And if you have hard evidence, forensic evidence and a case without the lyrics and you want to use lyrics or lyrics that reference a particular crime after you have the hard evidence, you know, that is admissible. They've only been used or introduced five times, and in all five of the other cases, the lyrics were thrown out. This is about over the last, I would say, a decade, where in 500 separate cases, rap lyrics were introduced as part of indictment and conviction proceedings in comparison to other genres of music. You know, this is not just about Young Thug and Gunna. But generally speaking, if a person is charged with a crime and they've made a specific reference to that crime in a song, what is the issue with using it as evidence in a trial?īOWMAN: Well, first you have to start with hard evidence - forensic evidence, witness testimony, weapons and the like. RASCOE: So that Atlanta case is ongoing, and obviously defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. JAMAAL BOWMAN: Thank you so much for having me. Representative Jamaal Bowman of New York is a co-sponsor of the RAP Act, and he joins us now. RASCOE: Those words are currently being presented alongside other evidence in the case brought against Young Thug, Gunna and others in Atlanta. I got the streets on my back, carry it like I'm moving a body. YOUNG THUG: (Rapping) I never killed anybody, but I got something to do with that body. The Restoring Artists Protection Act, the RAP Act, is a proposal to limit the use of lyrics in federal criminal proceedings, lyrics from songs like this one called "Anybody" by Young Thug and Nicki Minaj.
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