NoCap’s friend and former road manager was found guilty of murder and handed a life sentence two years ago, but the conviction has now been overturned.
On Tuesday (March 5), Law & Crime reported that Morgan Cardelle Baker’s sentence was recanted after Georgia’s highest court ruled that a music video for “Ghetto Angels” by NoCap should not have been played for the jurors tasked with considering the 2019 killing of Tamarco Head.
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The visual in question featured Baker brandishing a handgun, which prompted prosecutors to repeatedly grill him for “promoting” gun violence. The life sentence with the possibility of parole which he was handed in 2022 has now been redacted due to a 7–2 decision earlier this week.
“We agree that the trial court’s admission of the video was an abuse of discretion,” the court admitted. “And because the State has not met its burden of showing that the error was harmless, we reverse Baker’s conviction.”
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The full ruling can be accessed here.
The same year Baker was sent to prison, JAY-Z spearheaded a group of A-list artists pushing to ban rap lyrics from being used in court. As part of the initiative, he rallied Meek Mill, Big Sean, Fat Joe, Yo Gotti and Killer Mike as well as R&B stars Kelly Rowland and Robin Thicke to support a proposed New York state law that sought to prevent prosecutors from using rap songs as evidence of alleged crimes.
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The star-studded collective lent their signatures to a letter urging urging state lawmakers, including New York Governor Kathy Hochul, to pass a bill titled “Rap Music on Trial” (S.7527/A.8681).
The legislation aimed 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.”
It was subsequently 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,” Jigga’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.”
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Fat Joe added: “Our lyrics are a creative form of self-expression and entertainment – just like any other genre. 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.”
