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JAY-Z is calling on New York to pass legislation that would restrict rap lyrics being used as evidence during criminal cases against rappers and musicians on trial.
In a letter, obtained by Billboard, and according to Billboard the Roc Nation mogul and Beyonce’s husband urges lawmakers to support Senate Bill S7527, known as “Rap Music on Trial,” which would limit the admissibility of someone’s music in a criminal trial.
“This tactic effectively denies rap music the status of art and, in the process, gives prosecutors a dangerous advantage in the courtroom: by presenting rap lyrics as rhymed confessions of illegal behavior, they are often able to obtain convictions even when other evidence is lacking.”, said JAY-Z’s attorney, Alex Spiro, JAY-Z’s attorney, and Erik Nielson, a professor at the University of Richmond.
In addition to JAY-Z, the letter was signed by others in the music industry including Meek Mill, Killer Mike, Fat Joe, and Robin Thicke.
The bill, which was introduced in November, would limit the circumstances in which any form of “creative expression” can be shown as evidence of a crime to a jury. If passed, prosecutors could only present such material to jurors if they can show that an expressive work is “literal, rather than figurative or fictional.”
