Rolling Loud’s RAP Act Rally Draws Thousands in Support of Young Thug and 500 Unjustly Incarcerated Black Men, Joined by Black Music Action Coalition

Rolling Loud's RAP Act Rally Draws Thousands in Support of Young Thug and 500 Unjustly Incarcerated Black Men, Joined by Black Music Action Coalition

Rolling Loud Miami kicked off its eighth annual event with a powerful panel discussion and in-festival rally in collaboration with the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) as part of Rolling Loud Week. The panel featured Rolling Loud Co-Founder Tariq Cherif, BMAC Co-Founder/Chair Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, Congressman Hank Johnson, and Congressman Jamaal Bowman, discussing the RAP Act—a vital step towards protecting artists’ free speech and creative expression in the face of legal challenges.

“This is the most powerful generation we have ever seen, and this is the biggest Hip-Hop festival in the world,” said Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, Co-Founder/Chair of BMAC. “To be able to bring messages of social and racial justice straight to the young people that will lead this nation is a very powerful tool. BMAC appreciates Rolling Loud for this partnership and support around The RAP Act. I thank Congressmen Johnson and Bowman for coming to Miami to spread this message of democracy, equity and fairness. As we celebrate 50 years of Hip-Hop, we must make sure to celebrate and support those fighting to protect the culture.” 

unnamed 6 1
unnamed 6 1

Following the panel, a RAP Act rally took place on the Rolling Loud GoPuff Stage, drawing thousands of fans in support of Young Thug and over 500 black men currently facing unjust incarceration. The event also included the presence of five TSU students who won tickets and all-expenses-paid trips through BMAC’s Music Business Accelerator Program at Tennessee State University.

Cherif, who taught a class on touring and talent buying at TSU, saw the winning students create a hypothetical “Rolling Loud Nashville” festival. Their hard work was recognized with VIP tickets and travel expenses covered by the BMAC Board/ELC. To learn more about the RAP Act or take action, you can visit the BMAC website or send an automated letter to your Congressman at RAPACT.ORG. The Rolling Loud Miami festival continues to use its platform to advocate for important social issues within the music industry.

The post Rolling Loud’s RAP Act Rally Draws Thousands in Support of Young Thug and 500 Unjustly Incarcerated Black Men, Joined by Black Music Action Coalition first appeared on The Source.

The post Rolling Loud’s RAP Act Rally Draws Thousands in Support of Young Thug and 500 Unjustly Incarcerated Black Men, Joined by Black Music Action Coalition appeared first on The Source.

The Recording Academy Takes Federal Effort to Limit Use of Song Lyrics in Court to Capitol Hill

rap act reintroduction grammys hill goth 2023 (1),jpg

Congressmen Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Hank Johnson (D-GA) from the Recording Academy® joined them at a press conference on Capitol Hill to announce the reintroduction of the Restoring Artistic Protection Act. The Restoring Artistic Protection Act would restrict the use of song lyrics in court, a prevalent practice that disproportionately harms rap and hip-hop musicians. It is intended to preserve artists’ freedom of creative expression.

Harvey Mason Jr., the CEO of the Academy, and Rico Love, the chair of the Academy Black Music Collective, among others, spoke on behalf of the industry and as artists about the significance of adopting this law and guaranteeing that all artists can freely express themselves without worrying that their work would be criminalized.

The announcement follows the Recording Academy’s Annual GRAMMYs on the Hill®, a two-day event that recognized 13-time GRAMMY® winner Pharrell Williams, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senator Bill Cassidy for their steadfast support of music creators. It also brought together music creators and members of Congress from both parties to advocate for the Restoring Artistic Protection Act, the HITS Act, the American Music Fairness Act, and reform of the Recording Industry Association of America.

“GRAMMYs on the Hill has been bringing music creators to Capitol Hill for more than 20 years to elevate policy issues that impact our community. Today, we’re proud to see our Academy members’ commitment to advocacy come to life with the reintroduction of the Restoring Artistic Protection Act. We must safeguard artists’ freedom to create at all costs and work to eradicate the biases that come with the unconstitutional practice of using lyrics as evidence. We are grateful to Congressmen Johnson and Bowman for their unwavering commitment to music people and look forward to working alongside them to advance this issue.”

Harvey Mason jr., CEO, Recording Academy and Rico Love, Chair, Recording Academy Black Music Collective

“This legislation is long overdue,” said Congressman Johnson. “For too long, artists – particularly young Black artists – have been unfairly targeted by prosecutors who use their lyrics as evidence of guilt, even though there is no evidence that the lyrics are anything more than creative expression. When you allow music and creativity to be silenced, you’re opening the door for other realms of free speech to be curtailed as well. The government should not be able to silence artists simply because they write, draw, sing, or rap about controversial or taboo subjects. The Restoring Artistic Protection Act (RAP Act) would protect artists’ First Amendment rights by limiting the admissibility of their lyrics as evidence in criminal and civil proceedings.”

“Rap, hip-hop and every lyrical musical piece is a beautiful form of art and expression that must be protected,” said Congressman Bowman Ed.D. “I am proud to introduce the RAP Act alongside Rep. Hank Johnson. Our judicial system disparately criminalizes Black and Brown people, including Black and Brown creativity. For example, Tommy Munsdwell Canady is a young 17-year-old kid serving a life sentence whose conviction heavily relied upon lyrics he wrote. I was deeply moved to hear that Mr. Canady continues to pursue his art in the face of our carceral systems that would otherwise stifle Black art. He is not an outlier. Evidence shows when juries believe lyrics to be rap lyrics, there’s a tendency to presume it’s a confession, whereas lyrics for other genres of music are understood to be art, not factual reporting. This act would ensure that our evidentiary standards protect the First Amendment right to freedom of expression. We cannot imprison our talented artists for expressing their experiences nor will we let their creativity be suppressed.”

Since the 2000s, there have been more than 500 cases where prosecutors have presented song lyrics as evidence in court against an artist defendant. Rap was evaluated more negatively than other music genres, according to a 2016 study by criminologists at the University of California. This finding highlights the possibility that prejudice against rap lyrics could inappropriately impact jurors when admitted as evidence to prove guilt. To correct this mistake, the Recording Academy has led the charge in limiting the use of an artist’s lyrics — among other forms of creative expression — as evidence in court cases, protecting the First Amendment rights of artists nationwide.

The post The Recording Academy Takes Federal Effort to Limit Use of Song Lyrics in Court to Capitol Hill appeared first on The Source.

Congress Introduces The RAP Act To Limit The Use Of Lyrics As Evidence In Criminal Trials

Over the past few months, rap fans have placed more and more scrutiny on prosecutors who use rap lyrics as evidence in criminal trials against hip-hop artists. While “hip-hop cops” have long been rumored as a fixture of the justice system, cases involving popular rappers such as Young Thug and YoungBoy Never Broke Again have highlighted how that system tries to turn rappers’ creative expression against them. Using literal interpretations of violent lyrics or shout-outs to alleged criminal groups as evidence is increasingly seen as a violation of artists’ freedom of speech; fortunately, a new development may help to protect that right in the future.

A new bill modeled after New York’s “Rap On Trial” law proposal has been introduced in the US House Of Representatives by Congressmen Hank Johnson (D-GA) and Jamaal Bowman (D-NY). The New York version, which passed the state senate in May, still hasn’t passed the state assembly or been ratified by the governor yet, but its creation turned out to be instructive on the new federal bill, called the Restoring Artistic Protection (RAP) Act (get it?). The RAP Act would change the Federal Rules of Evidence to limit the use of lyrics as evidence.

In a statement, Rep. Bowman said, “Rap, Hip Hop, and every lyrical musical piece is a beautiful form of art and expression that must be protected. Our judicial system disparately criminalizes Black and brown lives, including Black and brown creativity. Evidence shows when juries believe lyrics to be rap lyrics, there’s a tendency to presume it’s a confession, whereas lyrics for other genres of music are understood to be art, not factual reporting. This act would ensure that our evidentiary standards protect the First Amendment right to freedom of expression. We cannot imprison our talented artists for expressing their experiences nor will we let their creativity be suppressed.”

If passed, the RAP Act could protect artists like Young Thug and Gunna, who are accused of alleged ties to a violent street gang. In the racketeering indictment, both are charged with violations of the RICO Act, but the only evidence tying them to the supposed gang is cherry-picked lyrics. Likewise, NBA YoungBoy was given a reprieve from using lyrics to prove he had knowledge of guns when nothing in those lyrics could tie him to the gun found in his car. The burden of evidence should absolutely be higher than “this guy rapped about this thing on a song once, so obviously he did the crime we’re accusing him of.” Thanks to the RAP Act, it could be.