https://pitchfork.com/news/californi...oms-signature/
The law is expected to be signed by Gov. Newsom. The law essentially prohibits prosecutors from bringing up lyrics as evidence in cases where rappers are charged with crimes. This follows a case in Georgia where two rappers whose lyrics explicitly described criminal activities had them used against them.
It's an interesting philosophical issue. This kind of thing isn't limited to rap. For example, Johnny Cash sang "I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die", although in that case, there was no evidence outside that song that he ever murdered someone in that city, so it wouldn't have come to court. But that does illustrate that lyrical claims and braggadocio can't always be taken literally.
I'm not going to link to the case in Georgia but suffice it to say that the lyrics in that case were very specific and beyond a one-off statement like in the Johnny Cash song.
The law is expected to be signed by Gov. Newsom. The law essentially prohibits prosecutors from bringing up lyrics as evidence in cases where rappers are charged with crimes. This follows a case in Georgia where two rappers whose lyrics explicitly described criminal activities had them used against them.
It's an interesting philosophical issue. This kind of thing isn't limited to rap. For example, Johnny Cash sang "I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die", although in that case, there was no evidence outside that song that he ever murdered someone in that city, so it wouldn't have come to court. But that does illustrate that lyrical claims and braggadocio can't always be taken literally.
I'm not going to link to the case in Georgia but suffice it to say that the lyrics in that case were very specific and beyond a one-off statement like in the Johnny Cash song.
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