Rap lyrics being used in court cases has become a lightning rod for discussion across the judicial system in America. Killer Mike sat down with Bronx-bred rapper Kemba to delve deeper into the criminalization of lyrics in hip-hop for part of the As We Speak: Rap Music On Trial documentary, which premieres on Paramount+ on Tuesday (Feb. 27).
“They’re not gonna say that the art is a representation of the imagination and the thought. They’re gonna say it’s you. ‘You are a killer, Mike! And we’re gonna lock your a– up.’ It’s a shame we live in a country where a white woman who killed her husband can write an article called How to [Murder] Your Husband and that article is not allowed to be used,” the Run the Jewels rapper says in the exclusive clip shared with Billboard.
“The prosecutor had to find another way to convict her. But I can say some random s–t on a song and prosecutor can clumsily with no rhythm can say that s–t to a judge as if he knows what the f–k I’m talking about or has some type of expertise I’m talking about.”
The chilling Rap Music on Trial debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and the documentary is carrying its momentum into the national Parmount+ release on Tuesday.
Kemba speaks with experts from various fields to attack the use of lyrics on trial through conversations with rappers such as Killer Mike, as well as academics, politicians, legal experts and other music industry executives.
Young Thug is one of the latest examples of an artist having his lyrics weaponized against him in the courtroom. Verses from his catalog have been heard from the prosecution as part of the YSL RICO trial, which is currently underway.
Watch the clip below and stream the As We Speak: Rap Music On Trial documentary starting Tuesday (Feb. 26) on Paramount+.
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