JAY-Z is spearheading a group of A-list artists pushing to ban rap lyrics from being used in court, according to Rolling Stone.
Hov has rallied Meek Mill, Big Sean, Fat Joe, Yo Gotti and Killer Mike, as well as R&B stars Kelly Rowland and Robin Thicke, in supporting a proposed New York state law that seeks to prevent prosecutors from using rap songs as evidence of alleged crimes.
The star-studded collective have lent their signatures to a new letter urging urging state lawmakers — including Gov. Kathy Hochul — to pass a bill titled “Rap Music on Trial” (S.7527/A.8681).
The legislation, which was unveiled in November, seeks to limit the admissibility of a defendant’s music or other “creative expression” as evidence shown to a jury.
The bill would force prosecutors to provide “clear and convincing evidence” that a defendant’s creative expression, such as a rap song, is “literal, rather than figurative or fictional.”
On Tuesday (January 18), the bill was passed by the Senate Codes committee, providing a major boost to its chances of being put to a full vote on the senate floor.
“This is an issue that’s important to (JAY-Z) and all the other artists that have come together to try to bring about this change,” Hov’s lawyer Alex Spiro said. “This is a long time coming. Mr. Carter is from New York, and if he can lend his name and his weight, that’s what he wants to do.”
Spiro co-wrote the letter with University of Richmond Professor Erik Nielson, who co-authored the 2019 book Rap on Trial. In it, they emphasize rap music’s deep storytelling roots and use of hyperbolic language, while arguing the genre “employs all of the same poetic devices we find in more traditional works of poetry.”
“Our lyrics are a creative form of self-expression and entertainment – just like any other genre,” Fat Joe added. “We want our words to be recognized as art rather than being weaponized to get convictions in court.
“I hope the governor and all the lawmakers in New York take our letter into consideration, protect our artistic rights and make the right decision to pass this bill.”
Cali Rapper Beats Murder Charge After Prosecutors Used His 'Violent' Lyrics In Court
Rap lyrics have long been used to put rappers behind bars. From Bobby Shmurda and YNW Melly to Tay-K and the late Drakeo The Ruler, countless artists have had their rhymes used against them in court, with prosecutors arguing their music is a lyrical confession of their alleged crimes.
Egregiously, former No Limit rapper Mac Phipps (who was once crowned the “down south Nas”) spent 21 years in prison for manslaughter, with prosecutors misquoting his lyrics from two separate songs to paint him as a cold-blooded killer while playing to jurors’ prejudices.
“The DA did a damn good, but devious job,” he told The Undefeated following his hard-fought release from prison last year. “He had me on trial and even though I didn’t have a criminal history or anything, he managed to convince these jurors that I was a monster.”
this is nonsense. if someone claims to be a gangster and murderer gets charged with a crime and it turns out they have a whole album describing scenarios and schemes similar to the charges theres no reason why that wouldn’t be relevant just like if some psycho wrote horror novels then was accused of crimes similar to the ones written. If dudes are writing rhymes that connect them to real life crimes that is there own problem not the problem of rap or rap music. Write about other sht
These dudes are backwards in this case. Try finding ways to stop the black on black killings in inner cities rather than silly rap lyrics
You wanna act tough on wax, but you’re gonna cry when it backfires?
First they want to defund the police. Now they want to make using evidence illegal. If somebody kills one of their loved ones a week after dropping a diss song, I bet their opinions would be different. This is just another example of how the so called “street code” and anti-police has failed the very same communities that created it. It aims to protect criminals from the law so the community can apply its own form of vigilante justice based on “an eye for an eye” concept. Then their neighborhoods go to shit and they scream oppression because no rich people want to invest in the community without police cleaning up the shit first. Here waiting for the clowns to get offended and start making fake Real Talk OG posts. The Real One has spoken so do ya thing.
The white boi from North Dakota has spoken on shit that has NOTHING to do with him so we should all be impressed with his blatant ignorance of the situation and racism that he once again displays without any shame. The only thing you’re “real” at is being a racist peckerwood. Congratulations you played yourself per usual. Please Mr White Man tell us blacks how you should think we should live some more *rolls eyes*
You took the bait as predicted. Sorry not from the country. Im from the suburbs if it really matters to you. You know, the areas where the residents GIVE A FUCK about their neighbors and property values. News flash: I confirmed Im white a long time ago. Just like the other millions of fans that make your favorite rapper rich. Without white fans rap music would not be profitable and your favorite rappers would be flipping burgers because theres not enough crackheads in the USA for everyone on the internet claiming to be a trapper to get rich from. With your obsession over white people, I gotta ask, are you white too ? I think you are. And just so you know, anyone who spells the word “boy” with the letter “I” at the end is super suspect. Have a nice day !
Cool cool cool, but how many hotdogs can you fit your mouth tho.
As the whitest white man whomever glided across the frozen tundra of Little Dick, ND, I disagree. Prosecutors should be able to use whatever they want to lock these thugs behind bars. Property values! Black on black crime!! Blue lives matter!!!
racist fuck
These people are inaccessible to us. Why are they trying to persuade us on matters that don’t affect them? Furthermore change the content of the music!
It’s Crime everywhere, White Schools get shoot up just like the Black Community. This is good what they are trying to do because this is just one of a Million other ways that they have been wrongly putting us in their Prison system and getting rich off it. All of these messed up laws that benefit White Americans and Punish other Americans needs to be challenged and Changed.
Imagine your loved one’s killed by some trash rapper and then you hear about it on their next album
You know the justice system ain’t going to change that.You got some of these dumb artist speaking about actual crimes they commit in their music.It’s like these artist are their own prospectors and are making it easy for the justice system.
Are there any plans to prosecute Quentin Tarantino, Arnold Schwarzenegger or Ronald Reagan for all the people that were murdered in their movies? Of course not. That would be ridiculous because murderous white men in movies is accepted to be fiction. Hip hop is faker than Hollywood but without the creativity and originality.
Tarantino Arnold Ronald Reagan and whoever you want to bring out never said they were gangsters on a specific block and that the stories they wrote and starred in had to do with any specific case on that specific block. you gotta handle your own affairs if you think claiming gangster is going to help in one regard, it may not in others. That’s your freedom of speech
You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
Jay Z has done more harm to the black community than Donald Trump or Ronald Reagan combined … and I don’t even like those two clown presidents.
Why say something that you don’t want to be held accountable for? These celebrities are beginning to look super wack to me. The smoke is clearing and they’re scrambling. And how convenient would that be for one of the “celebrities” that’s co-signing this crap. If you out here self-snitching you should be held accountable.
Not everything is chicago drill music which is kinda crazy to put real happenings in songs that give way to much information that time and again has been used to continue the killings or get someone caught up. But how can music be considered art yet one genre gets singled out and used in legal battles when its music which is subjective to the listener most artists especially rap artists wont give a detailed exact meaning of a song if they give anything it will be a broad explanation as songs can have many meanings at the end of the day. Most artists want to leave the meanings elusive so that others can relate so that they can have many people listening and be able to keep music relevant and have the ability to keep making it. It is already hard enough for black men and people in the courts rap lyrics shouldnt get to determine someones life ending as they know it. It literally goes against freedom of speech..but blue lives dont matter much to me ive been sexually assaulted by a badge wearing piglet