Close Menu
NERDBOT
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    Subscribe
    NERDBOT
    • News
      • Reviews
    • Movies & TV
    • Comics
    • Gaming
    • Collectibles
    • Science & Tech
    • Culture
    • Nerd Voices
    • About Us
      • Join the Team at Nerdbot
    NERDBOT
    Home»News»Rap Lyrics No Longer Admissible as Evidence in California
    News

    Rap Lyrics No Longer Admissible as Evidence in California

    John BlissBy John BlissOctober 4, 20223 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

    This week, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed bill AB 2799 into effect. The so-called ‘Decriminalizing Artistic Expression Act’ seeks to address the use of creative content (such as movies, television shows, fictional stories, and rap lyrics) as evidence in trials. Specifically, courts must weigh the “value of the evidence against the substantial danger of undue prejudice” moving forward.

    This move comes after a recent BBC report which indicates how hip-hop and rap lyrics have played a part in legal prosecutions in the United States. According to the report, lyrics have been used as evidence in over 500 criminal cases over the past 20 years. Most recently in the RICO case brought against rappers Young Thug, Gunna, and other YSL Records affiliates. Prosecutors allege the record label is actually an organized crime syndicate, responsible for “75-80% of violent crime” in Atlanta, a claim they maintain through repeated citing of the rappers’ lyrics.

    The bill declares courts “must consider specified factors…in determining whether creative expression evidence is more prejudicial than probative.”

    Meek Mill, Killer Mike, Too $hort, Ty Dolla $ign, YG, E-40 and Tyga, as well as CEO of the Recording Academy Harvey Mason Jr and the bill’s sponsor Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), attended the virtual signing ceremony. The bill requires courts to prove that lyrics represent actual harm rather than artistic expression.

    “This bill is an acknowledgment of systemic racism being involved. It was a huge thing for me,” Rapper X-Rated, who was sentenced to 26 years in prison using his own lyrics as evidence, says. “Because he specifies the intent behind this is not just to protect artists’ rights but also to protect minorities and people from disadvantaged backgrounds from being persecuted and literally prosecuted as well.”

    The extent of this bill is also a welcome surprise. Artistic expression is defined “as the expression or application of creativity or imagination in the production or arrangement of forms, sounds, words, movements, or symbols, including, but not limited to, music, dance, performance art, visual art, poetry, literature, film, and other such objects or media.” In a time when artists have to constantly remind audiences that the representation of certain attitudes and actions is not endorsement — a defense that artists of color have to make twice as loudly — this legal defense of free expression will hopefully lay the ground work for similar pieces of legislation, such as New York’s stalled Rap Music on Trial Bill or the Restoring Artistic Protection (RAP) Act introduced to Congress earlier this summer by Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Georgia).

    CA is the 1st state to ensure creative content – like lyrics & music videos – can't be used against artists in court without judicial review.

    Thanks, @JonesSawyerAD59 for your work & @yg @KillerMike @tydollasign @Tyga @MeekMill @E40 @TooShort for your dedication to the cause. pic.twitter.com/cpOSCiHh0X

    — Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) September 30, 2022

    Do You Want to Know More?

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleCD PROJEKT RED Teases Next “Cyberpunk,” “The Witcher” Games
    Next Article 5 Excellent Games Which Increase Your Brain Power
    John Bliss

    Related Posts

    The Daily Jaws Announces 50th Anniversary Interview Series

    June 20, 2025

    Telegram Founder Pavel Durov Leaving Estate to His 100+ Kids

    June 20, 2025

    High-Tech Diagnostic Imaging Solutions at Adventist Health

    June 18, 2025

    10 Tips for Choosing a Personal Injury Attorney

    June 18, 2025

    How Do I Know If I Have a Pilonidal Cyst or Something Else?

    June 18, 2025

    What Is The Mortality Rate For Pilonidal Cysts?

    June 18, 2025
    • Latest
    • News
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Reviews

    Russell Crowe to Co-Star With Henry Cavill “Highlander”

    June 20, 2025

    The Daily Jaws Announces 50th Anniversary Interview Series

    June 20, 2025

    Mattel SDCC Exclusives: Monster High Elvira, Mario Kart Pauline

    June 20, 2025

    Telegram Founder Pavel Durov Leaving Estate to His 100+ Kids

    June 20, 2025

    The Daily Jaws Announces 50th Anniversary Interview Series

    June 20, 2025

    Telegram Founder Pavel Durov Leaving Estate to His 100+ Kids

    June 20, 2025

    High-Tech Diagnostic Imaging Solutions at Adventist Health

    June 18, 2025

    10 Tips for Choosing a Personal Injury Attorney

    June 18, 2025

    Russell Crowe to Co-Star With Henry Cavill “Highlander”

    June 20, 2025
    Billy the puppet "Saw"

    Blumhouse Nabs “Saw” Franchise Rights

    June 18, 2025
    "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," 1974

    “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” Returns to Theaters for One Night Only

    June 18, 2025

    “Death Stranding” is ALSO Getting an Animated Film?!

    June 18, 2025

    Netflix, Legendary Want to Remake “Land of the Lost”

    June 17, 2025

    “King of the Hill” Revival Gets Father’s Day Clip

    June 15, 2025

    What is BFDI (Battle for Dream Island)? An Interview With My Kid

    June 15, 2025

    Temuera Morrison Wants to Play Live-Action Captain Rex

    June 14, 2025

    Official My Little Pony Coffee UNICORN POWERS Will Have You Feeling Magical!

    June 16, 2025

    Halfway Through 2025: These Are The Best Films (So Far)

    June 15, 2025

    Car Branding Solutions: Do’s & Don’ts to Promote Business

    June 13, 2025

    APPLEJACK’S Caramel Apple by JOYGROUND COFFEE is a Sweet Treat All Year-Round

    June 12, 2025
    Check Out Our Latest
      • Product Reviews
      • Reviews
      • SDCC 2021
      • SDCC 2022
    Related Posts

    None found

    NERDBOT
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    Nerdbot is owned and operated by Nerds! If you have an idea for a story or a cool project send us a holler on [email protected]

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.