Posted on 01/19/2022 11:56:45 AM PST by karpov
In the history of hip-hop, some rappers have set out to murder the competition with lyrics that have ranged from vicious to downright violent.
But a group of music stars — led by Brooklyn’s own Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Jay-Z — are now arguing for a change in New York law so that rap lyrics can no longer be used as evidence in criminal trials.
Meek Mill, Fat Joe, Robin Thicke, Yo Gotti and Destiny’s Child diva Kelly Rowland are among those who have signed a letter making their case for New York state lawmakers to back the proposed change.
The A-list signees say the law would bolster artists’ freedom of expression.
“This is a long time coming,” Alex Spiro — Jay-Z’s lawyer, who drafted the letter — told Rolling Stone. “By changing the law here, you do a lot of good for the cases that it affects, but you also send a message that progress is coming. We expect it will be followed in a lot of places.”
First proposed in November by state senators Brad Hoylman and Jamaal Bailey, the Rap Music on Trial legislation passed an initial stage in the senate earlier this week. It seeks to prevent prosecutors from citing lyrics, except in cases of “clear and convincing proof” that the words are linked to a crime.
“The right to free speech is enshrined in our federal and state constitutions,” Bailey said at the time. “The admission of art as criminal evidence only serves to erode this fundamental right.”
Bailey added that the law would also go a long way in the fight for social justice, since the lyrics are often used against people of color.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
So when the po-po questions me, I’ll just give all my answers in rap - that’ll be my get out of jail free card fo’ sho’...
“If someone raps about killing the police....”
I shot the sheriff...
A Rap Assault on our ears and intelligence should definitely be a crime!
As rap music has gained acceptance, so has not prosecuting criminals which created the current crime wave.
If they stop behaving like criminals, we will stop using their criminal behavior as criminal evidence. How’s that for a deal?
Didn’t know they they were?!?!
The fruits of negrophilia.
Music is like candy: The rappers are just rubbish.
Apart from when you trash the fake covid “pandemic”. Then you have to lose your job, you can't go to plenty of places etc, not to mention getting banned from Twitter etc.
DJT’s Capital Speech on 1/6 was Rap.
It just wasn’t as lyrical as Black Rap because White Rap is inferior.
So they are saying if a white person used the N word in the past, it can’t be used as evidence in a hate crime trial?
Wait.
Are Rappers saying the lyrics are all made up BS?
That they don’t in fact show motive or intent or state of mind?
Isn’t this “we was just playin’” position going to be a problem with their audiences?
OR
Are they saying their lyrics are meant to incite their audience to act out the aggression they hear in the lyrics while they live in gated communities and do Corona commercials?
...but I did not shoot the Deputy
Eric Clapton, also was never charged with shooting a sheriff.
If he was, it was self defense. Sheriff Brown always hated him.
Can’t recall who...maybe Ice T said rap lyrics are no worse that say Johnny Cash when he said I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die. Hard to disagree but I suppose tone and the overall intent might colour how one looks at “Art”.
If they could get away with it betchya that Congressional 1/6 Task Farce would subpoena Lee Greenwood to testify because “I’m Proud to be an American”, played at Trump rallies contains subliminal resurrectioist seditous messages
i honestly thought it was going to be something like that
But I did not shoot the deputy.
And as far as I know neither did Clapton.
And neither are most of his songs about crimes and the like.
Standard playbook defence leftists use when they get blowback for something was it was just a joke.
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