Rap Lyrics Bill Passed By California Legislature, Awaiting Signature From Governor

BYHayley Hynes21.0K Views
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Gavin Newsom
California will be the first state to place limits on when rap can be used in court.

On Monday (August 22), California lawmakers gave their final approval to legislation that would restrict prosecutors' right to cite rap lyrics in their evidence. As Billboard reports, this is a first-of-its-kind legislative victory against something that critics maintain can sway juries' use of racial bias.

The Senate approved AB 2799 unanimously a few days ago, and earlier today they re-voted in favour of a bill that had already been passed months earlier, marking the final thing standing in their way of clearing the legislature. Now, the bill will be sent to Governor Gavin Newsom, who many believe will sign it into law.

Rap Lyrics Bill Passed By California Legislature, Awaiting Signature From Governor
Governor Gavin Newsom in 2019 -- Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

If passed, the new law will only allow the use of lyrics in the courtroom when "prosecutors can show that they are directly relevant to the facts of the case and won’t 'inject racial bias into the proceedings.'"

Earlier this year in New York a similar effort was stalled – after making it to the state Senate, it failed to get a vote in the Assembly.

California's regulation would require courts to hold that musical evidence offers "minimal" value unless the state "can show that the expression was created near in time to the crime; bears a level of similarity to the crime, or includes 'factual details' about the crime are not otherwise publicly available."

The bill also asks that courts admit testimony about "experimental or social science research" that shows how a particular genre "introduces racial bias into the proceedings."

As noted by Billboard more than one empirical study has shown that jurors view hip-hop lyrics as more dangerous than other genres, even if the artists are singing the same words.

Are you impressed by California's potential new legislation? Sound off in the comments below, and tap back in with HNHH later for more hip-hop news updates.

[Via]


About The Author
Hayley Hynes is the former Weekend Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop, she stepped down after two years in 2024 to pursue other creative opportunities but remains on staff part-time to cover music, gossip, and pop culture news. Currently, she contributes similar content on Blavity and 21Ninety, as well as on her personal blog where she also offers tarot/astrology services. Hayley resides on the western side of Canada, previously spending a year in Vancouver to study Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald Centre and Journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary before that. She's passionate about helping others heal through storytelling, and shares much more about her life on Instagram @hayleyhynes.
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