Rap Music on Trial
(Room JW Grand Ballroom 2)
07 Jul 18
1:30 PM
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2:45 PM
This talk deals with the troubling use of rap lyrics as “evidence” in criminal trials, a practice that began roughly a decade ago. After discussing some of the relevant cases, I will explain the historical circumstances that gave rise to hip-hop music and its often violent lyrics. I will argue that graphic depictions of violence in hip-hop are conventions of the genre, and should not be taken literally as evidence of intent to commit a crime.