The bill aims to clamp down on prosecutors’ long-standing practice of using lyrics as proof that defendants are guilty of certain crimes.
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2023.Rap snitches, telling all their business, won't have to sit in court and be their own star witness., sponsored by state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Catalina Cruz, aims to clamp down on prosecutors’ long standing practice of using lyrics as proof that defendants are guilty of certain crimes.
The bill’s sponsors say they’re hoping it passes the Assembly during this legislative session, which ends on June 8. It was approved by the Senate on May 15, which Hoylman-Sigal feels gives the Assembly a “boost of confidence and momentum” that the bill is ready to be signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Angel Reyes, an audio engineer who helps rappers record and refine their music from his apartment-turned-studio in the Bronx’s Andrew Jackson Houses, said he wholeheartedly supports the bill. “DA Clark is always supportive of new music coming out of the Bronx, the birthplace of hip-hop," O’Shaughnessy said. "This law is unnecessary mainly because the current process is that evidence for any case is reviewed by a judge who decides on admissibility.”Decriminalizing Artistic Expression Act
Court cases invoking lyrics have proliferated as social media has enabled rap songs and videos to be shared more widely. Apublished last year showed that rap lyrics were used as evidence in hundreds of cases, from homicide to drug charges and gang activity, and that the practice has only become more common since 2005.
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