Courts

Who Needs Video Footage Or Fingerprints As Evidence When You've Got Song Lyrics?

Lyrics are evidence of inspiration, not so much evidence in court.

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Handwritten Music scale staff handwriting songShould criminally good bars be used to put their author behind them? Young Thug’s RICO trial has been moving at a glacial pace. But as the shenanigans teeter toward normalcy, a jury will have to decide if Jeffery Lamar “SEX” Williams (no relation) is guilty of the crimes he’s been accused of. What counts as evidence is currently up for debate — and the DA wants to use Thug’s song lyrics. From Atlanta News First:

[A]ttention is turning whether rap lyrics can be used as evidence in Young Thug’s massive organized crime trial in Atlanta.

Fulton County Chief Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville was set to hear motions as to whether lyrics from hip-hop songs can be used against the rapper – real name Jeffery Williams – in his RICO trial.

…

“If you decide to admit your crimes over a beat, I’m going to use it,” Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has said. “I’m not targeting anyone. You do not get to commit crimes in my county, and then get to decide to brag on it, which you do that for a form of intimidation and to further the gain and to not be held responsible.

Whoa there, buddy, little early to state that the crimes are Thugger’s before a fair trial establishing that. Presumption of innocence, right? I mean, Taylor Swift looks a lot like a first degree murderer if I go into the song “No Body, No Crime,” just assuming the veracity of her lyrics:

SZA should be lawyering up after the first few seconds of “Snooze,” what with the gun possession, willingness to commit perjury, grand theft, and obstruction of justice going on for her man:

And I don’t know how the statute of limitations (or the constitutional legitimacy of statutory reach across the pond) pans out, but there’s ample dirt on a public indecency case against the surviving members of The Beatles:

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If it is the case that Taylor Swift hid a body at sea, SZA aided and abetted a criminal she was hooking up with, or Paul hooked up with a groupie in public because “He thought no one would be watching them,” charge them with all the crimes you want! But fingerprints on a boat, sworn testimony, and British CCTV camera recordings are evidence in a way that song lyrics aren’t. If Thug did the things he’s been accused of, find some actual evidence instead of treating “Slime Season” like it is a signed confession.

Rap Lyrics Become Key Focus In Young Thug’s Trial [Atlanta News First]

Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s.  He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.

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