'Art Not Evidence' campaign to end the use of rap music in criminal trials
Photo Courtesy: UD Music
At least 240 people in the UK have had their rap music used against them during a criminal trial, where lawyers have used lyrics or music videos to suggest criminal activity. The discussion surrounding this issue has recently become prevalent due to the criminal trial of American rapper Young Thug, whose lyrics are being used in court, in an attempt to prosecute him for being part of a criminal gang. The use of rap music in trials has generated a lot of backlash from many lawyers, musicians, and others, resulting in the formation of the ‘Art Not Evidence’ campaign.
The new ‘Art Not Evidence’ campaign was launched on 22 November and has written a letter calling for the decriminalisation of rap music. The letter has been supported by many, including MPs Nadia Whittome and Kim Johnson, and Lawyer Shami Chakrabarti. Whittome has stated that the use of rap music in criminal trials is “a practice that relies on racist stereotypes and it risks miscarriages of justice”, and the MPs are planning to propose a parliamentary bill to alter the law regarding the use of rap music and other creative pieces including music videos, in criminal cases.
The heavy scrutiny of rap music – which happens to no other art form – seems ridiculous; it is illogical for prosecutors and police to take rap lyrics to be the truth, especially because many rappers create alternate personas and use their art form to tell stories. Whilst there can sometimes be truth in lyrics this should not be the immediate assumption. The most common victims of this are young black men, whose cultures are weaponised, and whose artistic expression can be suggested as evidence even when there is no direct link to the case. Chakrabarti says that the treatment of black art as evidence in court cases represents a fundamental flaw with the UK court system, and this is what the ‘Art Not Evidence’ campaign hopes to change.
The trial of Young Thug is just one example where the artistic output of a person has been weaponised in order to indict them unfairly. Some other high-profile cases include that of rapper Unknown T, whose lyrics were used against him in a murder trial, and Digga D who received a criminal behaviour order that prohibits him from including specific names and places in his lyrics.
A similar campaign has been developed in the US. The project, Protect Black Art, has been supported by music industry professionals and record labels. Whilst a bill has been passed in California, which prevents the use of art as evidence, this is still a hugely prevalent issue in other parts of the country and the world. The right to creative expression should not be restricted by the use of art in criminal trials and the ‘Art Not Evidence’ campaign supported by highly influential people in the music industry aims to protect people from the criminalisation of rap music and reinstate freedom of artistic expression.