New Bill Aims To Shield Artists From Having Their Lyrics Used Against Them
Last Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) introduced a bill entitled the Restoring Artistic Protection (RAP) Act, which would prohibit “evidence of a defendant’s creative or artistic expression” from being used against them during a criminal case.
This bill’s introduction occurred after lyrics authored by Young Thug, a rapper hailing from Atlanta, were employed during the indictment against himself and emcee Gunna, in addition to 20 fellow associates in a Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) case, who now face serving a 20-year-long prison sentence.
The bill language does carve out exceptions, allowing for the use of lyrics if they “intended a literal meaning” and if they “refer to the specific facts of the crime alleged…is relevant to an issue of fact that is disputed…[and] has distinct probative value not provided by other admissible evidence.”