Rap Lyrics on Trial: New York’s Proposed Senate Bill S464 and the Fight for Artistic Freedom

In our previous posts we have analyzed and discussed Louisiana’s and California’s new state laws to address the controversial use of lyrics as evidence in court. In this post we focus on the birthplace of rap and New York’s current proposed Senate Bill S464.  New York, specially 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, has earned the title of the birthplace of hip hop and… Continue reading Rap Lyrics on Trial: New York’s Proposed Senate Bill S464 and the Fight for Artistic Freedom

Lyrics on Trial: A Closer Look into California’s Legislation

Sarah Gilbert — MEI Fellow  In the first post in our series on the various RAP Acts around the United States, we analyzed Louisiana’s version which recently was enacted. In this post, we analyze California’s version, which was actually enacted first. In September 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom signed California Assembly Bill 2799, Jones-Sawyer “Evidence: admissibility of creative expressions,” which had passed both… Continue reading Lyrics on Trial: A Closer Look into California’s Legislation

Lyrics on Trial: How the RAP Act and State Laws Aim to Protect Artistic Expression in Court

Sarah Gilbert — MEI Fellow While the public’s attention has been turned to the high-profile case involving Atlanta rapper Young Thug and the chaotic trial proceedings, the issue of using lyrics as evidence in court has sparked significant outrage. Young Thug’s lyrics were cited in a RICO indictment against him and members of his Young Stoner Life collective.  Although this… Continue reading Lyrics on Trial: How the RAP Act and State Laws Aim to Protect Artistic Expression in Court