Dade County more seriously. In fact, “I’m Dead Serious” is his campaign’s new slogan.

“The reason why I’m getting into this race is because Dade County politics is Banana Republican,” Campbell said in an interview with CNN this week. “When I look at the other 10 candidates, I see that I need to be the person running for mayor to represent my city.”

Campbell also laid out his platform in a blog he posted on the Miami New Times Web site, which would take advantage of Miami’s warm weather and resort-like ambience.

“It’s time for Miami-Dade to play to its strengths—beautiful people, beautiful beaches and beautiful weather,” he wrote.

As part of his platform, the former lead singer for 2 Live Crew wants to open casinos in local beach hotels and form partnerships with nearby Universal Studios or Walt Disney World to develop a water theme park near the Miami Marine Stadium. He’d also like to attract movie studios to the area, which he said would enable it to compete with Atlanta to become the Hollywood of the South. In addition, he is proposing the redevelopment of the ethnically diverse neighborhoods to replicate New Orleans’s Bourbon Street throughout the county.

“Each one of my ideas plays off having fun under the sun. Miami-Dade’s unemployment rate dropped to 12 percent this past March because tourism is picking up,” Campbell said.

Of course, Campbell wouldn’t be Campbell if he didn’t throw a little bit of controversy into the mix. He believes Miami-Dade is missing out on a major growth industry by not operating medical marijuana dispensaries.

(Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)