Jay-Z Wants To Stop Prosecutors From Using Rap Songs As Evidence

JAY-Z is spearheading a group of A-list artists pushing to ban rap lyrics from being used in court Hov has rallied Meek Mill, Big Sean, Fat Joe, Yo Gotti and Killer Mike, as well as R&B stars Kelly Rowland and Robin Thicke, in supporting a proposed New York state law that seeks to prevent prosecutors from using rap songs as evidence of alleged crimes. The star-studded collective have lent their signatures to a new letter urging urging state lawmakers including Gov. Kathy Hochul to pass a bill titled “Rap Music on Trial” (S.7527/A.8681). The legislation, which was unveiled in November, seeks to limit the admissibility of a defendant’s music or other “creative expression” as evidence shown to a jury. The bill would force prosecutors to provide “clear and convincing evidence” that a defendant’s creative expression, such as a rap song, is “literal, rather than figurative or fictional. This is an issue that’s important to HOV and all the other artists that have come together to try to bring about this change,” Hov’s lawyer Alex Spiro said. “This is a long time coming. Mr. Carter is from New York, and if he can lend his name and his weight, that’s what he wants to do.

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