Source:
Fulton
County
PD
/
Fulton
County
Sheriff’s
Department
In
a
blow
to
Hip-Hop
artists,
an
Atlanta
judge
has
ruled
that
lyrics
by
Young
Thug
and
other
of
his
YSL
associates
can
be
used
at
his
RICO
trial.
“They’re
not
prosecuting
your
clients
because
of
the
songs
they
wrote,”
Judge
Ural
Glanville
said
after
a
November
8
hearing,
denying
free-speech
concerns
raised
by
Brian
Steel,
an
attorney
representing
Thug
(born
Jeffrey
Williams).
According
to
Vulture,
“These
are
party
admissions,”
said
Michael
Carson,
a
prosecutor,
during
the
hearing.
“They
just
happen
to
come
in
the
form
of
lyrics.”
The
issue
of
using
rap
lyrics
in
court
is
one
that
has
been
pressing
to
the
hip-hop
community.
In
November
of
2022,
more
than
100
rap
artists
including
Drake
and
Megan
Thee
Stallion
signed
a
letter
to
protest
the
use
of
lyrics
in
court.
As
previously
reported
by
HipHopWired,
artists,
industry
leaders,
and
legal
experts
have
joined
together
in
a
call
to
“Protect
Black
Art,”
publishing
an
open
letter
in
The
New
York
Times
and
The
Atlanta
Journal-Constitution
urging
legislators
across
America
to
limit
how
creative
expression
can
be
used
against
defendants
on
trial.
Specifically,
it
calls
for
an
end
to
the
racially
discriminatory
practice
of
treating
rap
lyrics
as
confessions.
The
letter
reads,
in
part,
“Beyond
the
obvious
disregard
for
free
speech
and
creative
expression
protected
by
the
First
Amendment,
this
racially
targeted
practice
punishes
already
marginalized
communities
and
their
stories
of
family,
struggle,
survival,
and
triumph.”
It
was
published
by
Warner
Music
Group.
The
letter
was
released
just
months
after
one
success
when
the
state
of
California
put
forward
a
bill
banning
lyrics
from
being
used
in
court–it
passed
both
the
State
Senate
and
State
Assembly.
Gov.
Gavin
Newsom
signed
the
bill
in
October
of
last
year.
Earlier
last
year,
on
Wednesday
(July
27th),
the
RAP
Act
was
introduced
on
the
floor
of
the
House
of
Representatives
by
Democratic
Representatives
Hank
Johnson
(GA-04)
and
Jamaal
Bowman
(NY-16).
The
Restoring
Artistic
Protection
Act
looks
to
protect
artists
from
the
wrongful
usage
of
their
lyrics
against
them
in
civil
and
criminal
court
cases.
“Rap,
hip-hop,
and
every
lyrical
musical
piece
is
a
beautiful
form
of
art
and
expression
that
must
be
protected,”
Representative
Bowman
said
in
a
statement.
Despite
the
blow,
there
is
no
doubt
that
the
battle
will
continue.
Because
hip-hop
doesn’t
give
up
and
we
don’t
back
down.
