Hip Hop has a long history of rappers having their lyrics used against them when they’re on trial for a crime they’ve allegedly committed. Young Thug and Gunna are currently experiencing that with their RICO case, and many comments have pointed out how unfair it is that people’s art can be used to convict them of alleged crimes.
Earlier this week, Hip-Hop secured a small victory against this trend when the New York State Senate passed the “Rap Music on Trial” bill, which prevents prosecutors from using lyrics in court. The bill had received support from rappers such as JAY-Z, Meek Mill, Big Sean, Fat Joe, Yo Gotti and Killer Mike.
Following the news, Bobby Shmurda spoke to TMZ about the historical bill, and it’s clear he’s happy that progress is being made. However, he feels the bill should be passed all over the country, including in Thug and Gunna’s home state of Georgia.
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“I’m grateful for it,” the Brooklyn rapper said. “I feel like it needs to happen all around the country, especially what’s going on in Atlanta right now. I feel like rap is targeted the most and you know, rap is expression. If you look at movies, everything, it’s expression. Rap is just expression, so I feel like it should not be said in court or anything.”
New York Senate Passes Bill Limiting Use Of Rap Lyrics In Trials
Bobby Shmurda also argued that male rappers face more scrutiny than their female counterparts when it comes to their lyrics being taken literally — even college graduates like 2 Chainz.
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“You hear Nicki Minaj, she raps all types of stuff, but nobody gonna point at Nicki Minaj or Cardi B because their females. But as a young Black male from a neighborhood, he spits this, it feels like, ‘Oh, it could be true!’ This man probably went to college and everything! 2 Chainz went to college!”
He added, “When they say that rap could be used against you, it limits your art, because sometimes people just want to be free. You should have the freedom to rap anything that you see in your neighborhood, because you’re giving the world things that they don’t see.”
Bobby experienced this type of situation first-hand when he was arrested in 2015. His breakout hit “Hot N-gga” played a role in his arrest as law enforcement tied the alleged crimes of his GS9 crew to lyrics that were said in the song.
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On the music side, Bobby Shmurda revealed to TMZ that he has two projects on the way: an EP dropping next month, followed by his Ready to Live album that is set to arrive within the next 60 days.
The rapper recently got the hype train going with “They Don’t Know,” his first independent release following his departure from Epic Records.
