California Governor Will Sign Bill Banning Rap Lyrics As Evidence Into Law

Advocates who support the "Decriminalizing Artistic Expression Act" in California are celebrating a recent victory after the bill passed unanimously in the State Senate and Assembly.

According to a report Rolling Stone published on Tuesday, August 23, the bill will be signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. The "Decriminalizing Artistic Expression Act" will require judges to press prosecutors on their motives for using rap lyrics as evidence in criminal cases. It will also make them determine whether or not their actions purposefully "injects racial bias into the proceedings.” The bill has some similarities to New York's Rap Lyrics on Trial bill. Unfortunately, that bill did not pass the State Assembly.

“Under current law, rap artists can feel as though they are being read their Miranda Rights before they even begin to write music: ‘You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law,’” the bill’s author Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer told Pitchfork in a statement.

In addition to the attempts in New York and California, there's also a push to ban the use of rap lyrics as evidence at a federal level. Last month, Reps Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) and Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) introduced the Restoring Artistic Protection (RAP) Act, which also calls for the same bans as the previous bills. The RAP Act was introduced amid the growing cases of artists like Young Thug and Gunna who are being prosecuted for crimes based on the lyrics they rap in their popular songs.

“Our judicial system disparately criminalizes Black and brown lives, including Black and brown creativity,” Rep. Bowman said about the proposed bill. “We cannot imprison our talented artists for expressing their experiences nor will we let their creativity be suppressed.”

Amid the high-profile arrests of Young Thug, Gunna and their YSL crew, 300 Entertainment's Kevin Liles and Atlantic Records' Julie Greenwald launched a petition to "protect Black art" and support bills like the RAP Act. They aren't the only ones who have voiced support for these type of bills. JAY-Z, Meek Mill and his REFORM Alliance, Fat Joe and others have urged politicians and fans to support any kind of legislation that will prevent artists from being charged for simply doing what they do best.